---
title: Is a Computer and Information Sciences, General degree worth the debt?
cip: 1101
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard — Field of Study (2026-06-10 release)
sourceId: src:doe:college-scorecard:field-of-study:2026-06-10
---

# Is a Computer and Information Sciences, General degree worth the debt?

Leading with the **Bachelor's**, across **424** colleges (424 of 424 programs report earnings):

- **Median pay, 1 year after completion:** $55,458 ($59,098 at 2 years)
- **Median federal debt:** $22,528 (federal loans only)
- **Debt-to-earnings:** 0.41× a first year's pay
- **Across-college spread (middle 50%):** $48,007–$65,253 — the program you choose moves the number this much.


**How to read this:** these are MEDIANS across college programs, measured **1–2 years after completion** (early career, graduates only) — NOT lifetime earnings, and NOT comparable to a college's 10-years-after-entry figure. They cover **federally-aided completers at programs large enough to report**; small programs are suppressed. A field median is not a prediction of your outcome, not causal (who enters a field differs by field), and **not a "best majors" ranking** — earnings are one dimension of worth. Verify by field at the official College Scorecard (https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/).

## By degree level

| Level | Pay (1yr) | Federal debt | Debt/pay | Colleges | Programs reporting |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Certificate | $31,382 | $8,739 | 0.32× | 8 | 8/8 |
| Associate's | $32,855 | $12,246 | 0.34× | 80 | 80/80 |
| Bachelor's | $55,458 | $22,528 | 0.41× | 424 | 424/424 |
| Master's | $82,907 | $37,127 | 0.43× | 60 | 60/60 |

## Where a Bachelor's in this field reports the highest early-career pay

Reflects who enrolls and where, not causal program quality.

| College | Pay (1yr) | Federal debt |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Yale University (CT) | $133,998 | $15,000 |
| Rice University (TX) | $122,770 | $12,373 |
| University of California-Los Angeles (CA) | $117,100 | $15,156 |
| Wellesley College (MA) | $110,380 | $13,350 |
| Johns Hopkins University (MD) | $105,950 | $12,750 |
| University of Pennsylvania (PA) | $102,195 | $15,000 |
| University of Michigan-Ann Arbor (MI) | $100,643 | $19,475 |
| Swarthmore College (PA) | $97,897 | — |
| Northeastern University Oakland (CA) | $95,288 | $22,583 |
| Northeastern University (MA) | $95,288 | $22,583 |
| Northeastern University Professional Programs (MA) | $95,288 | $22,583 |
| Cornell University (NY) | $90,735 | $15,500 |
| Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus (GA) | $89,428 | $20,500 |
| The University of Texas at Austin (TX) | $89,133 | $20,500 |
| California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo (CA) | $88,197 | — |

RECORDED College Scorecard figures + one DERIVED ratio (debt-to-earnings). Informs and compares; not advice on what to major in. Each college's full record: `/education/<slug>`.

Structured data: `/education/fields/computer-and-information-sciences-general.jsonld` · `/education/fields/computer-and-information-sciences-general.json`