Computer Science at Creighton University

Creighton's computer science program graduates earn $51,625 in their first year—about $11,000 below Nebraska's median and nearly $20,000 below the national median for CS degrees. For a field known for strong early-career salaries, landing in the 12th percentile nationally is a significant gap. Even within Nebraska's smaller tech market, Creighton ranks in just the 25th percentile, while nearby University of Nebraska at Omaha graduates start at $74,000. That $22,000 difference compounds quickly over a career.

The debt load of $21,875 is reasonable and actually slightly below both state and national medians, yielding a manageable 0.42 debt-to-earnings ratio. The financial structure isn't the problem—it's the earnings outcome that raises questions. Important caveat: this data comes from fewer than 30 graduates, so individual circumstances could be skewing results. Perhaps many grads are choosing lower-paying nonprofits or graduate school paths, or the small cohort isn't representative.

For families paying private-school tuition expecting computer science salaries, these outcomes deserve scrutiny. If your child can gain admission to UNO or other Nebraska public universities with stronger CS placement numbers, that's worth serious consideration. Creighton may offer advantages in smaller class sizes or personalized attention, but those benefits need to translate into career outcomes that justify the investment.