Bachelor's · Kennesaw, Georgia

Is Computer Engineering at Kennesaw State University 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 1.8 years.

Earnings 1 year after graduating: $85,484; Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating: $110,692; Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation: $22,750; NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
Net cost to graduate, all families: $71k (likely $69k – $97k); AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Earnings bump, year 4: $74k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in GA; 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback: 1.8 years (likely 1.5–2.3); Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return: $461k (likely $363k – $565k); Today's dollars
20-year net return: $1.32M (likely $1.11M – $1.57M); Today's dollars
Odds of finishing (school-wide): 50%; Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26