How much debt do Kent State computer and information science graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $25,000, which ranks 3rd lowest of 11 computer and information science bachelor's programs in Ohio. That works out to about $265 a month over 10 years.

Is a computer and information science degree from Kent State worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 58% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 40%. Compare the cost with other Ohio programs before deciding.

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

Q: Do Kent State computer and information science graduates stay in Ohio?

Most do. 91% (70 of 77) were working in Ohio one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Computer and Information Sciences, General
Public university
Kent, OH
About 11 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Kent State computer and information science graduates earn less than graduates of most computer and information science programs nationally, $43,059 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $25,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $24,750. Several Ohio programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$43,05910th percentile of 402 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$62,17544% more than year one

Median federal debt$25,0003rd lowest of 11 Ohio programs

Debt-to-earnings58%Ohio median 62%, national 40%

How it compares

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

	Kent State	Ohio	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$43,059	$57,988	$60,688
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$62,175	$88,007	$87,830
Median federal debt at graduation	$25,000	$28,990	$24,750
Debt as share of first-year pay	58%	62%	40%
Programs compared		12	402

Five years out, Kent State graduates earn less than the national figure and about $25,832 less than the Ohio median. Several Ohio programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.

Debt and first-year pay at every Ohio computer and information science program

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

Kent StateOther Ohio 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 44% between the first and fifth year.

Kent State grads, year 1$43,059

Kent State grads, year 5$62,175

All Ohio computer and information science grads, year 5$88,007

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 about the same in their first year as other graduates, but borrowed more: a median of $27,500 against $25,000.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$42,905Median debt $27,500

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$43,861Median debt $25,000

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $265 a month, or 7.4% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (69 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	20–39%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20–39%
In default	20% or less

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. Separately, 30 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $23,801.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

91% of graduates (70 of 77) were working in Ohio one year after graduating. Prices in the Akron area are about 7% below the national average, so a $43,059 salary here buys what about $46,117 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

$114,090

Median pay in Ohio. 44,790 people work in this job in Ohio. 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%: $77,790Top 10%: $168,400

Computer and Information Systems Managers

$163,640

Median pay in Ohio. 19,500 people work in this job in Ohio. 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%: $100,900Top 10%: $233,510

Computer Systems Analysts

$102,320

Median pay in Ohio. 19,190 people work in this job in Ohio. 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.

Bottom 10%: $64,480Top 10%: $156,820

Network and Computer Systems Administrators

$97,570

Median pay in Ohio. 15,130 people work in this job in Ohio. 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.

Bottom 10%: $62,170Top 10%: $143,780

About Kent State

In-state tuition and fees	$13,232 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$23,082 / year
Average net price after aid	$20,787 / year
Admission rate	86%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	64%
Undergraduate students	19,320

Computer and Information Science ranks 17th of 56 bachelor's programs at Kent State by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($66,990), Construction Management ($64,652), and Computer Science ($60,051).

Other computer and information science bachelor's programs near Kent

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Kent StateKent, OH · public		$43,059	$25,000
Cleveland StateCleveland, OH · public	30 mi	$48,555	$31,125
Youngstown StateYoungstown, OH · public	36 mi	$39,279	$31,000
Geneva CollegeBeaver Falls, PA · private nonprofit	59 mi	$45,323	$26,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $43,059 one year after graduating and $62,175 five years after. The median across computer and information science bachelor's programs in Ohio is $57,988.

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 Ohio 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

Computer and Information Science bachelor's programs in Ohio, ranked12 programs by pay and debt Computer and Information Science bachelor's programs in the US, ranked402 programs by pay and debt All Kent State programs, ranked66 programs by pay and debt