Bachelor's · College Park, Maryland

Is Computer Science at University of Maryland-College Park worth it?

High confidence High confidence: 100+ 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 1.1 years.

Earnings 1 year after graduating: $112,473; Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating: $148,155; Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation: $15,750; NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
Net cost to graduate, all families: $61k (likely $61k – $66k); AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Earnings bump, year 4: $108k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in MD; 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback: 1.1 years (likely 1.0–1.2); Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return: $818k (likely $739k – $884k); Today's dollars
20-year net return: $2.08M (likely $1.84M – $2.32M); Today's dollars
Odds of finishing (school-wide): 88%; Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26