MAJORS · 110 OF 115 SUBFIELDS BY ROI
Is a computer science degree worth it?
Part of Computer and Information Sciences — see the whole category’s numbers.
On average, yes — the mean lifetime ROI is +$1,157,676. But the spread is the real story.
MEAN LIFETIME ROI · FREOPP 2021 · COHORT-WEIGHTED
+$1,157,676
across 349 bachelor’s programs · 32,289 graduates
MEDIAN GRADUATE
+$1.00M
MIDDLE 50% LAND BETWEEN
+$781K ⟷ +$1.29M
NEVER BREAK EVEN
0.1%
MEDIAN BREAK-EVEN AGE
26
ADJUSTED FOR REAL COMPLETION RATES
+$847K
IF YOU DROP OUT
−$122K
Questions
- Is a computer science degree worth it?
- On average yes — across 349 U.S. bachelor’s programs (FREOPP 2021, cohort-weighted), the mean lifetime ROI for Computer Science is +$1,157,676 and the median is +$1,003,700. 0.1% 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 +$780,643 and +$1,285,372.
- How long until a computer science degree pays off?
- Among Computer Science programs that do break even, the median graduate crosses into positive ROI at age 26 (FREOPP 2021). 0.1% of graduates in the field are in programs that never break even at all.
- Does the school matter for a computer science major?
- Enormously. The middle 50% of Computer Science graduates span +$780,643 to +$1,285,372 — a +$505K 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 Science: lifetime ROI statistics.” Data: FREOPP 2021. https://le-teen.com/majors/computer-science