Is a computer and information science degree from Purdue Northwest worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 30% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 40%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Indiana programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

Purdue Northwest Computer and Information Science (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: How much debt do Purdue Northwest computer and information science graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $18,700, which ranks the lowest of 8 computer and information science bachelor's programs in Indiana. That works out to about $198 a month over 10 years.

Q: Do Purdue Northwest computer and information science graduates stay in Indiana?

Most do. 89% (31 of 35) were working in Indiana one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Computer and Information Sciences, General
Public university
Hammond, IN
About 34 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Purdue Northwest computer and information science graduates earn about what computer and information science graduates earn nationally, $61,699 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $18,700 in federal loans, less than at 89% of computer and information science programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying computer and information science degrees in Indiana.

First-year earnings$61,69953rd percentile of 402 programs nationally

Median federal debt$18,700The lowest of 8 Indiana programs

Debt-to-earnings30%Indiana median 35%, national 40%

How it compares

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

	Purdue Northwest	Indiana	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$61,699	$61,699	$60,688
Median federal debt at graduation	$18,700	$21,591	$24,750
Debt as share of first-year pay	30%	35%	40%
Programs compared		9	402

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

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

Purdue NorthwestOther Indiana programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $198 a month, or 3.9% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

89% of graduates (31 of 35) were working in Indiana one year after graduating. Prices in the Chicago area are about 4% above the national average, so a $61,699 salary here buys what about $59,558 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

$105,920

Median pay in Indiana. 14,130 people work in this job in Indiana. 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%: $74,850Top 10%: $164,650

Computer and Information Systems Managers

$142,040

Median pay in Indiana. 8,060 people work in this job in Indiana. 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%: $94,780Top 10%: $214,590

Computer Systems Analysts

$98,810

Median pay in Indiana. 9,660 people work in this job in Indiana. 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%: $61,890Top 10%: $153,030

Network and Computer Systems Administrators

$84,550

Median pay in Indiana. 4,310 people work in this job in Indiana. 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%: $58,630Top 10%: $128,670

About Purdue Northwest

In-state tuition and fees	$8,675 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$16,094 / year
Average net price after aid	$6,079 / year
Admission rate	72%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	43%
Undergraduate students	5,671

Computer and Information Science ranks 10th of 27 bachelor's programs at Purdue Northwest by first-year earnings. The top three are Electrical Engineering ($79,917), Nursing ($77,691), and Electrical Engineering Technology ($75,675).

Other computer and information science bachelor's programs near Hammond

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Purdue NorthwestHammond, IN · public		$61,699	$18,700
Saint Xavier UniversityChicago, IL · private nonprofit	15 mi	$31,970	$26,040
Governors StateUniversity Park, IL · public	16 mi	$48,567	$19,400
Illinois Institute of TechnologyChicago, IL · private nonprofit	19 mi	$61,313	$24,750
DePaul UniversityChicago, IL · private nonprofit	22 mi	$58,220	$24,321
Loyola ChicagoChicago, IL · private nonprofit	30 mi	$68,950	$22,701

Common questions

The median graduate earns $61,699 one year after graduating. The median across computer and information science bachelor's programs in Indiana is $61,699.

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 Indiana 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 Indiana, ranked9 programs by pay and debt Computer and Information Science bachelor's programs in the US, ranked402 programs by pay and debt All Purdue Northwest programs, ranked27 programs by pay and debt