Computer and Information Sciences at University of San Francisco

Borrowing $25,000 for a computer science degree that yields starting earnings around $54,000—based on what similar California programs produce—means monthly loan payments of roughly $280 for a decade. That's manageable, but here's the tension: tech graduates from UC Berkeley start near $88,000, and even UCLA grads begin around $136,000. The question isn't whether University of San Francisco's program can launch a tech career, but whether it opens the same doors that justify San Francisco's cost of living on a mid-range salary.

The estimated debt load aligns with both state and national medians for computer science degrees, which suggests financial discipline. But the earnings picture deserves scrutiny. Programs across California range from $54,000 to $136,000 in first-year outcomes, and USF's estimated position at the state median—roughly $7,500 below the national benchmark—matters in one of America's most expensive tech markets. Your child would be competing for jobs against Berkeley and Stanford grads while earning substantially less out of the gate.

The practical reality: this debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.46 is reasonable by standard measures, but in tech, "reasonable" may not be enough. If your child can leverage USF's San Francisco location for internships and networking while keeping costs down, the fundamentals work. But if they're taking on significantly more debt than these estimates suggest, or if comparable public options are accessible, those alternatives deserve serious consideration given the earnings gap with California's top-performing programs.