Central Washington University Computer and Information Science (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Computer and Information Sciences, General
- Public university
- Ellensburg, WA
- About 53 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Central Washington University computer and information science graduates earn about what computer and information science graduates earn nationally, $56,049 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $24,408 in federal loans, close to the national median of $24,750. Several Washington programs report higher pay.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Washington and national columns are the medians across all computer and information science bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, Central Washington University graduates earn less than the national figure and about $31,651 less than the Washington median.
Debt and first-year pay at every Washington computer and information science program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Washington medians.
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 32% between the first and fifth year.
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 $6,446 less in their first year than other graduates. They also borrowed more. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $259 a month, or 5.5% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
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 (206 of 234) were working in Washington one year after graduating. Prices in the parts of Washington outside metro areas are about 3% below the national average, so a $56,049 salary here buys what about $57,559 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 and information science, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.
Software Developers
$166,540Median pay in Washington. 107,030 people work in this job in Washington. 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.
Computer and Information Systems Managers
$209,370Median pay in Washington. 16,960 people work in this job in Washington. 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.
Computer Systems Analysts
$129,410Median pay in Washington. 24,120 people work in this job in Washington. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 8% from 2025 to 2035, with about 32,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.
Network and Computer Systems Administrators
$103,910Median pay in Washington. 8,600 people work in this job in Washington. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 13,400 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.
About Central Washington University
Computer and Information Science ranks 5th of 38 bachelor's programs at Central Washington University by first-year earnings. The top three are Construction Management ($81,666), Management Science ($81,377), and Quality Control and Safety Technology ($77,500).
Common questions
The median graduate earns $56,049 one year after graduating and $73,779 five years after. The median across computer and information science bachelor's programs in Washington is $67,612.
The median federal loan balance is $24,408, which ranks 4th lowest of 5 computer and information science bachelor's programs in Washington. That works out to about $259 a month over 10 years.
It depends on your other options. Debt equals 44% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 40%. Compare the cost with other Washington programs before deciding.
Most do. 88% (206 of 234) were working in Washington one year after graduating.
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 Washington 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 and information 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