Computer Science at University of California-Riverside

UC Riverside's computer science program produces graduates earning $81,034 right out of school—exactly matching the 75th percentile nationally—while keeping debt at just $19,083. That's nearly $4,000 below California's median debt for CS programs and roughly $20,000 less than you'd borrow at many comparable universities. With a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.24, graduates can realistically pay off their loans in under three months of gross earnings.

Here's the context that matters: while UCR doesn't command the stratospheric starting salaries of Stanford or Berkeley (which both exceed $138,000), it sits comfortably in California's 60th percentile for CS earnings despite being far more accessible (63% admission rate versus single digits at the elite UCs). Nearly half the student body receives Pell grants, yet graduates still out-earn the state median by over $12,000. The earnings gap with top programs narrows considerably once you factor in the substantially lower debt burden and higher admission probability.

For families weighing UCR against more selective (and expensive) alternatives, the math is compelling: your child gets above-average earnings outcomes with below-average debt, at a school they're actually likely to get into. That combination is harder to find in California's competitive CS landscape than you might think.