Master's · Cambridge, Massachusetts

Is Computer Engineering at Harvard University worth it?

Low confidence Low confidence: fewer than 40 graduates behind the earnings figures.

The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans

Pays back fast: graduates typically recover the cost in about 0.8 years.

Earnings 1 year after graduating: $152,692; Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating: $245,457; Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation: $47,239; NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
Typical borrowing (no graduate net price is published): $50k (likely $50k – $50k); AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Earnings bump, year 4: $174k a year vs bachelor's graduates 4 years out in MA; 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback: 0.8 years (likely 0.6–1.1); Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return: $1.44M (likely $1.08M – $1.83M); Today's dollars
20-year net return: $3.46M (likely $2.66M – $4.37M); Today's dollars

Scorecard reports no net price for graduate programs; cost is based on what graduates typically borrowed.