The salary number is real — but it's an average across a wide range
An $82,000 starting salary is a genuinely strong number, and it means the 1x rule gives CS majors more room than almost any other field: up to roughly $82,000 in total borrowing still clears the "safe" threshold this site's calculator uses. That's real headroom.
But averages hide a wide spread. Entry-level software engineering hiring has been more volatile over the past several cycles than it was a decade ago — new-grad hiring at large tech companies specifically has tightened at various points, even while overall demand for software skills stayed strong elsewhere (smaller companies, non-tech industries hiring engineers, government, healthcare IT). The $82,000 figure is a median across all of that, not a guarantee at any specific employer.
Where CS debt gets risky anyway
Two situations turn a "safe" major into a risky bet: borrowing against the top of the salary range at an expensive private school with a name that doesn't actually carry extra hiring weight in tech (unlike some other fields, many tech employers care more about portfolio/interview performance than school prestige), and borrowing for a bootcamp-to-CS-adjacent path with private loan financing at rates well above federal undergrad rates.
What actually moves the needle in tech hiring
Internships, personal projects, and specific technical skills tend to matter more for entry-level software hiring than which school is on the diploma — which is part of why a lower-cost public university CS degree, paired with real internship experience, is frequently the higher-ROI path compared to an elite private CS program at 3-4x the price.
Run your specific CS program's numbers — sticker price, your income bracket, and this $82,000 starting salary — through the full calculator.
Calculate my real CS degree cost →