MAJORS · 114 OF 115 SUBFIELDS BY ROI
Is a computer engineering degree worth it?
Part of Engineering — see the whole category’s numbers.
On average, yes — the mean lifetime ROI is +$1,325,051. But the spread is the real story.
MEAN LIFETIME ROI · FREOPP 2021 · COHORT-WEIGHTED
+$1,325,051
across 185 bachelor’s programs · 13,163 graduates
MEDIAN GRADUATE
+$1.28M
MIDDLE 50% LAND BETWEEN
+$1.13M ⟷ +$1.48M
NEVER BREAK EVEN
0%
MEDIAN BREAK-EVEN AGE
26
ADJUSTED FOR REAL COMPLETION RATES
+$971K
IF YOU DROP OUT
−$118K
Questions
- Is a computer engineering degree worth it?
- On average yes — across 185 U.S. bachelor’s programs (FREOPP 2021, cohort-weighted), the mean lifetime ROI for Computer Engineering is +$1,325,051 and the median is +$1,283,447. 0% of graduates in this field never break even on the degree. The honest answer depends heavily on the specific program and school: the middle half of graduates land between +$1,127,694 and +$1,477,200.
- How long until a computer engineering degree pays off?
- Among Computer Engineering programs that do break even, the median graduate crosses into positive ROI at age 26 (FREOPP 2021). 0% of graduates in the field are in programs that never break even at all.
- Does the school matter for a computer engineering major?
- Enormously. The middle 50% of Computer Engineering graduates span +$1,127,694 to +$1,477,200 — a +$350K spread within one major. The same field can be a strong trade at one school and a losing one at another, which is why the per-school number matters more than the field average.
↓ Download the data (CSV) · All 115 subfields with full statistics. Free to cite with attribution. · Methodology
Cite this:
LE TEEN (2026). “Computer Engineering: lifetime ROI statistics.” Data: FREOPP 2021. https://le-teen.com/majors/computer-engineering