Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Most Popular Computer Science Schools

Find Schools Near

2023 Most Popular Computer Science Schools

995 Colleges
$67,538 Avg Salary
$23,620 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Computer Science School for You

Computer Science is the #12 most popular major in the country with 59,565 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Most Popular Computer Science Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 995 schools in the United States to see which programs were the most popular for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Computer Science program at each school on the list.

The following schools top our list of the Most Popular Computer Science Colleges.

Our analysis found University of Southern California to be the most popular school for computer science students who want to pursue a degree in the United States. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

The average amount in student loans that compsci majors at USC take out is $20,178. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $453, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Computer Science at University of Southern California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Irvine. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Popular Computer Science Schools list. UC Irvine is a very large public school located in the city of Irvine.

While working on their degree, compsci majors at UC Irvine accumulate an average of around $16,000 in student debt. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $177.

Read More…

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Arizona State University - Tempe. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Most Popular Computer Science Schools list. ASU - Tempe is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Tempe.

On average, compsci graduates from ASU - Tempe take out $19,996 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $265, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Computer Science at Arizona State University - Tempe Report

Out of the 995 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Maryland - College Park landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the suburb of College Park, UMCP is a public college with a fairly large student population.

On average, compsci graduates from UMCP take out $21,500 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $307.

Full Computer Science at University of Maryland - College Park Report

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a great place for computer science students. UIUC is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Champaign.

After completing their degree, compsci graduates from UIUC carry an average student debt load of $18,500. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $477, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

Columbia University in the City of New York did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for computer science students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that compsci majors at Columbia take out is $19,500. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $485.

Full Computer Science at Columbia University in the City of New York Report

University of North Carolina at Charlotte landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular computer science programs. UNC Charlotte is a fairly large public school located in the city of Charlotte.

After completing their degree, compsci graduates from UNC Charlotte carry an average student debt load of $24,923. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $194.

Read More…

#8

Oregon State University

Corvallis, OR

Oregon State University ranked #8 on this year’s Most Popular Computer Science Schools list. Oregon State is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Corvallis.

On average, compsci graduates from Oregon State take out $26,584 in student loans while working on their degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $269.

Read More…

University of California - San Diego ranked #9 on this year’s Most Popular Computer Science Schools list. Located in the city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public college with a very large student population.

After completing their degree, compsci graduates from UCSD carry an average student debt load of $17,575. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $308.

Read full report on Computer Science at University of California - San Diego

University of California - Berkeley landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular computer science programs. UC Berkeley is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley.

While working on their degree, compsci majors at UC Berkeley accumulate an average of around $14,203 in student debt. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $386.

Read More…

#11

Cornell University

Ithaca, NY

Cornell University ranked #11 on this year’s Most Popular Computer Science Schools list. Cornell is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Ithaca.

CompSci majors at Cornell take out an average of $15,003 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $524, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

With a ranking of #12, University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for computer science students. Located in the city of Santa Cruz, UC Santa Cruz is a public school with a fairly large student population.

CompSci majors at UC Santa Cruz take out an average of $17,126 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $355.

Full Computer Science at University of California - Santa Cruz Report

Massachusetts Institute of Technology did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for computer science students. It came in at #13 on the list. Located in the midsize city of Cambridge, MIT is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

On average, compsci graduates from MIT take out $10,538 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $682, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Computer Science at Massachusetts Institute of Technology

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for computer science students. It came in at #14 on the list. Located in the city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public school with a very large student population.

CompSci majors at UMN Twin Cities take out an average of $19,997 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $200.

Full Computer Science at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Report

#15

Stony Brook University

Stony Brook, NY

Stony Brook University ranked #15 on this year’s Most Popular Computer Science Schools list. SUNY Stony Brook is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Stony Brook.

Full Computer Science at Stony Brook University Report

#16

Stanford University

Stanford, CA

With a ranking of #16, Stanford University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for computer science students. Located in the large suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.

CompSci majors at Stanford take out an average of $13,645 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Computer Science at Stanford University Report

University of Colorado Boulder ranked #17 on this year’s Most Popular Computer Science Schools list. Located in the midsize city of Boulder, CU - Boulder is a public college with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that compsci majors at CU - Boulder take out is $21,196. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $380, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Computer Science at University of Colorado Boulder

#18

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, IN

Purdue University - Main Campus came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Computer Science Schools ranking. Purdue is a fairly large public school located in the small city of West Lafayette.

