Computer Software and Media Applications at Adrian College

A $38,000 starting salary raises immediate questions for a tech degree from Adrian College. While this estimate comes from national benchmarks for similar bachelor's programs in software and media applications, it falls dramatically short of what Michigan students typically achieve. Other programs across the state show a median of nearly $70,000—almost double what comparable programs nationally produce. Even factoring in that Adrian may serve a different student population than flagship universities, the gap between this estimate and what nearby Baker College reports ($41,784) suggests graduates may struggle to access the better-paying tech jobs that make computing degrees worthwhile.

The estimated debt load of around $25,600 looks manageable on paper, with a debt-to-earnings ratio under 0.7. However, that ratio only works if first-year earnings actually materialize near $38,000. Tech salaries vary wildly based on role—web developers and software engineers land in very different markets—and without concrete data on where Adrian's specific graduates end up, you're making an expensive bet. If your child is aiming for traditional software development roles, they'll be competing against graduates from programs with proven track records of six-figure placements.

Before committing, push the career services office hard on placement specifics: which companies hire their graduates, what actual roles they take, and where alumni land five years out. The estimation here signals too few graduates to generate reliable data, which itself tells a story about program scale and employer relationships.