Software Engineering Major — Salary & ROI 2026
Application of engineering principles to software development processes.
Starting Salary
$82K
median
Mid-Career
$128K
salary
ROI Payback
2.7 yrs
avg payback
Unemployment
2%
rate
Software Engineering Overview
Application of engineering principles to software development processes.
Category
STEM
Degree Level
Bachelor's
Graduation Rate
71%
Enrollment Trend
growing
Online Available
Yes
Underemployment
11%
Lifetime Premium
$1180K
Female Graduates
20%
Software Engineering Degree ROI Calculator
Estimate your actual return on investment based on school type and scholarships.
0 to $40K/year in aid
Est. Total Cost
$19,800
4-year tuition
Net Cost (w/ aid)
$19,800
after scholarships
ROI Payback
0 years
to break even
Lifetime Return
$1,160,200
Lifetime earnings premium ($1,180,000) minus net degree cost ($19,800)
Software Engineering Salary Progression
Common Software Engineering Careers
Software Developer
DevOps Engineer
QA Engineer
Top Employers
Skills You'll Learn
Top Schools for Software Engineering
#1
Carnegie Mellon
#2
MIT
#3
Stanford
#4
University of Waterloo
#5
Georgia Tech
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Software Engineering Degree FAQ
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