What Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications Graduates Earn
How much do Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications bachelor's graduates earn?
One year out, the median bachelor's graduate in Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications earns $65,000; five years out, $78,370. The figures pool 3,084 graduates counted at the first horizon, and the median debt carried out of school is $48,220.
Earnings first, debt second, method in the open: the Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications page of the degree earnings branch, built from 89 bachelor's programs in the October 2026 Scorecard release.
Updated November 5, 2026
Median earnings at 1, 4, and 5 years (College Scorecard)
Nothing on this page is a survey response or a recruiter's claim: the $65,000 year-one median and the $78,370 year-five median for Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications come from federal earnings records pooled across 89 bachelor's programs. The headline median weights programs by graduates counted (3,084 at year one); the second column is the unweighted median program, printed so the method stays visible.
| Horizon | Median earnings (graduate-weighted) | Median program (unweighted) | Graduates counted | Share earning above the high-school threshold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 year after graduation | $65,000 | $65,000 | 3,084 | 75.1% |
| 4 years after graduation | $73,884 | $73,884 | 7,370 | n/p |
| 5 years after graduation | $78,370 | $78,370 | 8,712 | 88.6% |
Earnings in this field climb $13,370 between the first and fifth year, a 21% rise that beats the all-fields pattern (the median field in this dataset pays $45,010 at year one and $65,763 at year five). Early-career growth this shape usually means the first job is a foothold: licensure, a portfolio, or a first promotion does the heavy lifting.
The Pell split adds a second lens on the $65,000 year-one median: graduates who received Pell Grants earn a median of $61,337, and graduates who did not earn $85,110, a gap of $23,773. Read it as a map of where each group studied and the networks they carried in, not as the degree paying two different wages for the same work.
Inside its own CIP family, Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications ranks 6 of 8 published bachelor's fields by five-year earnings; the family median at that horizon is $82,542. Its closest sibling is Computer Systems Analysis at $77,838, below this field's $78,370. Family comparisons strip out the broad field effect and leave the specific program choice exposed.
Ranked across all 182 published fields, Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications stands number 55 by five-year earnings and number 42 by first-year earnings, and number 182 from the lowest median debt. Those three ranks together are the field's fingerprint: high earn rank with a low debt rank is the combination students are actually shopping for, and this field's spread between them is 127 places.
The debt side of the same degree
What does the median Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications graduate owe? $48,220, the graduate-weighted median over 31 programs with published debt figures. The ratio that matters is debt to first-year earnings: 74%, or 8.9 months of gross pay at the $65,000 median. At the 2026-27 undergraduate loan rate of 6.52%, the standard decade of repayment is $548 a month with $17,542 of interest on top. Model a different balance in the student loan payoff calculator before you borrow it, and sanity-check the degree in the college major ROI calculator.
Where graduates of this field earn the most
One field, many markets: the five-year median for Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications is $78,370 nationally, yet the strongest programs below run far ahead of it. The ranking keeps a 30-graduate floor under every entry, and Wentworth Institute of Technology heads the list at $119,205.
| Institution | Median earnings, 5 years | Median earnings, 1 year | Median debt | Graduates counted (5yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wentworth Institute of Technology | $119,205 | $83,433 | $20,000 | 43 |
| Utah Valley University | $111,333 | $73,382 | $17,834 | 56 |
| University of Minnesota-Twin Cities | $103,821 | $74,751 | $14,800 | 41 |
| University of Minnesota-Duluth | $96,900 | $57,649 | $15,000 | 51 |
| DePaul University | $93,515 | $68,263 | $22,250 | 40 |
A program median describes that program's own graduates in that program's own labor market; Wentworth Institute of Technology at $119,205 is evidence about a place and a mix of students, not a wage offer. Put the same programs' prices next to these figures with the degree cost calculator and the net price estimator before ranking anything.
Two more facts about the shape of this field: the five highest-paying programs in the table account for only 2.7% of the 8,712 graduates counted at five years, so the top of the table is a thin slice and not the field's center; and the leading program's five-year median of $119,205 sits 52% above the national field median of $78,370. Its median debt, $20,000, runs below the field median of $48,220, which is the trade a student at the top of this table is actually being offered.
Frequently asked questions
How much do Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications graduates earn?
The national median is $65,000 one year after graduation and $78,370 five years after, across the 36 bachelor's programs reporting 1-year earnings to College Scorecard (October 2026 release), weighted by graduates counted.
How much debt do Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications graduates carry?
The median cumulative federal loan debt at graduation is $48,220. On a standard 10-year plan at 6.52% that is $548 a month and $17,542 of interest in total.
How were the Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications national figures computed?
Scorecard publishes one median per program; this page takes the median of those program medians weighted by each program's graduates counted (3,084 people at year one), and prints the unweighted median program beside it. The field cleared a publication bar of at least 10 programs reporting at every horizon.
Is a degree in Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications worth it?
The inputs are on this page: $78,370 median earnings at year five against $48,220 median debt. The verdict depends on your actual cost, so run your numbers through the college ROI calculator and the college major ROI calculator.