Bachelor's · Redmond, Washington

Is Human Computer Interaction at DigiPen Institute of Technology 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 in time: graduates typically recover the cost in about 6 years.

Earnings 1 year after graduating: $52,854; Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating: $93,710; Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation: $26,393; NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
Net cost to graduate, all families: $180k (likely $180k – $239k); AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Earnings bump, year 4: $49k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in WA; 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback: 6 years (likely 4.7–7.9); Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return: $35k (likely −$99k – $184k); Today's dollars
20-year net return: $621k (likely $361k – $943k); Today's dollars
Odds of finishing (school-wide): 63%; Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26