Best Computer Science Colleges in the United States (2026)
Updated
This page ranks 684 Computer Science programs across the United States by median earnings of Computer Science graduates four years after completing. Carnegie Mellon University leads the list with median earnings of $245,393 after completing.
Across the 617 schools with a reported completion median, the median stands at $88,915, while the range runs from $245,393 to $21,309.
Public institutions account for 58% of the list, with 394 schools alongside 290 private nonprofits. CUNY Hunter College posts the lowest average net price at $2,984, and University of California-San Diego ranks 1st on Azimuth's composite ranking among the 1,467 public and private nonprofit four-year institutions Azimuth ranks nationally.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Median Computer Science Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carnegie Mellon University · Pittsburgh, PA | $245,393 | $31,944 | $9,097 | 11.7% |
| Carnegie Mellon University reports $245,393 in median earnings for its Computer Science graduates four years after completing, and its admission rate is 12%. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Computer Science (255 graduates), Computer and Information Sciences, General (100 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Computer Science ($268,121) | |||||
| 2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology · Cambridge, MA | $225,141 | $20,111 | -$2,533* | 4.6% |
| With a six-year completion rate of 96%, Massachusetts Institute of Technology ranks 2nd on this list and posts median earnings of $225,141 four years after completing. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Computer Science (384 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Computer Science ($225,141) | |||||
| 3 | Princeton University · Princeton, NJ | $217,973 | $6,128 | $41 | 4.6% |
| Princeton University carries an average net price of $41 for families earning under $30,000, alongside median earnings of $217,973 for its Computer Science graduates four years after completing. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Computer Science (172 graduates) | |||||
| 4 | Pomona College · Claremont, CA | $217,051 | $19,285 | $4,841 | 7.1% |
| Pomona College ranks 4th on this list, with a six-year completion rate of 93% and median earnings of $217,051 four years after completing. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Computer Science (50 graduates) | |||||
| 5 | Stanford University · Stanford, CA | $214,907 | $13,807 | -$2,536* | 3.6% |
| Stanford University admits 4% of applicants and reports median earnings of $214,907 for its Computer Science graduates four years after completing. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Computer Science (277 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Computer Science ($214,907) | |||||
| 6 | Brown University · Providence, RI | $214,479 | $25,184 | -$420* | 5.4% |
| Brown University posts median earnings of $214,479 four years after completing, and its average net price is $25,184. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Computer Science (250 graduates), Computer and Information Sciences, General (49 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Computer Science ($214,479) | |||||
| 7 | Williams College · Williamstown, MA | $209,574 | $17,716 | -$2,610* | 8.3% |
| Ranking 7th on this list, Williams College reports median earnings of $209,574 for its Computer Science graduates four years after completing and a six-year completion rate of 94%. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Computer Science (49 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Computer Science ($209,574) | |||||
| 8 | Harvard University · Cambridge, MA | $203,169 | $19,066 | $8,697 | 3.7% |
| Harvard University reports an average net price of $8,697 for families earning under $30,000, and its Computer Science graduates earn a median of $203,169 four years after completing. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Computer Science (173 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Computer Science ($203,169) | |||||
| 9 | Dartmouth College · Hanover, NH | $201,702 | $29,519 | $41 | 5.4% |
| With an admission rate of 5%, Dartmouth College ranks 9th on this list and reports median earnings of $201,702 four years after completing. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Computer Science (130 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Computer Science ($201,702) | |||||
| 10 | California Institute of Technology · Pasadena, CA | $200,511 | $16,075 | -$2,133* | 2.6% |
| California Institute of Technology reports median earnings of $200,511 for its Computer Science graduates four years after completing, and its admission rate is 3%. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Computer Science (77 graduates), Information Science/Studies (6 graduates) | |||||
| 11 | Cornell University · Ithaca, NY | $199,328 | $28,690 | $1,776 | 8.8% |
| Cornell University carries an average net price of $1,776 for families earning under $30,000, alongside median earnings of $199,328 four years after completing. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Computer Science (504 graduates), Computer and Information Sciences, General (220 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Computer Science ($223,309), Computer and Information Sciences, General ($144,389) | |||||
| 12 | Harvey Mudd College · Claremont, CA | $198,257 | $35,924 | $27,979 | 12.7% |
| Harvey Mudd College reports median earnings of $198,257 four years after completing, and its six-year completion rate is 92%. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Computer Science (49 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Computer Science ($198,257) | |||||
| 13 | Johns Hopkins University · Baltimore, MD | $196,467 | $18,809 | $428 | 6.4% |
| Johns Hopkins University reports $196,467 in median earnings for its Computer Science graduates four years after completing, alongside a six-year completion rate of 94%. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Computer and Information Sciences, General (151 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Computer and Information Sciences, General ($196,467) | |||||
| 14 | University of Pennsylvania · Philadelphia, PA | $196,242 | $28,699 | -$3,012* | 5.4% |
| University of Pennsylvania admits 5% of applicants and posts a six-year completion rate of 97%, with an average net price of $28,699. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Computer and Information Sciences, General (172 graduates), Computer Science (109 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Computer and Information Sciences, General ($241,380) | |||||
| 15 | Duke University · Durham, NC | $195,809 | $29,612 | $735 | 5.7% |