The average amount in student loans that compsci majors at Purdue take out is $17,571. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $391.

Full Computer Science at Purdue University - Main Campus Report

University of Massachusetts Amherst did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for computer science students. It came in at #19 on the list. UMass Amherst is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Amherst.

The average amount in student loans that compsci majors at UMass Amherst take out is $23,250.

Read More…

North Carolina State University landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular computer science programs. NC State is a very large public school located in the large city of Raleigh.

CompSci majors at NC State take out an average of $22,375 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $290, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Computer Science at North Carolina State University

University of California - Los Angeles did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for computer science students. It came in at #21 on the list. UCLA is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Los Angeles.

Full Computer Science at University of California - Los Angeles Report

With a ranking of #22, University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for computer science students. Located in the city of Chicago, UIC is a public school with a very large student population.

On average, compsci graduates from UIC take out $19,500 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $280, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Computer Science at University of Illinois at Chicago

University of Washington - Seattle Campus ranked #23 on this year’s Most Popular Computer Science Schools list. Located in the city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public college with a very large student population.

After completing their degree, compsci graduates from UW Seattle carry an average student debt load of $16,220. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $218.

Full Computer Science at University of Washington - Seattle Campus Report

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular computer science programs. UNC Chapel Hill is a very large public school located in the city of Chapel Hill.

CompSci majors at UNC Chapel Hill take out an average of $15,063 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Computer Science at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

#25

Western Governors University

Salt Lake City, UT

Western Governors University landed the #25 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular computer science programs. Located in the suburb of Salt Lake City, WGU is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Read More…

#27

Boston University

Boston, MA
#29

Duke University

Durham, NC
#32

San Diego State University

San Diego, CA
#33

University of Central Missouri

Warrensburg, MO
#34

Georgia State University

Atlanta, GA
#37

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA
#39

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL
#40

Queens College

Queens, NY
#41

Binghamton University

Vestal, NY
#42

Kennesaw State University

Kennesaw, GA
#43

University of Georgia

Athens, GA
#44

Brown University

Providence, RI
#45

Texas State University

San Marcos, TX
#50

Portland State University

Portland, OR

Additional Award Winners

This section represents the remainder of the colleges awarded a Most Popular Computer Science Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 995 different United States computer science schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
51 California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Pomona, CA
52 Northern Virginia Community College Annandale, VA
53 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, NY
54 Maharishi International University Fairfield, IA
55 Weber State University Ogden, UT
56 Colorado Technical University - Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, CO
57 San Jose State University San Jose, CA
58 California State University - East Bay Hayward, CA
58 Washington University in St Louis Saint Louis, MO
60 San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA
61 University of Dayton Dayton, OH
62 Indiana University - Bloomington Bloomington, IN
63 Worcester Polytechnic Institute Worcester, MA
64 University of Washington - Bothell Campus Bothell, WA
64 University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA
66 University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY
67 George Washington University Washington, DC
68 Tufts University Medford, MA
69 University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT
70 University of Arizona Tucson, AZ
71 University of Massachusetts - Lowell Lowell, MA
72 Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN
73 California State University - Northridge Northridge, CA
74 Northwestern University Evanston, IL
75 University of Illinois at Springfield Springfield, IL
76 Washington State University Pullman, WA
77 University of Missouri - Kansas City Kansas City, MO
78 California State University - San Marcos San Marcos, CA
79 University of California - Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA
80 Hunter College New York, NY
81 Seattle University Seattle, WA
82 California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA
83 Princeton University Princeton, NJ
84 Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH
85 University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA
86 University at Albany Albany, NY
87 Drexel University Philadelphia, PA
88 LaGuardia Community College Long Island City, NY
89 Towson University Towson, MD
90 Harvard University Cambridge, MA
91 Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus Atlanta, GA
92 California State University - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
92 The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX
92 Colorado School of Mines Golden, CO
95 Pace University - New York New York, NY
96 Saint Martin’s University Lacey, WA
97 Brigham Young University - Provo Provo, UT
98 University of Rochester Rochester, NY
99 California State University - Monterey Bay Seaside, CA
99 Northern Illinois University Dekalb, IL
101 Borough of Manhattan Community College New York, NY
102 Utah Valley University Orem, UT
103 Lewis University Romeoville, IL
104 University of Nevada - Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV
105 The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Edinburg, TX
106 De Anza College Cupertino, CA
107 Iowa State University Ames, IA
108 Dartmouth College Hanover, NH
109 The City College of New York New York, NY
110 Northeastern Illinois University Chicago, IL
111 Missouri State University - Springfield Springfield, MO
112 Kent State University at Kent Kent, OH
112 Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA
114 University of Oklahoma Norman Campus Norman, OK
115 University of San Francisco San Francisco, CA
115 Wichita State University Wichita, KS
117 Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA
118 Governors State University University Park, IL
119 Wentworth Institute of Technology Boston, MA
120 Lehman College Bronx, NY
120 Lehigh University Bethlehem, PA
120 Brandeis University Waltham, MA
123 The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Knoxville, TN
124 University of Iowa Iowa City, IA
125 College of Staten Island CUNY Staten Island, NY
126 University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI
126 Boise State University Boise, ID
126 University of Vermont Burlington, VT
129 University of Massachusetts - Boston Boston, MA
130 Emory University Atlanta, GA
131 North Dakota State University - Main Campus Fargo, ND
131 University of Louisiana at Lafayette Lafayette, LA
133 Arizona State University - Skysong Scottsdale, AZ
134 Michigan Technological University Houghton, MI
135 Tennessee Technological University Cookeville, TN
136 University of Nebraska at Omaha Omaha, NE
136 University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu, HI
136 University of Connecticut Storrs, CT
139 University of Colorado at Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, CO
139 Harrisburg University of Science and Technology Harrisburg, PA
141 Appalachian State University Boone, NC
141 University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR
141 University of Houston - Clear Lake Houston, TX
144 Northwest Missouri State University Maryville, MO
145 California State University - Chico Chico, CA
146 University of Minnesota - Duluth Duluth, MN
147 Villanova University Villanova, PA
147 Eastern Michigan University Ypsilanti, MI
149 California State University - Dominguez Hills Carson, CA
149 California State University - San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional popular schools for Computer Science students that almost earned our Most Popular Computer Science Schools award.

