Computer and Information Sciences at Saint Francis University

Saint Francis graduates from this computer science program earn $57,807 in their first year—right at Pennsylvania's median for the field but trailing the national benchmark by about $3,500. While peer programs at this school suggest around $27,000 in debt (typical for Pennsylvania bachelor's programs), the practical concern is less about the debt load itself and more about the wide spread in outcomes across the state. Saint Francis sits comfortably in the middle, but Pennsylvania's top computer science programs—Villanova, Lehigh, Wilkes—produce graduates earning $80,000-plus immediately, while others barely crack $50,000.

This middle-tier position matters because tech employers increasingly recruit from specific schools, and Saint Francis's accessible admissions (77% acceptance rate) suggests it's not typically competing for the same recruitment pipelines as Pennsylvania's elite programs. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.47 means manageable monthly payments, but a computer science degree's value often lies in upward trajectory, not just starting salary. If your child is deciding between Saint Francis and a state school like Penn State or Pitt—which likely offer similar starting salaries with lower debt—consider the campus fit carefully. If they're choosing between Saint Francis and significantly cheaper options like community college transfer routes, the estimated debt seems reasonable given the solid mid-market placement.