Metropolitan State University of Denver Computer Science (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

  • Bachelor's in Computer Science
  • Public university
  • Denver, CO
  • About 82 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Metropolitan State University of Denver computer science graduates earn about what computer science graduates earn nationally, $73,874 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $22,736 in federal loans, close to the national median of $23,308. Several Colorado programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$73,87459th percentile of 331 programs nationally
Earnings after 5 years$111,69451% more than year one
Median federal debt$22,7363rd lowest of 7 Colorado programs
Debt-to-earnings31%Colorado median 31%, national 34%

How it compares

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

Five years out, Metropolitan State University of Denver graduates earn more than the national figure and about the same as the Colorado median.

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

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

Metropolitan State University of DenverOther Colorado 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 51% between the first and fifth year.

Metropolitan State University of Denver grads, year 1$73,874
Metropolitan State University of Denver grads, year 5$111,694
All Colorado computer science grads, year 5$110,128

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 $10,112 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$71,396Median debt $24,812
Other graduates, year 1 earnings$81,508Median debt $17,642

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $241 a month, or 3.9% 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, 22 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $13,061.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

95% of graduates (91 of 96) were working in Colorado one year after graduating. Prices in the Denver area are about 6% above the national average, so a $73,874 salary here buys what about $69,836 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

$138,390

Median pay in Colorado. 43,320 people work in this job in Colorado. 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%: $96,480Top 10%: $213,010

Computer and Information Systems Managers

$199,420

Median pay in Colorado. 11,510 people work in this job in Colorado. 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%: $130,570Top 10%: $293,250

Data Scientists

$117,400

Median pay in Colorado. 6,280 people work in this job in Colorado. 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%: $74,470Top 10%: $189,630

Information Security Analysts

$135,220

Median pay in Colorado. 5,700 people work in this job in Colorado. 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%: $87,560Top 10%: $208,650

About Metropolitan State University of Denver

Computer Science ranks 3rd of 48 bachelor's programs at Metropolitan State University of Denver by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($77,333), Electrical Engineering Technology ($75,966), and Computer Science ($73,874).

Other computer science bachelor's programs near Denver

Common questions

The median graduate earns $73,874 one year after graduating and $111,694 five years after. The median across computer science bachelor's programs in Colorado is $75,501.

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 Colorado 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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