Computer Engineering at Saint Mary's University of Minnesota

Computer engineering programs in Minnesota typically launch graduates into strong earning positions, and the estimated figures here—$78,953 in first-year earnings against $26,146 in debt—suggest Saint Mary's follows that pattern. Similar bachelor's programs nationally produce a debt-to-earnings ratio around 0.33, meaning graduates would need roughly four months of gross income to cover their educational debt. That's manageable by any reasonable standard, though it falls slightly below the stronger outcomes at Minnesota's flagship university, where actual reported earnings exceed $85,000.

The challenge here is context: Saint Mary's is a small Catholic university in Winona with an 89% admission rate, not traditionally known as an engineering powerhouse. When the Department of Education suppresses data due to small sample sizes, it often signals either a nascent program or one with limited enrollment. For a family considering a $26,000 investment, that matters—you're betting on a program without a proven track record at this specific school. The estimated figures are reassuring in that they align with solid national outcomes for computer engineering degrees, but they tell you what similar programs achieve elsewhere, not what Saint Mary's graduates actually experience in the job market.

If your child is drawn to Saint Mary's for its size, location, or culture, these projections suggest the financial risk isn't severe. But verify the program's faculty credentials, industry partnerships, and job placement support before committing—those details matter more here than peer program statistics can reveal.