ROI Major

Computer Engineering Technologies at Purdue University Fort Wayne

IN · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 15.12

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Computer Engineering Technologies degree from Purdue University Fort Wayne earn a median salary of $73,872 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in IN, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $81,717. The degree typically pays for itself in 5 years.

Quick Insights

Solid Investment

How this degree looks at a glance

A fast read on salary range, break-even speed, living-cost impact, and where bachelor's graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$58,176

Typical Career

$73,872

Top Performers

$97,091

Estimated break-even: 5 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$492

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $6,156. Most students can comfortably afford about a $492 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.9x more than the average US high school graduate and 1.0x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Indiana buys what costs $0.90 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Health Care & Social Assistance, Educational Services, Manufacturing.

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 20.2%
Educational Services 16.4%
Manufacturing 15.5%

Institution-wide industry mix for bachelor's graduates, 5 years after graduation. This is not major-specific. Source: Census PSEO Flows.

5-Year Median Salary — National Purchasing Power Equivalent

$81,717

Nominal: $73,872 in Indiana (COL 90.4% of national avg) · 10.6% higher purchasing power

10-Year Earnings Curve

Break-Even Timeline

How long until cumulative earnings advantage exceeds total college investment (tuition + opportunity cost vs. entering workforce directly after high school).

5 years to break even
Graduation 15 years

Total Investment

$155,168

4yr tuition + 4yr opportunity cost

HS Graduate Baseline

$38,792/yr

BLS 2023 median, HS diploma

View Raw Data: Median Earnings by Year
Timeframe 25th Pct. Median (50th) 75th Pct.
1 Year After Graduation $52,636 $65,986 $86,543
5 Years After Graduation $58,176 $73,872 $97,091
10 Years After Graduation $104,398 $138,153 $184,759

Source: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO), 2025 release. Earnings shown for Bachelor's degree graduates (all cohorts combined).

How We Calculate Purchasing Power

The median salary of $73,872 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in IN, which has a cost-of-living index of 90.4% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $73,872 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9040) = $81,717 National Average equivalent.

COL index source: BLS Regional Consumer Price Index & MIT Living Wage Project, 2023. Full methodology →

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Computer Engineering Technologies program at Purdue University Fort Wayne experience a significant earnings trajectory. Median earnings one year after graduation stand at $65,986, which increases to $73,872 five years post-graduation, and further escalates to $138,153 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent nationally is approximately $81,716.81, reflecting a favorable financial outlook for graduates in the context of living costs in Indiana, where the cost of living index is 0.904 compared to the national average.

The top industries for graduates highlight diverse career opportunities, with 20.2% entering Health Care & Social Assistance, 16.4% in Educational Services, and 15.5% in Manufacturing. Given the estimated break-even point of approximately five years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing a degree in Computer Engineering Technologies appears favorable. This suggests that graduates can expect not only to recoup their educational expenses but also to benefit from substantial long-term financial gains in various sectors.

AI-assisted editorial analysis based on Census PSEO data. Fact-checked against source data.

Compare with Another School

See how the Computer Engineering Technologies degree at Purdue University Fort Wayne stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

Data sources: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO). Cost-of-living index: BLS Regional CPI & MIT Living Wage Project. Cost of attendance: IPEDS. For informational use only; data may be suppressed for small cohort sizes.

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