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Highest-Earning Degrees With Low Debt (2026)

100 programs ranked · Updated 2026

Programs where graduates earn big but leave with under $25K in student debt.

Programs Ranked

100

Avg Earnings

$106,985/yr

Avg DW Score

74/100

#1 Program

Computer Science

Carnegie Mellon University

Highest-Earning Degrees With Low Debt

Click any row for full AI scenario analysis, earnings projections, and career path breakdown.

#	Program	DW Score	Earnings	Debt	AI Risk	ROI
1	Computer Science Carnegie Mellon University · Pittsburgh, PA	76 65–79	$171,264/yr	Very High	8.9x	$21,442
2	Mathematics and Computer Science Harvey Mudd College · Claremont, CA	73 64–75	$166,573/yr	Very High	5.3x	$23,000
3	Computer Science Massachusetts Institute of Technology · Cambridge, MA	76 64–78	$154,492/yr	Very High	8.1x	$11,077
4	Computer Science Cornell University · Ithaca, NY	75 63–77	$152,656/yr	Very High	7.3x	$14,750
5	Computer Science Brown University · Providence, RI	75 63–81	$151,065/yr	Very High	9.0x	$11,500
6	Computer Science University of California-Berkeley · Berkeley, CA	90 79–92	$149,866/yr	Very High	36.9x	$13,750
7	Computer & Information Science University of Pennsylvania · Philadelphia, PA	78 65–84	$146,204/yr	Very High	10.3x	$15,000
8	Computer Engineering University of Washington-Seattle Campus · Seattle, WA	86 76–89	$141,588/yr	Very High	43.2x	$15,422
9	Computer Engineering University of Washington-Bothell Campus · Bothell, WA	86 76–89	$141,588/yr	Very High	43.5x	$15,422
10	Electrical Engineering Carnegie Mellon University · Pittsburgh, PA	60 53–62	$139,337/yr	Very High	6.2x	$22,224
11	Electrical Engineering University of California-Berkeley · Berkeley, CA	76 68–79	$137,295/yr	Very High	39.5x	$13,674
12	Computer & Information Science University of California-Los Angeles · Los Angeles, CA	91 81–93	$136,099/yr	Very High	38.8x	$15,156
13	Computer & Information Science Yale University · New Haven, CT	77 64–83	$133,293/yr	Very High	9.5x	$15,000
14	Computer & Information Science Rice University · Houston, TX	76 65–80	$131,154/yr	Very High	8.2x	$12,373
15	Nursing (RN/BSN) Sonoma State University · Rohnert Park, CA	91 85–92	$125,646/yr	High	39.1x	$12,500
16	Nursing (RN/BSN) California State University-East Bay · Hayward, CA	91 85–92	$124,392/yr	High	56.0x	$14,747
17	Finance University of Pennsylvania · Philadelphia, PA	77 69–83	$122,698/yr	Very High	8.2x	$12,999
18	Mathematics Duke University · Durham, NC	62 55–64	$121,088/yr	Very High	4.0x	$9,500
19	Nursing (RN/BSN) Samuel Merritt University · Oakland, CA	74 68–74	$119,486/yr	High	—	$20,000
20	Nursing (RN/BSN) California State University-Stanislaus · Turlock, CA	91 85–91	$119,356/yr	High	38.2x	$22,000
21	Computer Engineering University of Virginia-Main Campus · Charlottesville, VA	82 71–83	$118,232/yr	Very High	15.6x	$16,875
22	Nursing (RN/BSN) San Francisco State University · San Francisco, CA	91 85–92	$117,532/yr	High	47.6x	$15,233
23	Electrical Engineering Massachusetts Institute of Technology · Cambridge, MA	60 52–63	$117,345/yr	Very High	6.9x	$10,967
24	Computer & Information Science Northeastern University · Boston, MA	74 64–76	$115,587/yr	Very High	4.9x	$22,583
25	Pharmacy Southwestern Oklahoma State University · Weatherford, OK	92 86–94	$115,284/yr	High	33.7x	$12,500
26	Computer Engineering California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo · San Luis Obispo, CA	86 76–89	$111,560/yr	Very High	32.0x	$20,556
27	Computer Engineering Duke University · Durham, NC	69 58–73	$111,145/yr	Very High	5.6x	$14,500
28	Mathematics Tufts University · Medford, MA	62 54–64	$110,512/yr	Very High	3.1x	$17,750
29	Mathematics and Computer Science University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign · Champaign, IL	86 77–87	$109,843/yr	Very High	16.2x	$21,500
30	Engineering Franklin W Olin College of Engineering · Needham, MA	57 52–58	$109,455/yr	High	4.0x	$14,512
31	Mathematics Massachusetts Institute of Technology · Cambridge, MA	64 54–71	$109,288/yr	Very High	8.4x	$9,751
