Best Computer Engineering Degrees in the US by ROI
Top colleges ranked by estimated 20-year net return on investment across all active states. Data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
Programs Analyzed
144
Colleges with salary data
Average 20-Yr Net ROI
+$632,610
Across all programs
Average Annual Cost
$35,052
Cost of attendance
| # | College | State | 20-Yr Net ROI | Median Salary | Annual Cost | Avg Debt | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Princeton University
Grad rate: 97.3% |
NJ | +$2,471,980 | $181,687 | $80,440 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 2 |
University of Washington-Bothell Campus
Grad rate: 68.5% |
WA | +$2,082,360 | $152,099 | $24,462 | $16,127 | Full ROI → |
| 3 |
University of Washington-Seattle Campus
Grad rate: 84.0% |
WA | +$2,059,080 | $152,099 | $30,282 | $16,127 | Full ROI → |
| 4 |
Santa Clara University
Grad rate: 88.5% |
CA | +$1,436,648 | $131,051 | $77,768 | $24,666 | Full ROI → |
| 5 |
University of California-Los Angeles
Grad rate: 92.6% |
CA | +$1,228,928 | $111,727 | $36,643 | $14,103 | Full ROI → |
| 6 |
Duke University
Grad rate: 96.2% |
NC | +$1,154,669 | $117,262 | $82,749 | $14,500 | Full ROI → |
| 7 |
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
Grad rate: 85.3% |
CA | +$1,148,537 | $106,798 | $29,918 | $20,556 | Full ROI → |
| 8 |
Brigham Young University
Grad rate: 80.4% |
UT | +$1,137,371 | $103,770 | $20,879 | $10,750 | Full ROI → |
| 9 |
San Jose State University
Grad rate: 66.2% |
CA | +$1,090,860 | $101,682 | $25,695 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 10 |
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Grad rate: 84.8% |
IL | +$1,068,709 | $103,246 | $32,134 | $20,500 | Full ROI → |
| 11 |
University of Virginia-Main Campus
Grad rate: 95.3% |
VA | +$1,022,770 | $101,904 | $38,132 | $16,875 | Full ROI → |
| 12 |
George Mason University
Grad rate: 69.9% |
VA | +$1,003,091 | $99,351 | $26,972 | $26,697 | Full ROI → |
| 13 |
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Grad rate: 89.3% |
WI | +$995,040 | $97,306 | $27,770 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 14 |
University of New Mexico-Main Campus
Grad rate: 52.1% |
NM | +$982,928 | $95,341 | $20,973 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 15 |
University of California-San Diego
Grad rate: 87.7% |
CA | +$982,329 | $99,630 | $36,325 | $18,497 | Full ROI → |
| 16 |
University of California-Davis
Grad rate: 85.7% |
CA | +$957,726 | $98,364 | $38,067 | $12,804 | Full ROI → |
| 17 |
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus
Grad rate: 92.4% |
GA | +$955,843 | $97,066 | $27,797 | $25,399 | Full ROI → |
| 18 |
California State University-Chico
Grad rate: 63.9% |
CA | +$941,580 | $94,197 | $25,590 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 19 |
Texas Tech University
Grad rate: 67.1% |
TX | +$941,562 | $96,395 | $27,472 | $27,000 | Full ROI → |
| 20 |
Colorado State University-Fort Collins
Grad rate: 66.8% |
CO | +$917,756 | $93,827 | $29,696 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 21 |
North Dakota State University-Main Campus
Grad rate: 63.4% |
ND | +$903,236 | $93,292 | $23,391 | $21,511 | Full ROI → |
| 22 |
University of California-Santa Barbara
Grad rate: 85.5% |
CA | +$880,542 | $94,355 | $36,776 | $14,410 | Full ROI → |
| 23 |
University of Massachusetts-Amherst
Grad rate: 83.1% |
MA | +$871,094 | $94,055 | $33,389 | $27,000 | Full ROI → |
| 24 |
Lehigh University
Grad rate: 90.2% |
