Computer and Information Sciences Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Computer and Information Sciences maps to BLS occupations averaging about $125,690, with roughly 31,210 workers nationwide in those roles. About 29,039 bachelor's completions in IPEDS 2023; modeled 10-year ROI is about 501% on median net price.
Key Statistics
Computer and Information Sciences: what the data shows
Common questions about computer and information sciences degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a computer and information sciences degree?
A Computer and Information Sciences program is classified under NCES CIP 11.0101 in the Computer and Information Sciences, General field family (11.01).
A general program that focuses on computing, computer science, and information science and systems. Such programs are undifferentiated as to title and content and are not to be confused with specific programs in computer science, information science, or related support services.
IPEDS counted 29,039 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.
Types of computer and information sciences degrees and related programs
Other NCES program codes in the 11.01 family with pages on EDsmart Data:
- Agriculture, General (CIP 11.01)
- Artificial Intelligence (CIP 11.0102)
- Human-Centered Technology Design (CIP 11.0105)
- Informatics (CIP 11.0104)
- Information Technology (CIP 11.0103)
How long does it take to get a computer and information sciences degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 11.0101 in our file:
- 6,410 Associate (11.3% of IPEDS total)—about two years of full-time study
- 29,039 Bachelor's (51.2% of IPEDS total)—typically four years
- 21,233 Master's (37.5% of IPEDS total)—one to two years beyond a bachelor's
- 2 Doctorate (0.0% of IPEDS total)—varies by program
Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.
What do you learn in computer and information sciences?
O*NET skill ratings for occupations mapped to this major emphasize Critical Thinking, Complex Problem Solving, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking, Judgment and Decision Making, and related competencies. See the Skills section for the full list in our extract.
What degree do you need?
For Computer Network Architects (top mapped occupation), O*NET incumbent surveys in our career profile report these education credentials most often: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%). Bachelor's awards account for a majority of IPEDS completions for CIP 11.0101, but occupation data show multiple pathways.
O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.
What jobs can you get with a computer and information sciences degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Computer and Information Sciences to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Network Architects | 177,010 | $130,390 |
| Computer User Support Specialists | 146,450 | $73,340 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a computer and information sciences degree worth it?
College Scorecard national medians for the Computer and Information Sciences, General bachelor's program family: median debt $22,227, median earnings $92,374 four years after enrollment. Debt-to-earnings proxy: 0.36.
About 5.0% of graduates in this field family were not working and not enrolled one year after completion in Scorecard's national program medians.
Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $11,790 and median net price is $16,866.
We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.
Institutions
Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Computer and Information Sciences and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$11,790 Median In-State Public
$30,242 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Computer and Information Sciences majors are, on average, $11,790 for in-state public colleges, and $30,242 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Computer and Information Sciences programs.
Institutions awarding the most Computer and Information Sciences degrees
| # | Institution | State | Completions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus | GA | 4,259 |
| 2 | Northeastern University | MA | 1,744 |
| 3 | The University of Texas at Dallas | TX | 1,456 |
| 4 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | MI | 1,446 |
| 5 | Southern New Hampshire University | NH | 1,403 |
| 6 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | WI | 1,252 |
| 7 | The University of Texas at Austin | TX | 1,200 |
| 8 | University of North Texas | TX | 1,079 |
| 9 | University of the People | CA | 1,077 |
| 10 | The University of Texas at Arlington | TX | 1,075 |
IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), all award levels for this CIP in our extract.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
29,039 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Computer and Information Sciences from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Computer and Information Sciences.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | 64,398 |
| 2 | Texas A&M University-College Station | TX | 59,099 |
| 3 | Ivy Tech Community College | IN | 54,926 |
| 4 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | OH | 44,617 |
| 5 | Brigham Young University-Idaho | ID | 42,090 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Computer and Information Sciences programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Woodland Community College | CA | $1,124 |
| 2 | Imperial Valley College | CA | $1,126 |
| 3 | Yuba College | CA | $1,128 |
| 4 | Lassen Community College | CA | $1,144 |
| 5 | College of the Redwoods | CA | $1,147 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Computer and Information Sciences programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | College of the Sequoias | CA | $29 |
| 2 | Central Carolina Community College | NC | $616 |
| 3 | Fort Scott Community College | KS | $665 |
| 4 | Wiregrass Georgia Technical College | GA | $1,228 |
| 5 | West Shore Community College | MI | $1,335 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Computer and Information Sciences programs.
Graduation Rates
53.42% Median Graduation Rate (150% of normal time)
53.70% Average Graduation Rate
1,119 Institutions Reporting
40.38% - 67.38% Interquartile Range
Graduation/completion rates for Computer and Information Sciences programs across institutions.
Where students complete this major (IPEDS)
Bachelor's-level completions (IPEDS Completions, award level 5) summed by institution state. State is taken from IPEDS Directory (HD2023) for each reporting institution.
Geographic concentration
The largest number of reported bachelor's completions for Computer and Information Sciences is in TX (3,813 completions). That state represents about 13.1% of U.S. bachelor's completions reported for this CIP in the IPEDS file we use.
Among states, the highest concentration relative to all bachelor's degrees awarded in-state is NJ (1.94% of that state's bachelor's completions).
