Computer Science at Boston University

Boston University graduates are earning $90,000 right out of college and seeing strong trajectory growth, but here's what matters for Massachusetts families: you're paying elite-school tuition for upper-middle-tier results. At the 60th percentile among Massachusetts CS programs, BU sits well below MIT and Harvard (both over $150K) and trails programs at Williams, Tufts, and Amherst. The 33% earnings bump to nearly $120,000 by year four is solid, though that gap with top programs persists. Nationally, BU ranks in the 85th percentile—respectable, but the comparison that matters is closer to home.

The debt picture is reasonable at $23,250, nearly identical to state and national medians. That 0.26 debt-to-earnings ratio means your child would owe roughly three months of salary, manageable for a field with strong starting pay. The 11% admission rate signals BU's selectivity, yet the outcomes don't quite match that exclusivity when stacked against peer institutions.

For families choosing between BU and state schools like UMass, the premium makes sense if fit and campus experience matter significantly. But if you're comparing BU to the other private options your high-achieving student got into, look closely at those competing offers—particularly if any come from schools in that top-five Massachusetts list.