Location: Spartanburg, SC•In-State Tuition: $11,583•Out-of-State Tuition: $22,545•Admission Rate: 70%•Avg SAT: 1082
Median Earnings (1yr)
$49,999
22nd percentile
25th percentile in South Carolina
Median Debt
$31,000
24% above national median
D/E Ratio: 0.62 ManageableSample: 84 graduates

Analysis

USC Upstate's computer science program underperforms both state and national benchmarks by a significant margin. Graduates earn $50,000 in their first year—about $15,800 less than the South Carolina median for CS programs and $11,300 below the national average. This places the program in the bottom quartile both statewide (25th percentile) and nationally (22nd percentile). For comparison, students at USC Columbia earn nearly $19,000 more annually with similar in-state tuition costs.

The one bright spot is manageable debt: at $31,000, it's only slightly above typical CS program debt and results in a reasonable debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.62. Earnings also grow steadily to $56,000 by year four, suggesting graduates do find career traction. However, even at that level, they're still earning less than first-year graduates from most other South Carolina CS programs.

For families considering computer science in South Carolina, this program represents a substantial earnings discount compared to other in-state options. Unless there are compelling personal reasons to choose USC Upstate—location, smaller class sizes, or specific support systems—students with competitive admission credentials should strongly consider applying to USC Columbia or Clemson, where the earnings premium would likely pay for any modest increase in cost within the first few years of employment.

Where University of South Carolina-Upstate Stands

Earnings vs. debt across all computer and information sciences bachelors's programs nationally

University of South Carolina-UpstateOther computer and information sciences programs

Dashed lines show national medians. Upper-left = best value.

Earnings Distribution

How University of South Carolina-Upstate graduates compare to all programs nationally

University of South Carolina-Upstate earns $50k — 22th percentile among computer and information sciences bachelors programs.

Earnings Over Time

How earnings evolve from 1 year to 4 years after graduation

School1 Year4 YearsGrowth
University of South Carolina-Upstate$49,999$56,132+12%
Clemson University$73,374$100,006+36%
College of Charleston$67,438$94,025+39%
University of South Carolina-Columbia$68,597$78,153+14%
Strayer University-South Carolina$67,315$77,481+15%

Compare to Similar Programs in South Carolina

Computer and Information Sciences bachelors's programs at peer institutions in South Carolina (25 total in state)

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SchoolIn-State TuitionEarnings (1yr)Earnings (4yr)Median DebtDebt/Earnings
University of South Carolina-UpstateSpartanburg$11,583$49,999$56,132$31,0000.62
Clemson UniversityClemson$15,554$73,374$100,006$22,4980.31
Citadel Military College of South CarolinaCharleston$12,570$71,213—$21,3750.30
University of South Carolina-ColumbiaColumbia$12,688$68,597$78,153$25,2500.37
College of CharlestonCharleston$12,978$67,438$94,025$25,0000.37
Strayer University-South CarolinaGreenville$13,920$67,315$77,481$50,7370.75
National Median—$61,322—$25,0000.41

Career Paths

Occupations commonly associated with computer and information sciences graduates

Computer and Information Systems Managers

Plan, direct, or coordinate activities in such fields as electronic data processing, information systems, systems analysis, and computer programming.

$171,200/yrJobs growth:Bachelor's degree

Computer and Information Research Scientists

Conduct research into fundamental computer and information science as theorists, designers, or inventors. Develop solutions to problems in the field of computer hardware and software.

$140,910/yrJobs growth:Master's degree

Software Developers

Research, design, and develop computer and network software or specialized utility programs. Analyze user needs and develop software solutions, applying principles and techniques of computer science, engineering, and mathematical analysis. Update software or enhance existing software capabilities. May work with computer hardware engineers to integrate hardware and software systems, and develop specifications and performance requirements. May maintain databases within an application area, working individually or coordinating database development as part of a team.

$131,450/yrJobs growth:Bachelor's degree

Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers

Develop and execute software tests to identify software problems and their causes. Test system modifications to prepare for implementation. Document software and application defects using a bug tracking system and report defects to software or web developers. Create and maintain databases of known defects. May participate in software design reviews to provide input on functional requirements, operational characteristics, product designs, and schedules.

$131,450/yrJobs growth:Bachelor's degree

Computer Network Architects

Design and implement computer and information networks, such as local area networks (LAN), wide area networks (WAN), intranets, extranets, and other data communications networks. Perform network modeling, analysis, and planning, including analysis of capacity needs for network infrastructures. May also design network and computer security measures. May research and recommend network and data communications hardware and software.

$130,390/yrJobs growth:Bachelor's degree

Telecommunications Engineering Specialists

Design or configure wired, wireless, and satellite communications systems for voice, video, and data services. Supervise installation, service, and maintenance.

$130,390/yrJobs growth:Bachelor's degree

Information Security Analysts

Plan, implement, upgrade, or monitor security measures for the protection of computer networks and information. Assess system vulnerabilities for security risks and propose and implement risk mitigation strategies. May ensure appropriate security controls are in place that will safeguard digital files and vital electronic infrastructure. May respond to computer security breaches and viruses.

$124,910/yrJobs growth:Bachelor's degree

Database Administrators

Administer, test, and implement computer databases, applying knowledge of database management systems. Coordinate changes to computer databases. Identify, investigate, and resolve database performance issues, database capacity, and database scalability. May plan, coordinate, and implement security measures to safeguard computer databases.

$123,100/yrJobs growth:Bachelor's degree

Database Architects

Design strategies for enterprise databases, data warehouse systems, and multidimensional networks. Set standards for database operations, programming, query processes, and security. Model, design, and construct large relational databases or data warehouses. Create and optimize data models for warehouse infrastructure and workflow. Integrate new systems with existing warehouse structure and refine system performance and functionality.

$123,100/yrJobs growth:Bachelor's degree

Data Warehousing Specialists

Design, model, or implement corporate data warehousing activities. Program and configure warehouses of database information and provide support to warehouse users.

$123,100/yrJobs growth:Bachelor's degree

Data Scientists

Develop and implement a set of techniques or analytics applications to transform raw data into meaningful information using data-oriented programming languages and visualization software. Apply data mining, data modeling, natural language processing, and machine learning to extract and analyze information from large structured and unstructured datasets. Visualize, interpret, and report data findings. May create dynamic data reports.

$112,590/yrJobs growth:Bachelor's degree

Business Intelligence Analysts

Produce financial and market intelligence by querying data repositories and generating periodic reports. Devise methods for identifying data patterns and trends in available information sources.

$112,590/yrJobs growth:Bachelor's degree
About This Data

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (October 2025 release)

Population: Graduates who received federal financial aid (Title IV grants or loans). At University of South Carolina-Upstate, approximately 45% of students receive Pell grants. Students who did not receive federal aid are not included in these figures.

Earnings: Median earnings from IRS W-2 data for graduates who are employed and not enrolled in further education, measured 1 year after completion. Earnings are pre-tax and include wages, salaries, and self-employment income.

Debt: Median cumulative federal loan debt at graduation. Does not include private loans or Parent PLUS loans borrowed on behalf of students.

Sample Size: Based on 84 graduates with reported earnings and 88 graduates with debt data. Small samples may not be representative.