Rank College Location
151 Montana State University Bozeman, MT
152 Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ
153 Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN
154 University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, NC
155 University of North Carolina at Wilmington Wilmington, NC
155 Georgetown University Washington, DC
157 University of Memphis Memphis, TN
157 Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, TN
157 California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA
160 Metropolitan State University Saint Paul, MN
161 Metropolitan State University of Denver Denver, CO
161 Grantham University Lenexa, KS
163 Auburn University Auburn, AL
163 Louisiana Tech University Ruston, LA
163 Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Edwardsville, IL
166 Rose - Hulman Institute of Technology Terre Haute, IN
167 Queensborough Community College Bayside, NY
167 California State University - Stanislaus Turlock, CA
167 William & Mary Williamsburg, VA
170 University of Missouri - St Louis Saint Louis, MO
170 East Carolina University Greenville, NC
170 University of New Orleans New Orleans, LA
173 West Virginia University Morgantown, WV
174 Santa Monica College Santa Monica, CA
174 National University La Jolla, CA
174 Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX
177 Ball State University Muncie, IN
177 Howard University Washington, DC
179 Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant, MI
179 Christopher Newport University Newport News, VA
181 Florida Institute of Technology Melbourne, FL
181 California State University - Fresno Fresno, CA
183 University of Idaho Moscow, ID
183 Davenport University Grand Rapids, MI
183 California State University - Channel Islands Camarillo, CA
183 North Carolina A & T State University Greensboro, NC
183 Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, MI
188 Touro College New York, NY
189 Purdue University Fort Wayne Fort Wayne, IN
189 Orange Coast College Costa Mesa, CA
189 North American University Stafford, TX
189 The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga Chattanooga, TN
193 Florida Polytechnic University Lakeland, FL
194 Saint Cloud State University Saint Cloud, MN
195 Grossmont College El Cajon, CA
195 University of Miami Coral Gables, FL
197 California State University - Bakersfield Bakersfield, CA
197 Bridgewater State University Bridgewater, MA
199 Houston Community College Houston, TX

Computer Science by Region

View the Most Popular Computer Science Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

One of 10 majors within the area of study, computer science has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Computer Information Systems 88,434
Information Technology 40,555
Information Science 18,325
Computer Systems Networking 14,700
Computer Software & Applications 14,336

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Negative Space.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Featured Schools

Find Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited colleges across the U.S.