What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for Computer Science
Computer Science is tracked across 282 U.S. postsecondary institutions in the College Scorecard field-of-study file, which links CIP code classifications from IPEDS to Treasury earnings records. This profile covers the master's credential level specifically, because the Department of Education reports program-level outcomes separately for associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral awards. The CIP (Classification of Instructional Programs) taxonomy lets analysts roll up specialties into broader families, which is why earnings medians across schools can be compared on a common basis.
Across all reporting institutions, the mean of school-level medians is $140,828, calculated from 71 schools with published earnings data. The earnings distribution stretches from $58,673 at the low end to $255,667 at the top, with a 25th-75th percentile band between $109,763 and $169,765 around a median of $142,461. The top-reporting institution in this program is Stanford University at $255,667. These numbers reflect earnings measured roughly a year after completion, using Social Security Administration tax records linked to federal financial aid applicants.
Variation across schools matters more than a single national figure. Completers counts reported per school indicate how many graduates’ earnings feed the median, which means small programs produce more volatile numbers. Median debt at the program level, when paired with earnings, yields a debt-to-earnings ratio that is the College Scorecard’s standard affordability signal – ratios under 1.0 indicate earnings exceed cumulative debt. Use the school-by-school table to spot institutions where Computer Science graduates out-earn peers at comparable cost, and to surface gainful-employment patterns that only become visible at the CIP-code level.
Computer Science master's credential median earnings varies 4.4× across entities
Computer Science master's credential median earnings ranges from $58,673 (lowest) to $255,667 (highest), a spread of $196,994. That ratio is among the widest observed and reflects extreme earnings stratification across institutions, graduates of the same field can earn dramatically different starting salaries depending on the school’s reputation, regional employer mix, and selectivity. Earnings are measured roughly one year after completion using IRS records linked to federal aid recipients (see https://www.irs.gov/) - not all completers are captured, but the school-level medians correlate strongly with longer-term earnings trajectories.
Computer Science master's credential median debt varies 4.3× across entities
Computer Science master's credential median debt ranges from $18,835 (lowest) to $80,205 (highest), a spread of $61,370. That ratio is among the widest observed and reflects extreme cost-of-attendance variation, students at the high end accumulate substantially more debt for the same credential, often without proportionally higher post-graduation earnings. Median debt counts only those students who borrowed federal loans, students who paid out-of-pocket or received institutional grants are excluded from the borrower median, which can flatter low-debt schools.
Computer Science debt-to-earnings ratio is 0.24 — well below typical (typically associated with unusually small scale or exceptionally high per-unit investment)
debt-to-earnings ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: this ratio uses federal loan principal, not all education debt, private loans, parent PLUS loans not in the borrower’s name, and institutional debt are excluded Values this far below typical often correlate with unusually small scale or population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se — worth checking whether the underlying denominator is itself an outlier.
Earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard Field of Study file. Median earnings represent graduates who received federal financial aid, drawn from U.S. Treasury tax records linked to federal student aid applicants. Completers count and debt figures reflect program-level data reported through IPEDS. Data is updated annually.