How much debt do University of Michigan computer engineering graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $20,500, which ranks the lowest of 7 computer engineering bachelor's programs in Michigan. That works out to about $217 a month over 10 years.

Is a computer engineering degree from University of Michigan worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 22% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 31%.

Do University of Michigan computer engineering graduates stay in Michigan?

Many leave. 40% (35 of 87) were working in Michigan one year after graduating.

University of Michigan Computer Engineering (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Computer Engineering
Public university
Ann Arbor, MI
About 104 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

University of Michigan computer engineering graduates earn more than graduates of most computer engineering programs nationally, $92,501 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $20,500 in federal loans, less than at 76% of computer engineering programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying computer engineering degrees in Michigan.

First-year earnings$92,50190th percentile of 165 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$123,12033% more than year one

Median federal debt$20,500The lowest of 7 Michigan programs

Debt-to-earnings22%Michigan median 33%, national 31%

How it compares

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

	University of Michigan	Michigan	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$92,501	$80,746	$78,915
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$123,120	$101,837	$107,903
Median federal debt at graduation	$20,500	$26,125	$24,500
Debt as share of first-year pay	22%	33%	31%
Programs compared		7	165

Five years out, University of Michigan graduates earn more than the national figure and about $21,283 more than the Michigan median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Michigan computer engineering program

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

University of MichiganOther Michigan 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 33% between the first and fifth year.

University of Michigan grads, year 1$92,501

University of Michigan grads, year 5$123,120

All Michigan computer engineering grads, year 5$101,837

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 $5,166 less in their first year than other graduates. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$88,539Median debt $20,517

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$93,705Median debt $20,123

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $217 a month, or 2.8% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (49 borrowers)	Share
Paying down the balance	40–59%

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.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

40% of graduates (35 of 87) were working in Michigan one year after graduating. Prices in the Ann Arbor area are about 1% above the national average, so a $92,501 salary here buys what about $91,694 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 engineering, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Software Developers

$125,570

Median pay in Michigan. 43,460 people work in this job in Michigan. 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%: $78,930Top 10%: $166,510

Architectural and Engineering Managers

$166,930

Median pay in Michigan. 14,820 people work in this job in Michigan. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 14,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus 5 years or more of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $117,490Top 10%: $218,050

Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers

$98,720

Median pay in Michigan. 3,480 people work in this job in Michigan. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 10,700 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $52,460Top 10%: $135,830

Computer Network Architects

$112,040

Median pay in Michigan. 3,210 people work in this job in Michigan. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 8% from 2025 to 2035, with about 9,600 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus 5 years or more of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $71,400Top 10%: $167,960

About University of Michigan

In-state tuition and fees	$17,736 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$60,946 / year
Average net price after aid	$13,138 / year
Admission rate	16%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	93%
Undergraduate students	34,177

Computer Engineering ranks 4th of 56 bachelor's programs at University of Michigan by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer and Information Science ($113,634), Software and Media Applications ($98,117), and Business Administration ($93,674).

Other computer engineering bachelor's programs near Ann Arbor

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
University of MichiganAnn Arbor, MI · public		$92,501	$20,500
UM-DearbornDearborn, MI · public	26 mi	$79,022	$25,327
Oakland UniversityRochester Hills, MI · public	38 mi	$78,709	$26,125
University of ToledoToledo, OH · public	43 mi	$68,597	$26,424
Michigan StateEast Lansing, MI · public	49 mi	$83,934	$24,999
Kettering UniversityFlint, MI · private nonprofit	51 mi	$82,580	$29,984

Common questions

The median graduate earns $92,501 one year after graduating and $123,120 five years after. The median across computer engineering bachelor's programs in Michigan is $80,746.

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 Michigan 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 engineering 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 Engineering bachelor's programs in Michigan, ranked7 programs by pay and debt Computer Engineering bachelor's programs in the US, ranked165 programs by pay and debt All University of Michigan programs, ranked56 programs by pay and debt