A programmer in Chile earns between CLP 0.8 million and CLP 1.8 million gross a month in the fourth year after graduating, depending on the institution, according to the Employment and Income Search Tool of Mi Futuro, run by the Undersecretariat of Higher Education. The top bracket, CLP 1.7 million to CLP 1.8 million, belongs to graduates of U. Técnica Federico Santa María.
The tool lists 16 Computing and IT Technician programs, 8 of which report income, with an average lower bound of CLP 1.23 million. On average, 57.3% of graduates earn above the minimum wage in their first year and 67.6% in their second. This guide explains how much a programmer earns in Chile by institution, how long it takes to find work and how the field compares with similar degrees.
How much a programmer earns in Chile by university
| Gross income bracket in year 4 | Institutions | Count |
|---|---|---|
| CLP 1.7 to 1.8 million | U. Técnica Federico Santa María | 1 |
| CLP 1.5 to 1.6 million | IP Duoc UC | 1 |
| CLP 1.4 to 1.5 million | CFT Inacap | 1 |
| CLP 1.2 to 1.3 million | IP Santo Tomás, IP AIEP | 2 |
| CLP 1.1 to 1.2 million | IP de Chile | 1 |
| CLP 0.9 to 1.0 million | CFT San Agustín | 1 |
| CLP 0.8 to 0.9 million | U. de Los Lagos | 1 |
| No data | IP San Sebastián, IP IACC, IP Los Leones, CFT Ceduc-UCN, CFT Lota-Arauco, CFT PUCV, IP Dr. Virginio Gómez G., U. Arturo Prat | 8 |
Source: Mi Futuro, Computing and IT Technician (16 programs, 8 with income data), accessed November 10, 2026. According to the search tool's methodology, income is the average gross monthly pay of 2018, 2019 and 2020 graduates in their fourth year after graduating, calculated with data from the Internal Revenue Service (SII) and expressed in September 2025 pesos. The employment rate is the share of graduates earning at least the minimum wage in their first or second year. Programs with few cases show "no information" (s/i). The highest bracket the tool publishes runs from CLP 2.5 to 3 million.
The tool groups technical programming degrees (Analyst Programmer Technician, Programming and Systems Analysis Technician and similar) under Computing and IT Technician. Of its 16 programs, 8 report income. Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María has the top bracket, CLP 1.7 to 1.8 million, followed by IP Duoc UC (CLP 1.5 to 1.6 million) and CFT Inacap (CLP 1.4 to 1.5 million). IP AIEP and IP Santo Tomás are in the CLP 1.2 to 1.3 million bracket, IP de Chile in the CLP 1.1 to 1.2 million bracket, CFT San Agustín in the CLP 900,000 to 1 million bracket and the University of Los Lagos in the CLP 800,000 to 900,000 bracket.
Eight programs show no income data because they have few cases, among them IP IACC and IP San Sebastián, which nonetheless have the highest employment rates on the list.
In the table below you can search for your institution and sort by income or employment rate:
| Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María | 1.7 | 59.0% | 75.5% |
| IP Duoc UC | 1.5 | 70.6% | 81.4% |
| CFT Inacap | 1.4 | 65.9% | 78.2% |
| IP Santo Tomás | 1.2 | 61.7% | 71.7% |
| IP AIEP | 1.2 | 61.2% | 69.7% |
| IP de Chile | 1.1 | 62.5% | 71.0% |
| CFT San Agustín | 0.9 | 51.6% | 56.6% |
| Universidad de Los Lagos | 0.8 | 39.0% | 53.1% |
| IP San Sebastián | No data | 86.2% | 88.5% |
| IP IACC | No data | 78.4% | 88.0% |
| IP Los Leones | No data | 65.9% | No data |
| CFT Ceduc-UCN | No data | 56.5% | 60.0% |
| CFT Lota-Arauco | No data | 42.3% | 33.3% |
| CFT PUCV | No data | 41.3% | 59.5% |
| IP Dr. Virginio Gómez G. | No data | 39.7% | 59.4% |
| Universidad Arturo Prat | No data | 35.0% | No data |
Programmer, analyst programmer and computer engineer: what changes
In Chile, the word programmer covers several different degrees. The analyst programmer is a higher-level technical degree taught at technical training centers (CFT), professional institutes and some universities, with an average actual length of 6.3 semesters. It trains people to build and maintain software, databases and web applications.