| Duke University ranks 15th on this list, with median earnings of $195,809 for its Computer Science graduates four years after completing and an average net price of $735 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Computer Science (370 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Computer Science ($195,809) | |||||
| 16 | Columbia University in the City of New York · New York, NY | $188,265 | $21,590 | $4,570 | 4.0% |
| Columbia University in the City of New York posts a six-year completion rate of 96% and an admission rate of 4%, while its Computer Science graduates earn a median of $188,265 four years after completing. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Computer Science (357 graduates), Information Science/Studies (10 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Computer Science ($188,265) | |||||
| 17 | Yale University · New Haven, CT | $188,157 | $23,777 | $17,633 | 3.9% |
| Yale University ranks 57th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, and its Computer Science graduates earn a median of $188,157 four years after completing. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Computer and Information Sciences, General (121 graduates), Computer Programming (9 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Computer and Information Sciences, General ($188,157) | |||||
| 18 | University of Southern California · Los Angeles, CA | $185,167 | $32,740 | $13,516 | 9.8% |
| University of Southern California reports median earnings of $185,167 for its Computer Science graduates four years after completing, with an admission rate of 10%. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Computer Science (287 graduates), Computer Software and Media Applications (32 graduates), Computer and Information Sciences, General (18 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Computer Science ($192,897), Computer Software and Media Applications ($115,839) | |||||
| 19 | Rice University · Houston, TX | $182,443 | $13,370 | $5,827 | 8.0% |
| Rice University has an average net price of $13,370 and a six-year completion rate of 95%, while its Computer Science graduates earn a median of $182,443 four years after completing. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Computer and Information Sciences, General (121 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Computer and Information Sciences, General ($182,443) | |||||
| 20 | University of Chicago · Chicago, IL | $178,068 | $14,860 | -$1,264* | 4.5% |
| University of Chicago admits 4% of applicants and reports median earnings of $178,068 for its Computer Science graduates four years after completing. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Computer Science (126 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Computer Science ($178,068) | |||||
| 21 | Washington University in St Louis · St. Louis, MO | $177,066 | $21,786 | $1,716 | 12.1% |
| Washington University in St Louis ranks 21st on this list, with an average net price of $1,716 for families earning under $30,000 and a six-year completion rate of 94%. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Computer Science (205 graduates) | |||||
| 22 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign · Champaign, IL | $173,044 | $14,355 | $2,038 | 42.4% |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign reports median earnings of $173,044 for its Computer Science graduates four years after completing, and its admission rate is 42%. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Computer Science (292 graduates), Computer and Information Sciences, General (100 graduates), Information Science/Studies (49 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Computer Science ($181,981) | |||||
| 23 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor · Ann Arbor, MI | $167,249 | $13,138 | $1,043 | 15.6% |
| With an average net price of $1,043 for families earning under $30,000, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor ranks 16th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Computer and Information Sciences, General (1,070 graduates), Information Science/Studies (166 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Computer and Information Sciences, General ($172,904), Information Science/Studies ($130,798) | |||||
| 24 | Northeastern University · Boston, MA | $163,708 | $30,915 | $2,264 | 5.2% |
| Northeastern University posts a six-year completion rate of 91% and an admission rate of 5%, while its Computer Science graduates earn a median of $163,708 four years after completing. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Computer and Information Sciences, General (483 graduates), Computer Software and Media Applications (41 graduates), Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management (23 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Computer and Information Sciences, General ($163,708) | |||||
| 25 | Colgate University · Hamilton, NY | $161,980 | $28,786 | $6,086 | 13.9% |
| Colgate University reports $161,980 in median earnings for its Computer Science graduates four years after completing, alongside a six-year completion rate of 91%. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Computer Science (49 graduates) | |||||
* Net price can be negative: when grants and scholarships exceed the listed cost of attendance, students can receive the difference as a refund for other expenses.
How this list is ordered
Schools are ordered by the median earnings of their Computer Science graduates four years after completing, or two years for programs that report only a two-year figure, highest first. The figure captures federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled after completing the program. For 51 of the 684 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 differences in who enrolls, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. The figures cited on this page cover the 617 schools with a reported completion median. The gap between first-ranked Carnegie Mellon University and second-ranked Massachusetts Institute of Technology is $20,252.
Job market context in the United States
Computer Science graduates in the United States enter occupations such as Software Developers, Computer User Support Specialists, and Computer Systems Analysts. The median annual wage across those occupations is $112,759, and a quarter of workers in those occupations earn less than $87,092. Projections for 2024 to 2034 put employment in those occupations about 9.4% higher, with about 378 openings a year for every hundred graduates, more projected openings than graduates. Wages and top occupations exclude management occupations; openings include them. The ranking above uses graduate earnings four years after completing, not the occupation-wide wage figures shown here.
Related rankings
- Computer Science Colleges for Social Mobility