32	Mathematics Dartmouth College · Hanover, NH	62 54–64	$108,255/yr	Very High	3.1x	$11,617
33	Allied Health & Diagnostic Professions John Patrick University of Health and Applied Sciences · South Bend, IN	81 79–79	$106,833/yr	Moderate	12.7x	$17,637
34	Bioethics/Medical Ethics Mount Sinai Phillips School of Nursing · New York, NY	70 65–71	$106,754/yr	High	—	$18,750
35	Finance Georgetown University · Washington, DC	75 68–78	$106,218/yr	Very High	4.9x	$15,750
36	Cognitive Science Stanford University · Stanford, CA	65 64–65	$105,695/yr	Moderate	3.2x	$7,500
37	Allied Health & Diagnostic Professions SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University · Brooklyn, NY	68 64–69	$105,434/yr	Moderate	—	$22,869
38	Management Science & Analytics University of Pennsylvania · Philadelphia, PA	76 69–77	$104,502/yr	Very High	3.0x	$15,750
39	Fire Protection & Safety Southern Illinois University-Carbondale · Carbondale, IL	86 82–86	$104,017/yr	Moderate	18.6x	$15,000
40	Economics Harvard University · Cambridge, MA	72 65–76	$103,993/yr	Very High	5.8x	$6,617
41	Mathematics Vanderbilt University · Nashville, TN	62 54–65	$103,812/yr	Very High	4.5x	$9,644
42	Liberal Arts & General Studies Massachusetts Institute of Technology · Cambridge, MA	58 60–56	$103,135/yr	Low	3.3x	$11,935
43	Economics Princeton University · Princeton, NJ	71 65–73	$103,041/yr	Very High	3.3x	$11,250
44	Information Science Northwestern University · Evanston, IL	71 61–71	$102,998/yr	Very High	2.9x	$11,425
45	Mathematics and Statistics, Other Dartmouth College · Hanover, NH	55 46–57	$102,938/yr	Very High	2.9x	$19,000
46	Finance Washington University in St Louis · Saint Louis, MO	76 68–80	$102,814/yr	Very High	6.6x	$19,500
47	Allied Health & Diagnostic Professions Seattle University · Seattle, WA	68 66–67	$102,664/yr	Moderate	3.9x	$24,702
48	Management Science & Analytics New York University · New York, NY	77 69–78	$102,572/yr	Very High	3.2x	$17,250
49	Nuclear Engineering Technologies/Technicians Excelsior University · Albany, NY	54 52–56	$101,386/yr	Moderate	—	$10,555
50	Allied Health & Diagnostic Professions California State University-Northridge · Northridge, CA	86 82–86	$100,724/yr	Moderate	36.4x	$18,875
51	Business Administration Bismarck State College · Bismarck, ND	96 90–98	$100,668/yr	High	61.8x	$15,250
52	Electrical Engineering Cornell University · Ithaca, NY	58 51–60	$100,516/yr	Very High	4.0x	$14,725
53	Finance University of Notre Dame · Notre Dame, IN	75 68–78	$99,222/yr	Very High	4.5x	$19,000
54	Applied Mathematics Brown University · Providence, RI	61 53–64	$99,193/yr	Very High	4.0x	$10,000
55	Real Estate University of Southern California · Los Angeles, CA	62 56–65	$98,763/yr	High	4.3x	$19,500
56	Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies California State University Maritime Academy · Vallejo, CA	81 77–81	$98,661/yr	Moderate	31.1x	$24,757
57	Economics Duke University · Durham, NC	72 64–76	$98,649/yr	Very High	5.5x	$13,187
58	Health Sciences Touro University · New York, NY	67 63–65	$98,520/yr	High	6.8x	$12,500
59	Software Development University of Michigan-Ann Arbor · Ann Arbor, MI	83 73–84	$98,117/yr	Very High	13.2x	$19,230
60	Economics Stanford University · Stanford, CA	72 64–75	$98,104/yr	Very High	4.9x	$12,500
61	Fire Protection & Safety Waldorf University · Forest City, IA	77 76–74	$97,731/yr	Moderate	8.9x	$18,750
62	Statistics Duke University · Durham, NC	56 47–58	$97,197/yr	Very High	3.6x	$13,500
63	Electrical Engineering The University of Texas at Austin · Austin, TX	75 68–77	$96,997/yr	Very High	25.4x	$20,480
64	Operations Research Cornell University · Ithaca, NY	57 48–59	$96,377/yr	Very High	4.7x	$15,000
65	Business Administration Carnegie Mellon University · Pittsburgh, PA	79 72–81	$95,891/yr	High	5.2x	$23,250
66	Medical Laboratory Science Farmingdale State College · Farmingdale, NY	81 77–81	$95,766/yr	Moderate	26.5x	$19,977
67	Systems Science and Theory Carnegie Mellon University · Pittsburgh, PA	67 65–68	$95,598/yr	Moderate	4.2x	$23,250