Top states by count of bachelor's completions for this CIP (IPEDS).
| State | Bachelor's completions (this CIP) | % of U.S. total (this CIP) | % of state's all bachelor's |
|---|---|---|---|
| TX | 3,813 | 13.1% | 1.30% |
| FL | 2,510 | 8.6% | 1.10% |
| MI | 2,150 | 7.4% | 1.88% |
| GA | 1,978 | 6.8% | 1.73% |
| VA | 1,863 | 6.4% | 1.52% |
| NJ | 1,678 | 5.8% | 1.94% |
| NY | 1,663 | 5.7% | 0.60% |
| PA | 1,476 | 5.1% | 0.86% |
| WI | 1,251 | 4.3% | 1.65% |
| MD | 999 | 3.4% | 1.36% |
| MA | 991 | 3.4% | 0.78% |
| CA | 759 | 2.6% | 0.17% |
| NH | 668 | 2.3% | 1.06% |
| AL | 553 | 1.9% | 0.82% |
| MO | 509 | 1.8% | 0.71% |
| SC | 477 | 1.6% | 0.86% |
| CT | 470 | 1.6% | 0.96% |
| WA | 441 | 1.5% | 0.64% |
Related specializations
Other NCES program codes in the 11.01 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.
- Agriculture, General CIP 11.01
- Artificial Intelligence CIP 11.0102
- Human-Centered Technology Design CIP 11.0105
- Informatics CIP 11.0104
- Information Technology CIP 11.0103
Degree Levels (IPEDS)
Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 11.0101 in the survey year used in our extract (56,684 total across levels below).
- 6,410 Associate (11.3% of IPEDS total)
- 29,039 Bachelor's (51.2% of IPEDS total)
- 21,233 Master's (37.5% of IPEDS total)
- 2 Doctorate (0.0% of IPEDS total)
Source: IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), summed by award level for this CIP.
Careers & Jobs
Occupations linked to this major in our degree→career mapping, with wages and employment from processed BLS career profiles in this repo.
Across these BLS occupations, employment-weighted mean pay is about $125,690. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Computer and Information Sciences graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Network Architects | $154,087 | 177,010 |
| Computer User Support Specialists | $91,367 | 146,450 |
Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.
Program outcomes (College Scorecard)
National medians across bachelor's programs in the Computer and Information Sciences, General CIP family (149 programs reporting debt). Not specific to every Computer and Information Sciences graduate.
- $22,227 median federal loan debt among completers
- $92,374 median earnings four years after enrollment (national program median)
- 0.36 debt-to-earnings ratio (Scorecard proxy)
- 5.0% of graduates not working and not enrolled one year out (program cohort)
Source: College Scorecard program-level outcomes aggregated by 4-digit CIP family.
Employment
Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.
Yearly Income for Common Jobs
$131,157 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Computer and Information Sciences majors is $131,157.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Computer and Information Sciences majors.
Occupations by Share
31,210 2023 Workforce
The number of Computer and Information Sciences graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Computer and Information Sciences by share of the total number of graduates.
Return on Investment & Value
Debt and earnings fields below come from College Scorecard where present in our degree extract.
Financial value (extract)
$13,532 Median Student Debt
$40,568 Median Annual Earnings (10 years after enrollment)
33.36% Debt-to-Earnings Ratio
3.3 years Estimated Payback Period (assuming 10% of income)
501.30% Return on Investment (10-year earnings vs 4-year cost)
Ten-year earnings in this extract exceed four years of median net price.
$67,466 Estimated Total Cost (4 years at median net price)
Financial value comparison for Computer and Information Sciences degree.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Computer and Information Sciences in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Computer and Information Sciences.
Age distribution for Computer and Information Sciences degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
29,039 Total Degrees Awarded
22,566 Male (77.71%)
6,473 Female (22.29%)
Gender distribution of Computer and Information Sciences degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
11,355 White (39.10%)
6,246 Asian (21.51%)
3,763 Hispanic or Latino (12.96%)
2,248 Black or African American (7.74%)
1,119 Two or More Races (3.85%)
Racial and ethnic distribution of Computer and Information Sciences degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Computer and Information Sciences are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Computer and Information Sciences.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Computer and Information Sciences field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Computer and Information Sciences majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Computer and Information Sciences majors.
Skills Bar Chart
This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.
Skill importance ratings for Computer and Information Sciences majors.
About
A general program that focuses on computing, computer science, and information science and systems. Such programs are undifferentiated as to title and content and are not to be confused with specific programs in computer science, information science, or related support services.
In 2023, 29,039 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Computer and Information Sciences.
CIP Code
11.0101 - Computer and Information Sciences
What the data shows
At the program-family level, College Scorecard reports median debt of $22,227 for bachelor's completers and median earnings near $92,374, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.36. Those figures describe national program cohorts in this CIP family—not every individual Computer and Information Sciences graduate.
Men earned 25.9% of 67,926 Computer and Information Sciences completions in the IPEDS file used here.
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $125,690. The largest mapped role by headcount is Computer Network Architects (177,010 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $11,790 in-state at public colleges and $30,242 at private institutions for programs in this field.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.
All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.