Computer and IT Engineering (an execution engineering degree, at institutes and universities) and Civil Engineering in Computing and IT (at universities) are longer degrees, with more mathematics and systems design. According to Mi Futuro, the average lower bound in year 4 is CLP 1.86 million for the former and CLP 2.50 million for the latter, versus CLP 1.23 million for the technical degree.
The tool does not distinguish languages or roles, and it measures the income of people who graduated four years earlier. In tech, pay varies widely with experience, specialty and whether someone works for foreign companies from Chile, which this figure does not capture separately.
Employment of programmers in Chile
View the data as a table
| Average lower bound of the year-4 income bracket | CLP 1.23 M |
| Employment rate in year 1 | 57.3% |
| Employment rate in year 2 | 67.6% |
| Average actual duration | 6.3 semesters |
| Indicator (Computing and IT Technician) | Range across institutions | Simple average |
|---|---|---|
| Employment rate in year 1 | 35,0% (U. Arturo Prat) – 86,2% (IP San Sebastián) | 57.3% |
| Employment rate in year 2 | 33,3% (CFT Lota-Arauco) – 88,5% (IP San Sebastián) | 67.6% |
| Actual length of the degree | 5,2 – 7,5 | 6.3 semesters |
| First-year retention | 57,7% (CFT Lota-Arauco) – 78,9% (CFT PUCV) | 68.1% |
Source: Mi Futuro, simple averages calculated by Vivarae News. First-year employment ranges from 35.0% at Universidad Arturo Prat to 86.2% at IP San Sebastián. Among programs with income data, IP Duoc UC combines a high bracket (CLP 1.5 to 1.6 million) with 70.6% employment in year 1 and 81.4% in year 2. The relationship between income and employment by institution is shown in this chart:
View the data as a table
| Employment rate in year 1 | Lower bound of year-4 income bracket (CLP millions) | |
|---|---|---|
| Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María | 59.00% | 1.70 |
| IP Duoc UC | 70.60% | 1.50 |
| CFT Inacap | 65.90% | 1.40 |
| IP Santo Tomás | 61.70% | 1.20 |
| IP AIEP | 61.20% | 1.20 |
| IP de Chile | 62.50% | 1.10 |
| CFT San Agustín | 51.60% | 0.90 |
| Universidad de Los Lagos | 39.00% | 0.80 |
Programmers versus computer engineering degrees
| Degree | Average lower bound of year-4 income bracket | Average employment rate in year 1 | Programs with income data |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civil Eng. in Computing | CLP 2.50 million | 87.9% | 11 |
| Computer Eng. (execution) | CLP 1.86 million | 81.9% | 13 |
| Computing technician | CLP 1.23 million | 57.3% | 8 |
| Audiovisual Communication | CLP 1.10 million | 47.0% | 4 |
| Graphic Design | CLP 1.00 million | 41.6% | 6 |
Source: Mi Futuro, accessed November 10, 2026; simple averages calculated by Vivarae News. The technical degree pays considerably less than the engineering degrees, but it takes about half as long and has better employment than other digital fields such as Graphic Design or Audiovisual Communication. For the engineering degrees in detail, see how much a computer engineer earns and how much a civil computer engineer earns.
How much a programmer earns in Chile: from gross to net pay
For a programmer with gross pay equal to the degree's average lower bound, CLP 1.23 million, the legal deductions are the pension fund (AFP) contribution (10% plus the fee), health (7% in Fonasa or the isapre plan), unemployment insurance (0.6% on an open-ended contract) and income tax. With a fee of about 1.5%, contributions add up to roughly 19.1%, leaving about CLP 0.99 million before income tax, which depends on the income bracket (our own approximate calculation). For reference, the minimum wage in Chile has been CLP 553,553 since May 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a programmer earn right after graduating in Chile?
There is no official first-year income figure. Mi Futuro reports income in the fourth year: between CLP 0.8 million and CLP 1.8 million gross depending on the institution, with an average lower bound of CLP 1.23 million.
Where should you study Computing and IT Technician to earn more?
According to Mi Futuro, graduates of U. Técnica Federico Santa María are in the top bracket in year 4, CLP 1.7 million to CLP 1.8 million.
Is it easy to find work as a programmer?
On average, 57.3% of graduates earn above the minimum wage in their first year and 67.6% in their second, according to Mi Futuro.
How long does the analyst programmer degree take?
The average actual length is 6.3 semesters, according to Mi Futuro.
Does a programmer or a computer engineer earn more?
On average, the engineer: CLP 1.86 million in year 4 in Computer and IT Engineering, versus CLP 1.23 million for the technical degree.
