Master's · Fullerton, California

Is Computer Engineering at California State University-Fullerton worth it?

Medium confidence Medium confidence: 40–99 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 1.2 years.

Earnings 1 year after graduating: $124,801; Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating: $143,967; Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation: $35,920; NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
Typical borrowing (no graduate net price is published): $38k (likely $38k – $38k); AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Earnings bump, year 4: $74k a year vs bachelor's graduates 4 years out in CA; 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback: 1.2 years (likely 0.9–1.5); Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return: $534k (likely $390k – $699k); Today's dollars
20-year net return: $1.43M (likely $1.09M – $1.86M); Today's dollars

Scorecard reports no net price for graduate programs; cost is based on what graduates typically borrowed.