PA | +$866,136 | $102,472 | $77,515 | $24,625 | Full ROI → |
| 25 |
University of Maryland-College Park
Grad rate: 88.9% |
MD | +$864,369 | $92,230 | $28,073 | $20,695 | Full ROI → |
| 26 |
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Grad rate: 93.2% |
MI | +$861,545 | $93,130 | $33,345 | $20,500 | Full ROI → |
| 27 |
University of California-Santa Cruz
Grad rate: 75.7% |
CA | +$850,784 | $93,848 | $38,649 | $23,392 | Full ROI → |
| 28 |
Arizona State University Digital Immersion
Grad rate: 27.4% |
AZ | +$836,287 | $85,635 | N/A | $26,972 | Full ROI → |
| 29 |
Florida State University
Grad rate: 83.9% |
FL | +$822,710 | $89,448 | $23,683 | $23,346 | Full ROI → |
| 30 |
University of Southern California
Grad rate: 92.2% |
CA | +$822,683 | $100,711 | $84,678 | $9,500 | Full ROI → |
| 31 |
Texas A&M University-College Station
Grad rate: 83.7% |
TX | +$821,438 | $91,029 | $32,085 | $22,816 | Full ROI → |
| 32 |
University of Florida
Grad rate: 90.7% |
FL | +$816,885 | $88,711 | $21,719 | $22,562 | Full ROI → |
| 33 |
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Grad rate: 86.3% |
VA | +$800,020 | $90,164 | $32,040 | $26,000 | Full ROI → |
| 34 |
Northeastern University
Grad rate: 90.8% |
MA | +$792,151 | $99,566 | $81,353 | $25,005 | Full ROI → |
| 35 |
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Grad rate: 81.3% |
IN | +$787,610 | $97,902 | $74,226 | $24,834 | Full ROI → |
| 36 |
Florida Gulf Coast University
Grad rate: 57.3% |
FL | +$759,994 | $85,341 | $18,269 | $25,000 | Full ROI → |
| 37 |
Purdue University-Main Campus
Grad rate: 83.1% |
IN | +$757,682 | $85,950 | $22,567 | $23,000 | Full ROI → |
| 38 |
California State University-Sacramento
Grad rate: 55.1% |
CA | +$750,439 | $85,246 | $22,714 | $17,500 | Full ROI → |
| 39 |
Boston University
Grad rate: 89.5% |
MA | +$744,414 | $97,573 | $82,694 | $26,866 | Full ROI → |
| 40 |
California State University-Fresno
Grad rate: 55.5% |
CA | +$742,923 | $84,934 | $18,650 | $30,486 | Full ROI → |
| 41 |
University of Colorado Boulder
Grad rate: 74.9% |
CO | +$728,606 | $86,676 | $33,466 | $23,000 | Full ROI → |
| 42 |
Binghamton University
Grad rate: 83.2% |
NY | +$727,466 | $85,921 | $29,657 | $23,945 | Full ROI → |
| 43 |
University of Maryland-Baltimore County
Grad rate: 70.5% |
MD | +$726,196 | $85,246 | $27,935 | $19,988 | Full ROI → |
| 44 |
Arizona State University Campus Immersion
Grad rate: 67.4% |
AZ | +$724,099 | $85,635 | $28,047 | $26,972 | Full ROI → |
| 45 |
University of Louisville
Grad rate: 61.4% |
KY | +$723,544 | $85,784 | $30,843 | $21,306 | Full ROI → |
| 46 |
University of Rhode Island
Grad rate: 71.4% |
RI | +$721,896 | $86,408 | $32,584 | $26,613 | Full ROI → |
| 47 |
The University of Texas at Arlington
Grad rate: 55.1% |
TX | +$713,575 | $84,138 | $25,265 | $20,833 | Full ROI → |
| 48 |
Michigan State University
Grad rate: 81.9% |
MI | +$701,519 | $84,869 | $30,528 | $24,999 | Full ROI → |
| 49 |
Iowa State University
Grad rate: 75.0% |
IA | +$699,749 | $83,292 | $23,309 | $24,337 | Full ROI → |
| 50 |
The University of Texas at Dallas
Grad rate: 70.2% |
TX | +$699,290 | $84,024 | $28,210 | $21,000 | Full ROI → |
How ROI is calculated
20-Year Net ROI = Gross Earnings (salary × 20) − Total Degree Cost − Debt Payoff (×1.35) − Baseline Opportunity Cost ($42,000 × 20). Data from the U.S. College Scorecard.
Find Best Computer Engineering Degrees by State
Browse Computer Engineering programs ranked by 20-year ROI in every state that offers this degree.