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Using science and data we decided to determine which programs offer the best career opportunities for computer science Majors. Here are the set of the top colleges for computer science Majors in US for 2021:
  1. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  2. Duke University
  3. Stanford University
  4. Cornell University
  5. Brown University
  6. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  7. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
  8. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  9. Purdue University
  10. University of California, Berkeley
If you go to one of these schools, chances are, you're not surprised. After all, you know how great you have it.

25 best colleges for computer science majors in the US

1. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Location
Chapel Hill, NC
Admission rate: 23%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $49,900

2. Duke University

Location
Durham, NC
Admission rate: 9%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $93,200

3. Stanford University

Location
Stanford, CA
Admission rate: 4%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $92,800

4. Cornell University

Location
Ithaca, NY
Admission rate: 11%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $76,300

5. Brown University

Location
Providence, RI
Admission rate: 8%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $64,800

6. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Location
Cambridge, MA
Admission rate: 7%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $99,600

7. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

Location
San Luis Obispo, CA
Admission rate: 30%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $54,700

8. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Location
Champaign, IL
Admission rate: 62%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $52,300

9. Purdue University

Location
West Lafayette, IN
Admission rate: 58%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $49,000

10. University of California, Berkeley

Location
Berkeley, CA
Admission rate: 15%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $57,600

11. College of William and Mary

Location
Williamsburg, VA
Admission rate: 37%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $47,400

12. Northwestern University

Location
Evanston, IL
Admission rate: 8%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $71,900

13. Vanderbilt University

Location
Nashville, TN
Admission rate: 10%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $61,900

14. Dartmouth College

Location
Hanover, NH
Admission rate: 9%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $74,600

15. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Location
Minneapolis, MN
Admission rate: 52%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $46,000

16. University of Washington

Location
Seattle, WA
Admission rate: 49%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $50,300

17. Tufts University

Location
Medford, MA
Admission rate: 15%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $56,600

18. Washington University in St Louis

Location
Saint Louis, MO
Admission rate: 15%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $63,400

19. University of California - San Diego

Location
La Jolla, CA
Admission rate: 30%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $48,200

20. Colgate University

Location
Hamilton, NY
Admission rate: 25%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $54,300

21. North Carolina State University

Location
Raleigh, NC
Admission rate: 47%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $45,000

22. University of California, Irvine

Location
Irvine, CA
Admission rate: 29%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $44,300

23. University of California - Los Angeles

Location
Los Angeles, CA
Admission rate: 14%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $52,000

24. Harvard University

Location
Cambridge, MA
Admission rate: 5%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $91,300

25. Lehigh University

Location
Bethlehem, PA
Admission rate: 22%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $67,300

How we determined the best computer science colleges

We looked at the following data from the NCES (National Center For Education Statistics) and College Scorecard data from ED.gov to understand what computer science departments offer the best career opportunities:
  • Percentage of Graduating Class That Are Business Majors
  • Mean Earnings After 10 Years
  • Mean Earnings After 6 Years
  • Admission Rate (More selective the better)
  • Average cost of attendance (Lower is better)
  • Median amount of debt
  • Ratio of people working to not working after 10 years