Louisiana Tech University Computer Science (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Computer Science
- Public university
- Ruston, LA
- About 55 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Louisiana Tech University computer science graduates earn about what computer science graduates earn nationally, $68,023 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $22,875 in federal loans, close to the national median of $23,308. Two other Louisiana programs report higher pay.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Louisiana and national columns are the medians across all computer science bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Debt and first-year pay at every Louisiana computer science program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Louisiana medians.
Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.
Does family income change the outcome?
Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned $9,887 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 $243 a month, or 4.3% 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. Separately, 25 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $12,198.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
43% of graduates (30 of 69) were working in Louisiana one year after graduating. Prices in the parts of Louisiana outside metro areas are about 18% below the national average, so a $68,023 salary here buys what about $82,482 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
$102,800Median pay in Louisiana. 4,080 people work in this job in Louisiana. 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
$127,500Median pay in Louisiana. 2,860 people work in this job in Louisiana. 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.
Data Scientists
$78,760Median pay in Louisiana. 1,300 people work in this job in Louisiana. 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.
Information Security Analysts
$92,990Median pay in Louisiana. 720 people work in this job in Louisiana. 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.
About Louisiana Tech University
Computer Science ranks 5th of 28 bachelor's programs at Louisiana Tech University by first-year earnings. The top three are Chemical Engineering ($79,157), Electrical Engineering Technology ($74,863), and Electrical Engineering ($71,994).
Common questions
The median graduate earns $68,023 one year after graduating. The median across computer science bachelor's programs in Louisiana is $60,714.
The median federal loan balance is $22,875, which ranks 5th lowest of 8 computer science bachelor's programs in Louisiana. That works out to about $243 a month over 10 years.
It depends on your other options. Debt equals 34% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 34%. Compare the cost with other Louisiana programs before deciding.
Many leave. 43% (30 of 69) were working in Louisiana 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 Louisiana 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