The average starting salary for bachelor’s degree graduates studying computer science is expected to fall by 4.0% compared to a year ago, according to results of NACE’s Winter 2023 Salary Survey report. This effectively puts these graduates back where their Class of 2021 counterparts were.

While the drop in starting salary is likely the result of reduced interest in hiring among tech companies, which have traditionally offered top dollar, other industries remain interested in these grads; two-thirds of employers taking part in the survey expect to hire computer science graduates. In fact, among the fields chronicled in Salary Survey, computer science graduates are projected to have the second highest average salary offer, after engineering graduates. (See Figures 1 and 2.)

The Winter 2023 Salary Survey report contains annual salary projections for Class of 2023 college graduates. The figures reported are for base salaries only and do not include bonuses, commissions, fringe benefits, or overtime rates. The report provides the detailed salary projections by academic major and degree level, along with breakouts by both industry and geographic region. Data contained in the report were obtained by surveying NACE employer members from October 5, 2022, through December 5, 2022. A total of 170 surveys were returned—a 19.5% response rate. NACE members can access the full report; an executive summary is available to the public.