Best Colleges for Computer Science
50 Computer Science programs ranked by real graduate earnings, debt, and completion — from the College Scorecard Field-of-Study data.
For Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Massachusetts) ranks #1 by our outcome score, with median graduate earnings of $225,141. Rankings reflect earnings, debt, and completion — not reputation or cost — across 50 programs with published outcome data.
| # | School | Credential | Median earnings | Median debt | Completers | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA | Bachelor's Degree | $225,141 | $11,077 | 384 | 97.9 |
| 2 | Stanford University Stanford, CA | Bachelor's Degree | $214,907 | $10,399 | 277 | 97 |
| 3 | Cornell University Ithaca, NY | Bachelor's Degree | $223,309 | $14,750 | 504 | 96.8 |
| 4 | Brown University Providence, RI | Bachelor's Degree | $214,479 | $11,500 | 250 | 96.4 |
| 5 | University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA | Bachelor's Degree | $204,379 | $13,750 | 848 | 96.3 |
| 6 | Duke University Durham, NC | Bachelor's Degree | $195,809 | $13,500 | 370 | 95 |
| 7 | Williams College Williamstown, MA | Bachelor's Degree | $209,574 | $12,208 | 49 | 92.7 |
| 8 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle, WA | Bachelor's Degree | $175,616 | $15,351 | 494 | 92.4 |
| 9 | Washington University in St Louis Saint Louis, MO | Bachelor's Degree | $177,066 | $15,250 | 205 | 91.8 |
| 10 | University of Washington-Bothell Campus Bothell, WA | Bachelor's Degree | $175,616 | $15,351 | 246 | 91.6 |
| 11 | Dartmouth College Hanover, NH | Bachelor's Degree | $201,702 | $18,490 | 130 | 91.2 |
| 12 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL | Master's Degree | $179,395 | $18,835 | 635 | 91.1 |
| 13 | Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA | Bachelor's Degree | $268,121 | $21,442 | 255 | 91 |
| 14 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL | Bachelor's Degree | $181,981 | $18,983 | 292 | 90.5 |
| 15 | Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN | Bachelor's Degree | $160,021 | $14,500 | 205 | 90.1 |
| 16 | University of California-San Diego La Jolla, CA | Bachelor's Degree | $159,487 | $16,166 | 591 | 89.6 |
| 17 | University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA | Bachelor's Degree | $192,897 | $19,625 | 287 | 89.6 |
| 18 | Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY | Bachelor's Degree | $188,265 | $19,594 | 357 | 89.6 |
| 19 | Stanford University Stanford, CA | Master's Degree | $255,667 | — | 334 | 89.2 |
| 20 | Tufts University Medford, MA | Bachelor's Degree | $156,343 | $15,500 | 171 | 88.5 |
| 21 | University of California-Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA | Bachelor's Degree | $149,190 | $13,500 | 161 | 87.4 |
| 22 | Northwestern University Evanston, IL | Bachelor's Degree | $155,106 | $14,646 | 102 | 87.4 |
| 23 | Emory University Atlanta, GA | Bachelor's Degree | $159,541 | $15,500 | 82 | 87.3 |
| 24 | Princeton University Princeton, NJ | Bachelor's Degree | $217,973 | — | 172 | 87.3 |
| 25 | Harvard University Cambridge, MA | Bachelor's Degree | $203,169 | — | 173 | 86.3 |
| 26 | Brigham Young University Provo, UT | Bachelor's Degree | $142,800 | $12,000 | 135 | 86.2 |
| 27 | Colgate University Hamilton, NY | Bachelor's Degree | $161,980 | $16,000 | 49 | 86 |
| 28 | University of Rochester Rochester, NY | Bachelor's Degree | $155,464 | $19,000 | 161 | 85.5 |
| 29 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC | Bachelor's Degree | $137,047 | $13,500 | 432 | 85.5 |
| 30 | Brown University Providence, RI | Master's Degree | $208,655 | — | 102 | 85.5 |
| 31 | Arizona State University Digital Immersion Scottsdale, AZ | Master's Degree | $177,303 | — | 278 | 84.7 |
| 32 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ | Master's Degree | $177,303 | — | 267 | 84.6 |
| 33 | Northwestern University Evanston, IL | Master's Degree | $197,823 | — | 96 | 84.4 |
