Computer Engineering Programs in the United States (2026)
Updated
Part of Best Engineering Colleges in the United States
This page ranks 170 Computer Engineering programs in the United States by median earnings of Computer Engineering graduates four years after completing, highest first. University of California-Los Angeles leads the list with median earnings of $228,705 four years after completing.
The median across the listed schools is $103,628, and the figures span from $228,705 to $63,005.
Public institutions make up 78% of the list, with 132 schools against 38 private nonprofits. CUNY City College posts the lowest average net price at $3,776, while University of California-San Diego ranks 1st on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of California-Los Angeles · Los Angeles, CA | $228,705 | $12,548 | $5,579 | 9.0% |
| University of California-Los Angeles reports $228,705 in median earnings of Computer Engineering graduates four years after completing and an average net price of $12,548. | |||||
| 2 | Columbia University in the City of New York · New York, NY | $194,365 | $21,590 | $4,570 | 4.0% |
| With an admission rate of 4%, Columbia University in the City of New York ranks 2nd on this list and posts median earnings of $194,365 for its Computer Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 3 | Duke University · Durham, NC | $174,522 | $29,612 | $735 | 5.7% |
| Duke University shows median federal debt of $14,500 among Computer Engineering completers who borrowed, alongside earnings of $174,522 four years after completing. | |||||
| 4 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus · Seattle, WA | $169,570 | $14,091 | $6,384 | 39.2% |
| University of Washington-Seattle Campus ranks 4th on this list and carries an average net price of $6,384 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 5 | University of Southern California · Los Angeles, CA | $166,369 | $32,740 | $13,516 | 9.8% |
| An admission rate of 10% accompanies median earnings of $166,369 for University of Southern California's Computer Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 6 | Santa Clara University · Santa Clara, CA | $163,765 | $50,062 | $22,985 | 48.0% |
| Santa Clara University lists median earnings of $163,765 for its Computer Engineering graduates four years after completing and an average net price of $50,062. | |||||
| 7 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign · Champaign, IL | $159,855 | $14,355 | $2,038 | 42.4% |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign reports $159,855 in median earnings for its Computer Engineering graduates four years after completing, with a cohort of 318 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 8 | Bucknell University · Lewisburg, PA | $156,885 | $40,766 | $20,980 | 28.9% |
| Graduates across all fields who borrowed left with a median of $27,000 in federal loans at Bucknell University, which ranks 8th on this list. | |||||
| 9 | University of Maryland-College Park · College Park, MD | $152,422 | $15,678 | $2,962 | 44.8% |
| University of Maryland-College Park posts an average net price of $15,678 and median earnings of $152,422 for its Computer Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 10 | University of California-San Diego · La Jolla, CA | $149,139 | $12,470 | $7,525 | 26.7% |
| Median earnings of $149,139 for its Computer Engineering graduates four years after completing place University of California-San Diego 10th on this list, and it ranks 1st on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
| 11 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo · San Luis Obispo, CA | $148,950 | $16,665 | $7,529 | 31.3% |
| California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo shows median federal debt of $20,556 among Computer Engineering completers who borrowed, alongside an admission rate of 31%. | |||||
| 12 | University of Virginia-Main Campus · Charlottesville, VA | $148,175 | $21,565 | $8,174 | 16.8% |
| University of Virginia-Main Campus ranks 12th on this list and reports $148,175 in median earnings for its Computer Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 13 | University of California-Davis · Davis, CA | $145,422 | $14,741 | $9,211 | 41.8% |
| With 119 graduates in the earnings cohort, University of California-Davis reports $145,422 in median earnings for its Computer Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 14 | University of California-Santa Barbara · Santa Barbara, CA | $144,703 | $16,109 | $9,231 | 33.0% |
| A public university in Santa Barbara, University of California-Santa Barbara ranks 14th on this list and shows an admission rate of 33%. | |||||
| 15 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor · Ann Arbor, MI | $142,071 | $13,138 | $1,043 | 15.6% |
| University of Michigan-Ann Arbor posts an average net price of $1,043 for families earning under $30,000, alongside median earnings of $142,071 for its Computer Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 16 | Northeastern University · Boston, MA | $135,416 | $30,915 | $2,264 | 5.2% |
| Northeastern University ranks 204th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports a median federal debt of $25,002 among Computer Engineering completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 17 | Boston University · Boston, MA | $135,394 | $24,402 | $9,500 | 11.1% |
| Boston University admits 11% of applicants and lists median earnings of $135,394 for its Computer Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 18 | Brigham Young University · Provo, UT | $133,111 | $15,564 | $10,444 | 67.8% |
| Brigham Young University reports median earnings of $133,111 for its Computer Engineering graduates four years after completing, with an average net price of $15,564. | |||||
| 19 | University of California-Irvine · Irvine, CA | $132,357 | $14,251 | $8,123 | 28.6% |
| University of California-Irvine ranks 12th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and shows a median federal debt of $19,000 among Computer Engineering completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 20 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus · Atlanta, GA | $128,497 | $12,116 | $7,666 | 14.1% |
| Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus posts median earnings of $128,497 for its Computer Engineering graduates four years after completing, with 157 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 21 | University of Florida · Gainesville, FL | $128,140 | $6,541 | $1,982 | 24.2% |
| University of Florida lists an average net price of $1,982 for families earning under $30,000 and an admission rate of 24%. | |||||
| 22 | Stony Brook University · Stony Brook, NY | $128,038 | $18,784 | $12,943 | 49.0% |
| Stony Brook University reports a median federal debt of $19,750 among Computer Engineering completers who borrowed, alongside median earnings of $128,038 four years after completing. | |||||
| 23 | New York University · New York, NY | $127,201 | $37,050 | $16,977 | 9.2% |
| New York University admits 9% of applicants and ranks 146th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
| 24 | Texas A&M University-College Station · College Station, TX | $127,042 | $21,315 | $12,784 | 57.4% |
| Texas A&M University-College Station reports median earnings of $127,042 for its Computer Engineering graduates four years after completing, with an average net price of $21,315. | |||||
| 25 | University of New Mexico-Main Campus · Albuquerque, NM | $126,356 | $15,489 | $11,938 | 95.2% |
| University of New Mexico-Main Campus reports median earnings of $126,356 for its Computer Engineering graduates four years after completing, with 28 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
How this list is ordered
Programs are ordered by the median earnings of their Computer Engineering graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only programs with a reported earnings cohort in the United States appear. The figure captures federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled four years after graduating. For 15 of the 170 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one. The metric does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost, or who enrolls, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. The range and median below cover the 170 schools with a published figure. The gap between first-ranked University of California-Los Angeles and second-ranked Columbia University in the City of New York is $34,340.
Job market context in the United States
The Bureau of Labor Statistics links Computer Engineering to occupations such as Software Developers and Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers. Across those occupations in the United States, the median annual wage is $139,124, and a quarter of workers in those occupations earn less than $109,012. Projections for 2024 to 2034 put employment in those occupations about 14.0% higher, with about 1,181 openings a year for every hundred graduates, more projected openings than graduates. Wages and top occupations exclude management occupations; openings include them. These market figures describe the occupations, not the earnings of any listed program; the ranking above uses the median earnings of Computer Engineering graduates four years after completing.
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- Best Engineering Colleges in the United States
- Engineering Colleges for Social Mobility