68	Software Development Western Governors University · Salt Lake City, UT	88 78–90	$95,292/yr	Very High	27.7x	$12,566
69	Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute · Troy, NY	66 57–70	$94,722/yr	Very High	4.5x	$23,582
70	Economics Dartmouth College · Hanover, NH	71 64–75	$94,675/yr	Very High	4.8x	$18,132
71	Business Administration University of Michigan-Ann Arbor · Ann Arbor, MI	93 86–95	$93,674/yr	High	19.4x	$19,000
72	Management Science & Analytics University of Virginia-Main Campus · Charlottesville, VA	87 80–86	$93,565/yr	Very High	10.1x	$18,286
73	Biomedical Engineering University of Pennsylvania · Philadelphia, PA	55 49–57	$93,310/yr	High	3.6x	$15,593
74	Allied Health & Diagnostic Professions San Joaquin Valley College-Visalia · Visalia, CA	68 64–69	$93,239/yr	Moderate	—	$15,510
75	General Sales Western Governors University · Salt Lake City, UT	93 89–95	$93,151/yr	High	29.3x	$20,671
76	Statistics Carnegie Mellon University · Pittsburgh, PA	56 47–60	$93,111/yr	Very High	5.1x	$21,000
77	Management Information Systems (MIS) Santa Clara University · Santa Clara, CA	57 47–59	$93,042/yr	Very High	2.9x	$19,995
78	Construction Management California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo · San Luis Obispo, CA	85 79–86	$92,785/yr	High	19.9x	$18,500
79	Engineering Harvey Mudd College · Claremont, CA	56 50–58	$92,491/yr	High	3.7x	$22,240
80	IT Management Western Governors University · Salt Lake City, UT	90 81–93	$92,416/yr	Very High	26.8x	$10,110
81	Mechanical Engineering California State University Maritime Academy · Vallejo, CA	76 69–78	$92,315/yr	Very High	36.4x	$19,690
82	Medical Laboratory Science Stony Brook University · Stony Brook, NY	80 77–80	$92,286/yr	Moderate	24.3x	$17,500
83	Agricultural Business Cornell University · Ithaca, NY	72 67–75	$92,163/yr	High	3.9x	$12,500
84	Mathematics and Computer Science Santa Clara University · Santa Clara, CA	70 61–71	$91,851/yr	Very High	2.9x	$21,500
85	Industrial Engineering SUNY Maritime College · Throggs Neck, NY	78 72–79	$91,470/yr	High	35.1x	$24,989
86	Business Administration University of Pennsylvania · Philadelphia, PA	77 71–78	$91,443/yr	High	3.4x	$20,348
87	Systems Engineering University of Virginia-Main Campus · Charlottesville, VA	70 62–73	$91,178/yr	Very High	14.6x	$19,500
88	Homeland Security George Mason University · Fairfax, VA	84 82–84	$90,956/yr	Moderate	15.5x	$21,479
89	Construction Engineering California State University-Sacramento · Sacramento, CA	77 71–79	$90,836/yr	High	41.0x	$14,514
90	Business Administration University of California-Berkeley · Berkeley, CA	94 87–97	$90,008/yr	High	23.4x	$11,300
91	Mechanical Engineering Duke University · Durham, NC	58 51–60	$89,938/yr	Very High	3.8x	$10,000
92	Engineering Science Dartmouth College · Hanover, NH	55 50–56	$89,929/yr	High	2.8x	$17,083
93	Industrial Engineering Northwestern University · Evanston, IL	60 54–62	$89,811/yr	High	4.2x	$18,000
94	Mathematics and Statistics, Other University of Notre Dame · Notre Dame, IN	55 45–59	$89,689/yr	Very High	4.2x	$19,000
95	Mathematics and Computer Science University of California-San Diego · La Jolla, CA	84 75–84	$89,651/yr	Very High	13.7x	$18,887
96	Accounting Georgetown University · Washington, DC	72 63–77	$89,564/yr	Very High	5.3x	$17,500
97	Construction Management California State University-Chico · Chico, CA	86 79–88	$89,075/yr	High	35.2x	$19,341
98	Construction Engineering Technologies California State University-Long Beach · Long Beach, CA	76 70–79	$89,003/yr	Very High	40.4x	$18,000
99	Construction Engineering Technologies California State University-Chico · Chico, CA	76 70–78	$88,648/yr	Very High	26.5x	$20,761
100	Information Science University of Michigan-Ann Arbor · Ann Arbor, MI	85 72–87	$88,515/yr	Very High	17.2x	$17,592

Methodology

Programs are ranked by DegreeWorth Score (0–100), combining graduate earnings, AI automation resilience, job market demand, and tuition ROI. Earnings data is from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024–2034 (employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE. Last updated 2025.