Computer and Information Sciences at Saint Xavier University

Saint Xavier's computer science program shows troubling outcomes even accounting for its small sample size. First-year graduates earn just $32,000—landing in the 10th percentile among Illinois programs and barely half what students earn at nearby Illinois State or Loyola. That's particularly striking given Chicago's robust tech market, where entry-level positions should command significantly higher salaries.

The debt burden of $26,000 isn't extreme on its own, but paired with those initial earnings, it creates real financial strain. While earnings do climb to nearly $52,000 by year four, that trajectory still leaves graduates trailing the Illinois median by $5,000 and more than $20,000 behind peers at comparable institutions. The 56% Pell Grant rate suggests many students here are counting on tech careers to create economic mobility—a goal these outcomes don't support.

The small cohort size means these numbers could swing dramatically year to year, but they're concerning enough to warrant serious consideration of alternatives. Illinois offers 30 computer science programs, many with proven track records of placing graduates into well-paying roles. If Saint Xavier is appealing for its Chicago location or smaller class sizes, families should calculate whether those factors are worth $30,000+ in forgone earnings during the critical early career years when compound growth matters most.