Computer Science at University of Mary

Is a Computer Science degree from a small private university in North Dakota worth $25,000 in debt? Based on comparable programs nationally, first-year earnings around $71,000 suggest a solid return, with debt representing just 35% of initial income—manageable by most standards. However, the uncertainty here matters: this estimate comes from national medians because University of Mary's graduating classes are too small to report publicly, making it difficult to know how their specific outcomes compare.

The North Dakota context adds complexity. The state's other CS programs show median earnings of just $57,000, substantially below the national figure used for this estimate. Even NDSU, the state's flagship, reports $60,000 for first-year grads—about $11,000 less than the national benchmark applied here. If University of Mary's outcomes track closer to state norms than national ones, that $25,000 debt becomes a different proposition entirely.

The safest assumption is that this program performs somewhere between state and national medians. At worst, you're looking at debt-to-earnings closer to 0.44 (still workable); at best, you match national figures. Before committing, talk directly with the university about their actual graduate outcomes and job placement rates—they know their numbers even if the DOE can't publish them.