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Most Popular Computer Science Schools in California

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2023 Most Popular Computer Science Schools in California

134 Colleges
$72,080 Avg Salary
$19,754 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Computer Science School for You

Out of the majors we analyze each year, computer science was ranked 9th in California. In fact, 13,148 were awarded in the state in 2020-2021.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Most Popular Computer Science Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 134 schools in California 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 California. USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.

While working on their degree, compsci majors at USC accumulate an average of around $20,178 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 $453.

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Out of the 134 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Irvine landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the large city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public school with a very large student population.

On average, compsci graduates from UC Irvine take out $16,000 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $177.

Full Computer Science at University of California - Irvine Report

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of California - San Diego is a great place for computer science students. UCSD is a very large public school located in the city of La Jolla.

CompSci majors at UCSD take out an average of $17,575 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $308, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Computer Science at University of California - San Diego Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Most Popular Computer Science Schools in California list. Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public school with a very large student population.

On average, compsci graduates from UC Berkeley take out $14,203 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $386.

Full Computer Science at University of California - Berkeley Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of California - Santa Cruz. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Most Popular Computer Science Schools in California list. UC Santa Cruz is a fairly large public school located in the city of Santa Cruz.

The average amount in student loans that compsci majors at UC Santa Cruz take out is $17,126. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $355, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Computer Science at University of California - Santa Cruz

#6

Stanford University

Stanford, CA

Stanford University ranked #6 on this year’s Most Popular Computer Science Schools in California list. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Stanford.

The average amount in student loans that compsci majors at Stanford take out is $13,645.

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University of California - Los Angeles ranked #7 on this year’s Most Popular Computer Science Schools in California list. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Full Computer Science at University of California - Los Angeles Report

With a ranking of #8, University of California - Davis did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for computer science students. Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public college with a fairly large student population.

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California State University - Fullerton came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Computer Science Schools in California ranking. Located in the suburb of Fullerton, Cal State Fullerton is a public school with a fairly large student population.

CompSci majors at Cal State Fullerton take out an average of $16,700 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Computer Science at California State University - Fullerton Report

#10

San Diego State University

San Diego, CA

San Diego State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Computer Science Schools in California ranking. SDSU is a very large public school located in the large city of San Diego.

The average amount in student loans that compsci majors at SDSU take out is $16,500.

Full Computer Science at San Diego State University Report

University of California - Riverside ranked #11 on this year’s Most Popular Computer Science Schools in California list. Located in the city of Riverside, UCR is a public college with a very large student population.

While working on their degree, compsci majors at UCR accumulate an average of around $20,500 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 $162.

Full Computer Science at University of California - Riverside Report

With a ranking of #12, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for computer science students. Sac State is a fairly large public school located in the city of Sacramento.

On average, compsci graduates from Sac State take out $17,744 in student loans while working on their degree.

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California State University - Long Beach came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Computer Science Schools in California ranking. Located in the large city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public college with a fairly large student population.

While working on their degree, compsci majors at CSULB accumulate an average of around $16,760 in student debt.

Full Computer Science at California State University - Long Beach Report

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Computer Science Schools in California ranking. Cal Poly Pomona is a very large public school located in the suburb of Pomona.

On average, compsci graduates from Cal Poly Pomona take out $18,303 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Computer Science at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona

#15

San Jose State University

San Jose, CA

San Jose State University ranked #15 on this year’s Most Popular Computer Science Schools in California list. Located in the large city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public school with a very large student population.

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California State University - East Bay came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Computer Science Schools in California ranking. Cal State East Bay is a large public school located in the large suburb of Hayward.

The average amount in student loans that compsci majors at Cal State East Bay take out is $14,610.

Read full report on Computer Science at California State University - East Bay

#17

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA

With a ranking of #17, San Francisco State University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for computer science students. SFSU is a very large public school located in the large city of San Francisco.

CompSci majors at SFSU take out an average of $17,750 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $203, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Computer Science at San Francisco State University Report

With a ranking of #18, California State University - Northridge did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for computer science students. CSUN is a very large public school located in the city of Northridge.

On average, compsci graduates from CSUN take out $15,919 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Computer Science at California State University - Northridge

With a ranking of #19, California State University - San Marcos did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for computer science students. CSUSM is a large public school located in the large suburb of San Marcos.

While working on their degree, compsci majors at CSUSM accumulate an average of around $15,616 in student debt.

Full Computer Science at California State University - San Marcos Report

University of California - Santa Barbara ranked #20 on this year’s Most Popular Computer Science Schools in California list. Located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average amount in student loans that compsci majors at UCSB take out is $17,338.

Full Computer Science at University of California - Santa Barbara Report

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional popular schools for Computer Science students in the state of California that almost earned our Most Popular Computer Science Schools in California award.

Rank College Location
21 California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA
22 California State University - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
23 California State University - Monterey Bay Seaside, CA
24 De Anza College Cupertino, CA
25 University of San Francisco San Francisco, CA
26 California State University - Chico Chico, CA

Best Computer Science Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Most Popular Computer Science Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 1,551
Oregon 1,282
Nevada 152
Hawaii 152
Alaska 31

Computer Science is one of 10 different types of programs to choose from.

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.

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