How much debt do Southern University computer science graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $30,250, which ranks 8th lowest of 8 computer science bachelor's programs in Louisiana. That works out to about $321 a month over 10 years.

Is a computer science degree from Southern University worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 66% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 34%. Compare the cost with other Louisiana programs before deciding.

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

Q: Do Southern University computer science graduates stay in Louisiana?

Most do. 63% (20 of 32) were working in Louisiana one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Computer Science
Public university
Baton Rouge, LA
About 16 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Southern University computer science graduates earn less than graduates of most computer science programs nationally, $45,907 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $30,250 in federal loans, more than at 94% of computer science programs in the country. Several Louisiana programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$45,9077th percentile of 331 programs nationally

Median federal debt$30,2508th lowest of 8 Louisiana programs

Debt-to-earnings66%Louisiana median 37%, national 34%

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.

	Southern University	Louisiana	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$45,907	$60,714	$70,400
Median federal debt at graduation	$30,250	$22,850	$23,308
Debt as share of first-year pay	66%	37%	34%
Programs compared		9	331

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.

Southern UniversityOther Louisiana 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 $321 a month, or 8.4% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

63% of graduates (20 of 32) were working in Louisiana one year after graduating. Prices in the Baton Rouge area are about 9% below the national average, so a $45,907 salary here buys what about $50,570 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

$102,800

Median 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.

Bottom 10%: $66,350Top 10%: $151,780

Computer and Information Systems Managers

$127,500

Median 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.

Bottom 10%: $80,390Top 10%: $200,870

Data Scientists

$78,760

Median 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.

Bottom 10%: $53,050Top 10%: $128,210

Information Security Analysts

$92,990

Median 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.

Bottom 10%: $66,660Top 10%: $139,190

About Southern University

In-state tuition and fees	$9,922 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$17,272 / year
Average net price after aid	$20,077 / year
Admission rate	35%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	27%
Undergraduate students	5,519

Computer Science ranks 4th of 16 bachelor's programs at Southern University by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($79,871), Mechanical Engineering ($75,001), and Civil Engineering ($60,219).

Other computer science bachelor's programs near Baton Rouge

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Southern UniversityBaton Rouge, LA · public		$45,907	$30,250
LSUBaton Rouge, LA · public	8 mi	$58,697	$21,562
Southeastern Louisiana UniversityHammond, LA · public	43 mi	$57,961	$22,824
UL LafayetteLafayette, LA · public	54 mi	$62,452	$23,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $45,907 one year after graduating. The median across computer science bachelor's programs in Louisiana is $60,714.

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

Computer Science bachelor's programs in Louisiana, ranked9 programs by pay and debt Computer Science bachelor's programs in the US, ranked331 programs by pay and debt All Southern University programs, ranked16 programs by pay and debt