College Scorecard · field of study · all U.S. colleges

Is a Computer Programming degree worth the debt?

The figures below lead with the Bachelor's, aggregated across 28 colleges (28 of 28 programs report earnings). Other credential levels are in the table further down.

Median pay · 1 yr after

$53,952

Graduates only, early career.$62,260 two years out.

Median federal debt

$31,000

Federal loans only — not private or Parent PLUS.

Debt vs a year's pay

0.57×

57% of a first year's earnings.

Typical debt is under a year's early-career pay.

The college you pick moves this a lot

The middle 50% of Bachelor's programs in Computer Programming report early-career pay between $50,943 and $54,066 — a spread of $3,123 that depends on the program and who attends it, not the major alone.

25th pct $50,943 median $53,952 75th pct $54,066

By degree level

Each level is a separate decision — more schooling usually means more pay and more debt.

LevelPay · 1yrDebtDebt/pay

Certificate 6 colleges $39,548 $7,125 0.15×

Associate's 38 colleges $37,666 $16,833 0.40×

Bachelor's 28 colleges $53,952 $31,000 0.57×

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

The 15 programs with the highest reported pay one year after completion. This reflects who enrolls and where they live as much as the program itself — it is not a causal quality ranking.

DigiPen Institute of Technology WA $80,803 $27,000 debt

North Seattle College WA $71,531 —

Neumont College of Computer Science UT $70,731 —

University of Michigan-Dearborn MI $67,925 $18,502 debt

Bellevue University NE $62,477 $20,517 debt

New England Institute of Technology RI $59,619 $35,500 debt

Baker College MI $54,410 —

Herzing University-Birmingham AL $53,952 $31,000 debt

Herzing University-Atlanta GA $53,952 $31,000 debt

Herzing University-Minneapolis MN $53,952 $31,000 debt

Herzing University-Akron OH $53,952 $31,000 debt

Herzing University-Madison WI $53,952 $31,000 debt

Herzing University-Orlando FL $53,952 $31,000 debt

Herzing University-New Orleans LA $53,952 $31,000 debt

Herzing University-Kenosha WI $53,952 $31,000 debt

What these numbers are — and are not

Every figure here is a median across college programs in Computer Programming, from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. It is not a prediction of what you would earn (your college, effort, and local job market vary enormously — see the spread above), not lifetime earnings (it is measured 1–2 years after completion, early career), not proof the major caused the outcome (who enters a field differs by field — selection, not causation), and not a "best majors" ranking: earnings are one dimension of worth, not the whole of it. Teaching and social work pay far less than the fields at the top of this list and matter enormously. Earnings cover federally-aided completers at programs large enough to report.

Also available: structured data (JSON-LD) · plain text · JSON. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard — Field of Study (2026-06-10 release). · explore this field on the official Scorecard