Bachelor's · Thousand Oaks, California

Is Computer Science at California Lutheran University worth it?

Low confidence Low confidence: fewer than 40 graduates behind the earnings figures.

The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans

Pays back in time: graduates typically recover the cost in about 3.8 years.

Earnings 1 year after graduating: $75,144; Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating: $82,740; Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation: $23,125; NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
Net cost to graduate, all families: $112k (likely $112k – $114k); AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Earnings bump, year 4: $43k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in CA; 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback: 3.8 years (likely 2.8–5.4); Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return: $124k (likely −$14k – $286k); Today's dollars
20-year net return: $620k (likely $325k – $963k); Today's dollars
Odds of finishing (school-wide): 69%; Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26