Computer Engineering Degrees (2026 stats)

Last updated: April 29, 2026 Source: College Scorecard

TL;DR

Computer Engineering maps to BLS occupations averaging about $130,076, with roughly 46,250 workers nationwide in those roles. About 19,986 degrees completed in recent IPEDS counts; median program completion runs near 57%.

Key Statistics

19,986
Total Degrees Awarded (2023)
$9,992
Median In-State Public Tuition
$40,064
Median Out-of-State Private Tuition
$130,076
Avg. Wage (related occupations)
46,250
Workers (related occupations)
57.0%
Median Graduation Rate (4-yr schools)
181
Bachelor's Completions (IPEDS 2023)

Computer Engineering: what the data shows

Common questions about computer engineering degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.

What is a computer engineering degree?

A Computer Engineering program is classified under NCES CIP 00.1409 in the 00.0014 field family (00.14).

IPEDS counted 19,986 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.

Types of computer engineering degrees and related programs

Other NCES program codes in the 00.14 family with pages on EDsmart Data:

How long does it take to get a computer engineering degree?

Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 00.1409 in our file:

  • 181 Bachelor's (45.4% of IPEDS total)—typically four years
  • 218 Master's (54.6% of IPEDS total)—one to two years beyond a bachelor's

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 engineering?

O*NET skill ratings for occupations mapped to this major emphasize Programming, Active Listening, Complex Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, Quality Control Analysis, Systems Analysis, and related competencies. See the Skills section for the full list in our extract.

What degree do you need?

For Computer Programmers (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%).

O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.

What jobs can you get with a computer engineering degree?

Our degree→occupation mapping links Computer Engineering to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.

OccupationU.S. employmentMedian annual wage
Computer Programmers109,870$98,670
Software Quality Assurance Analysts199,800$102,610

See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.

Is a computer engineering degree worth it?

Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $9,992 and median net price is $18,045.

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 Engineering and the types of students that study this field.

Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

$9,992 Median In-State Public

$40,064 Median Out of State Private

Tuition costs for Computer Engineering majors are, on average, $9,992 for in-state public colleges, and $40,064 for out of state private colleges.

Tuition costs comparison for Computer Engineering programs.

Degrees Awarded Over Time

19,986 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023

This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Computer Engineering from 2015 to 2023.

Historical trend of degrees awarded in Computer Engineering.

Top 5 Schools by Enrollment

# School State Enrollment
1 Grand Canyon University AZ 68,619
2 Arizona State University Campus Immersion AZ 64,398
3 Texas A&M University-College Station TX 59,099
4 University of Central Florida FL 59,095
5 Liberty University VA 50,059

Schools with the largest enrollment offering Computer Engineering programs.

Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition

# School State Tuition
1 Amarillo College TX $2,136
2 Truckee Meadows Community College NV $3,144
3 College of Southern Idaho ID $3,360
4 Itawamba Community College MS $3,420
5 Henry Ford College MI $3,460

Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Computer Engineering programs.

Top 5 Lowest Net Price

# School State Net Price
1 Henry Ford College MI $576
2 Texas A & M International University TX $3,061
3 CUNY City College NY $3,486
4 East Mississippi Community College MS $3,880
5 Carroll Community College MD $3,917

Schools with the lowest average net price for Computer Engineering programs.

Graduation Rates

56.95% Median Graduation Rate (150% of normal time)

57.64% Average Graduation Rate

144 Institutions Reporting

43.28% - 72.24% Interquartile Range

Graduation/completion rates for Computer Engineering programs across institutions.

Related specializations

Other NCES program codes in the 00.14 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.

Degree Levels (IPEDS)

Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 00.1409 in the survey year used in our extract (399 total across levels below).

  • 181 Bachelor's (45.4% of IPEDS total)
  • 218 Master's (54.6% 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 $130,076. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Computer Engineering graduates alone.

Related occupations (BLS OEWS)

Occupation Mean annual wage U.S. employment
Computer Programmers$123,323109,870
Software Quality Assurance Analysts$133,790199,800

Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.

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

$130,459 Average Wage in Workforce

The average salary for Computer Engineering majors is $130,459.

Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Computer Engineering majors.

Occupations by Share

46,250 2023 Workforce

The number of Computer Engineering graduates in the workforce has been growing.

Various jobs filled by those with a major in Computer Engineering by share of the total number of graduates.

Diversity

Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Computer Engineering 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 Engineering.

Age distribution for Computer Engineering degree holders in the workforce.

Gender Distribution

Gender distribution data is not available for this degree program.

Gender distribution of Computer Engineering degree recipients.

Race and Ethnicity Distribution

Race and ethnicity distribution data is not available for this degree program.

Racial and ethnic distribution of Computer Engineering degree recipients.

Degrees Awarded

The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Computer Engineering are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.

Distribution of degree types awarded in Computer Engineering.

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Computer Engineering field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Required Skills

Computer Engineering majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.

Rating of how necessary various skills are for Computer Engineering 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 Engineering majors.

About

Computer Engineering

In 2023, 19,986 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Computer Engineering.

CIP Code

00.1409 - Computer Engineering

What the data shows

Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $130,076. The largest mapped role by headcount is Computer Programmers (109,870 U.S. jobs in OEWS).

Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $9,992 in-state at public colleges and $40,064 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.