How much debt do Bridgewater State computer science graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $27,000, which ranks 13th lowest of 18 computer science bachelor's programs in Massachusetts. That works out to about $286 a month over 10 years.

Is a computer science degree from Bridgewater State worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 47% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 34%. Compare the cost with other Massachusetts programs before deciding.

Bridgewater State Computer Science (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do Bridgewater State computer science graduates stay in Massachusetts?

Most do. 88% (51 of 58) were working in Massachusetts one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Computer Science
Public university
Bridgewater, MA
About 47 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Bridgewater State computer science graduates earn less than graduates of most computer science programs nationally, $57,007 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $27,000 in federal loans, more than at 75% of computer science programs in the country. Several Massachusetts programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$57,00718th percentile of 331 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$86,60852% more than year one

Median federal debt$27,00013th lowest of 18 Massachusetts programs

Debt-to-earnings47%Massachusetts median 29%, national 34%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Massachusetts and national columns are the medians across all computer science bachelor's programs that report the figure.

	Bridgewater State	Massachusetts	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$57,007	$86,061	$70,400
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$86,608	$148,489	$105,613
Median federal debt at graduation	$27,000	$24,285	$23,308
Debt as share of first-year pay	47%	29%	34%
Programs compared		20	331

Five years out, Bridgewater State graduates earn less than the national figure and about $61,881 less than the Massachusetts median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Massachusetts computer science program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Massachusetts medians.

Bridgewater StateOther Massachusetts programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

What graduates earn over time

Pay rises about 52% between the first and fifth year.

Bridgewater State grads, year 1$57,007

Bridgewater State grads, year 5$86,608

All Massachusetts computer science grads, year 5$148,489

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Does family income change the outcome?

Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned $13,925 less in their first year than other graduates. They also borrowed more. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$49,935Median debt $30,360

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$63,860Median debt $26,459

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $286 a month, or 6.0% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (32 borrowers)	Share
Paying down the balance	40–59%

The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

88% of graduates (51 of 58) were working in Massachusetts one year after graduating. Prices in the Boston area are about 8% above the national average, so a $57,007 salary here buys what about $52,655 buys in a typical US city.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to computer science, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Software Developers

$165,210

Median pay in Massachusetts. 48,190 people work in this job in Massachusetts. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 10% from 2025 to 2035, with about 95,300 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $102,810Top 10%: $213,970

Computer and Information Systems Managers

$214,960

Median pay in Massachusetts. 24,910 people work in this job in Massachusetts. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 16% from 2025 to 2035, with about 53,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus 5 years or more of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $134,390Top 10%: $308,250

Data Scientists

$131,750

Median pay in Massachusetts. 9,420 people work in this job in Massachusetts. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 35% from 2025 to 2035, with about 24,800 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $81,030Top 10%: $206,220

Information Security Analysts

$136,550

Median pay in Massachusetts. 6,100 people work in this job in Massachusetts. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 21% from 2025 to 2035, with about 14,100 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $85,790Top 10%: $226,190

About Bridgewater State

In-state tuition and fees	$11,808 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$17,948 / year
Average net price after aid	$16,383 / year
Admission rate	88%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	53%
Undergraduate students	7,829

Computer Science ranks 1st of 22 bachelor's programs at Bridgewater State by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Science ($57,007), Chemistry ($55,376), and Accounting ($54,221).

Other computer science bachelor's programs near Bridgewater

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Bridgewater StateBridgewater, MA · public		$57,007	$27,000
Wentworth Institute of TechnologyBoston, MA · private nonprofit	25 mi	$85,954	$25,000
Suffolk UniversityBoston, MA · private nonprofit	26 mi	$60,259	$27,000
Boston UniversityBoston, MA · private nonprofit	26 mi	$90,050	$23,250
Boston CollegeChestnut Hill, MA · private nonprofit	26 mi	$86,749	$19,000
MITCambridge, MA · private nonprofit	26 mi	$154,492	$12,000
Brandeis UniversityWaltham, MA · private nonprofit	30 mi	$80,431	$26,142
Tufts UniversityMedford, MA · private nonprofit	30 mi	$105,659	$15,500
College of the Holy CrossWorcester, MA · private nonprofit	46 mi	$74,842	$27,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $57,007 one year after graduating and $86,608 five years after. The median across computer science bachelor's programs in Massachusetts is $86,061.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of Massachusetts comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the computer science program.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

Computer Science bachelor's programs in Massachusetts, ranked20 programs by pay and debt Computer Science bachelor's programs in the US, ranked331 programs by pay and debt All Bridgewater State programs, ranked22 programs by pay and debt