---
title: Is a Computer Engineering degree worth the debt?
cip: 1409
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 Engineering degree worth the debt?

Leading with the **Bachelor's**, across **185** colleges (185 of 185 programs report earnings):

- **Median pay, 1 year after completion:** $70,001 ($71,234 at 2 years)
- **Median federal debt:** $23,000 (federal loans only)
- **Debt-to-earnings:** 0.34× a first year's pay
- **Across-college spread (middle 50%):** $64,523–$74,393 — 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 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Associate's | $49,653 | $19,203 | 0.39× | 6 | 6/6 |
| Bachelor's | $70,001 | $23,000 | 0.34× | 185 | 185/185 |
| Master's | $96,204 | $35,556 | 0.41× | 27 | 27/27 |

## 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 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| University of Washington-Seattle Campus (WA) | $137,584 | $15,422 |
| University of Washington-Bothell Campus (WA) | $137,584 | $15,422 |
| University of Washington-Tacoma Campus (WA) | $137,584 | $15,422 |
| Princeton University (NJ) | $122,809 | — |
| University of California-Los Angeles (CA) | $110,139 | $13,500 |
| Duke University (NC) | $108,817 | $14,500 |
| University of Southern California (CA) | $106,621 | $6,625 |
| Bucknell University (PA) | $94,127 | — |
| California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo (CA) | $91,493 | $20,556 |
| Boston University (MA) | $90,529 | $25,984 |
| Northeastern University (MA) | $88,529 | $25,002 |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (IL) | $88,455 | $20,500 |
| University of Maryland-College Park (MD) | $88,418 | $20,417 |
| University of Michigan-Ann Arbor (MI) | $84,934 | $19,500 |
| University of Virginia-Main Campus (VA) | $84,682 | $16,875 |

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-engineering.jsonld` · `/education/fields/computer-engineering.json`