---
title: Is a Mathematics and Computer Science degree worth the debt?
cip: 3008
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 Mathematics and Computer Science degree worth the debt?

Leading with the **Bachelor's**, across **7** colleges (7 of 7 programs report earnings):

- **Median pay, 1 year after completion:** $87,146 ($82,354 at 2 years)
- **Median federal debt:** $21,500 (federal loans only)
- **Debt-to-earnings:** 0.27× a first year's pay


**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 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Bachelor's | $87,146 | $21,500 | 0.27× | 7 | 7/7 |

## 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 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Harvey Mudd College (CA) | $118,973 | $23,000 |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MA) | $109,338 | — |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (IL) | $90,339 | $21,500 |
| Santa Clara University (CA) | $87,146 | $21,500 |
| University of California-San Diego (CA) | $64,863 | $18,887 |
| University of Akron Main Campus (OH) | $54,874 | $24,668 |
| University of Illinois Chicago (IL) | $40,536 | $18,150 |

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/mathematics-and-computer-science.jsonld` · `/education/fields/mathematics-and-computer-science.json`