# Is a Computer Science Degree Still Worth the Debt?
The calculus on college costs has shifted. Rising tuition bills paired with AI-fueled workforce uncertainty means families need to run harder numbers before committing six figures to a degree.
Ron Lieber, personal finance columnist for the New York Times, examined this tension directly. The core question remains brutal: Does a computer science degree, once a reliable path to six-figure salaries, still justify the debt load?
The stakes are real. Computer science programs cost $100,000 to $200,000 over four years at private universities, and sometimes nearly that at state schools when you factor in living expenses and opportunity costs. Graduates typically carry $25,000 to $30,000 in federal student loans, plus private debt if they borrowed beyond that.
The upside still exists. Computer science graduates earn roughly $75,000 to $85,000 in entry-level roles, well above the $40,000 median for bachelor's degree holders overall. But AI adoption is reshaping demand faster than any major shift in recent memory. Some roles will vanish. Others will emerge. Predicting which ones requires guesswork.
Lieber's framing matters here. The question isn't whether the degree pays off on average. It does. The question is whether your child will land in the paying-off group or the struggling group. That depends on specialization, location, internships, and timing. A computer science degree from a top-tier university with strong industry connections pulls different odds than one from a school with weaker networks.
Families should stress-test assumptions before borrowing. What are starting salaries in your region? How fast does your kid graduate? What happens if their first job search takes six months instead of two weeks? Can you afford payments if income lags?
The old answer was automatic: Yes