Clarkson University Computer Science (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

  • Bachelor's in Computer Science
  • Private nonprofit university
  • Potsdam, NY
  • About 30 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Clarkson University computer science graduates earn about what computer science graduates earn nationally, $79,744 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $25,990 in federal loans, close to the national median of $23,308. Several New York programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$79,74472nd percentile of 331 programs nationally
Earnings after 5 years$121,82153% more than year one
Median federal debt$25,99016th lowest of 18 New York programs
Debt-to-earnings33%New York median 23%, national 34%

How it compares

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

Five years out, Clarkson University graduates earn more than the national figure and about $11,280 more than the New York median.

Debt and first-year pay at every New York computer science program

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

Clarkson UniversityOther New York 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 53% between the first and fifth year.

Clarkson University grads, year 1$79,744
Clarkson University grads, year 5$121,821
All New York computer science grads, year 5$110,541

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 slightly more in their first year than other graduates. At this program, the outcome does not look worse for students with less money.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$82,591Median debt $26,030
Other graduates, year 1 earnings$79,167Median debt $25,250

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $276 a month, or 4.2% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

51% of graduates (21 of 41) were working in New York one year after graduating. Prices in the parts of New York outside metro areas are about 8% below the national average, so a $79,744 salary here buys what about $87,044 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

$166,180

Median pay in New York. 113,510 people work in this job in New York. 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%: $97,430Top 10%: $224,590

Computer and Information Systems Managers

$214,300

Median pay in New York. 48,050 people work in this job in New York. 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%: $134,870Top 10%: $323,670

Data Scientists

$130,460

Median pay in New York. 23,970 people work in this job in New York. 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%: $73,330Top 10%: $214,080

Information Security Analysts

$134,660

Median pay in New York. 10,060 people work in this job in New York. 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%: $83,110Top 10%: $216,220

About Clarkson University

Computer Science ranks 2nd of 14 bachelor's programs at Clarkson University by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Engineering ($80,942), Computer Science ($79,744), and Electrical Engineering ($77,940).

Common questions

The median graduate earns $79,744 one year after graduating and $121,821 five years after. The median across computer science bachelor's programs in New York is $74,515.

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 New York 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

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

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