| 34 | California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA | Bachelor's Degree | $200,511 | — | 77 | 84.3 |
| 35 | Pomona College Claremont, CA | Bachelor's Degree | $217,051 | — | 50 | 84.3 |
| 36 | Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette, IN | Bachelor's Degree | $146,685 | $19,136 | 439 | 84.2 |
| 37 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA | Master's Degree | $235,241 | — | 37 | 84 |
| 38 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA | Bachelor's Degree | $154,784 | $19,500 | 163 | 83.9 |
| 39 | University of Chicago Chicago, IL | Bachelor's Degree | $178,068 | — | 126 | 83.6 |
| 40 | University of California-Irvine Irvine, CA | Bachelor's Degree | $127,404 | $15,000 | 744 | 83.3 |
| 41 | Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA | Bachelor's Degree | $143,204 | $18,000 | 125 | 82.9 |
| 42 | University of California-Irvine Irvine, CA | Master's Degree | $175,922 | — | 115 | 82.8 |
| 43 | University of California-San Diego La Jolla, CA | Master's Degree | $231,397 | $25,903 | 185 | 82.8 |
| 44 | San Jose State University San Jose, CA | Bachelor's Degree | $160,714 | — | 288 | 82.5 |
| 45 | Georgetown University Washington, DC | Bachelor's Degree | $143,900 | $15,750 | 46 | 82 |
| 46 | Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY | Master's Degree | $162,539 | — | 163 | 81.9 |
| 47 | University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA | Bachelor's Degree | $171,166 | — | 109 | 81.9 |
| 48 | Harvey Mudd College Claremont, CA | Bachelor's Degree | $198,257 | $22,949 | 49 | 81.8 |
| 49 | University of Maryland-College Park College Park, MD | Bachelor's Degree | $137,931 | $19,500 | 954 | 81.6 |
| 50 | Drexel University Philadelphia, PA | Master's Degree | $188,550 | — | 44 | 81.6 |
How we ranked this
Programs are scored 0–100 within the Computer Science field (CIP 11.07) using three College Scorecard figures: median graduate earnings (weighted 70%), median federal-loan debt (20%, inverted so lower debt scores higher), and completer count (10%, log-scaled). Each input is percentile-ranked against the other Computer Science programs, so the score is robust to outliers and comparable across schools. Programs with no published earnings are excluded — never given a fabricated number. This is the same engine that powers our interactive Major Rankings. Minimum 5 scorable programs required to publish.
Frequently asked questions
Which college has the best Computer Science program?+
By our outcome score, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Massachusetts) ranks #1 for Computer Science, with median graduate earnings of $225,141.
How are these Computer Science programs ranked?+
Each program gets a 0–100 outcome score from three real College Scorecard figures: median graduate earnings (70%), median federal-loan debt (20%, lower is better), and completer count (10%). Programs are compared within the major so the score reflects the best schools for this field specifically.
Where does the earnings and debt data come from?+
The U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard Field-of-Study file, which publishes median earnings and median debt by institution and major (4-digit CIP). Figures are post-graduation medians; programs without published earnings are not scored and are omitted from this ranking.
Can I filter Computer Science programs by state or degree level?+
Yes. This page shows the national top programs; use the interactive Major Rankings tool to filter the same data by state, and by credential level (bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral).
Keep exploring
Data sources: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (Field of Study) · IPEDS Completions. Figures are the most recent values published in each federal dataset; cells with no published value are shown as “—” and never estimated. CertiHomes Education does not sell rankings or accept placement fees.