Bachelor's · Chico, California

Is Computer Science at California State University-Chico worth it?

High confidence High confidence: 100+ graduates behind the earnings figures.

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

Pays back fast: graduates typically recover the cost in about 1.4 years.

Earnings 1 year after graduating: $92,509; Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating: $136,948; Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation: $17,500; NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
Net cost to graduate, all families: $60k (likely $60k – $82k); AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Earnings bump, year 4: $97k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in CA; 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback: 1.4 years (likely 1.1–1.7); Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return: $681k (likely $549k – $810k); Today's dollars
20-year net return: $1.81M (likely $1.50M – $2.16M); Today's dollars
Odds of finishing (school-wide): 60%; Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26