Computer Science is a massively popular field of study, with many specializations and career applications for students to pursue.
We wanted to highlight schools that gave computer science students enough “bang for their buck.” We took the college’s average median pay and subtracted that national average starting salary of computer science majors ($62,633), if the result was a positive number, we sorted by the overall College Raptor rank to determine which CS-degree granting colleges were most valuable.
Here are College Raptor’s pick for the top ten schools where computer science students make more than the national average.
Note: We’re excluding US military colleges, as they pay for tuition.
10. University of Florida
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Flickr user Todd Van Hoosear
Location: Gainesville, FL
- Student Enrollment: 52,367
- College Type: Public
Located in Gainesville, University of Florida boasts one of the largest and most diverse campuses in the United States, welcoming students from all over the world. Home of the Florida Gators (which is where the sports drink Gatorade gets its name), UF competes in NCAA Division I sports.
9. University of California – Irvine
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Flickr user Orange County Archives
Location: Irvine, CA
- Student Enrollment: 32,754
- College Type: Public
The University of California — Irvine is a highly selective college with an acceptance rate of about 37%. UCI is a relatively “young” school, having been founded in 1965. 83% of the total students enrolled study at the undergraduate level. Public Health is the most popular major on the UC Irvine campus.
8. University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign
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Flickr user Diane Yee
Location: Champaign, IL
- Student Enrollment: 46,951
- College Type: Public
Located at the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana, U of I, also known as “University of Illinois” has earned a reputation as a world-class leader in research, teaching, and public engagement. Each year, they received about 39,000 applications and accept just over 24,000 of them, giving U of I an acceptance rate of 62%.
7. University of Maryland – College Park
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Flicker user Bgervais
Location: College Park, MD
- Student Enrollment: 39,083
- College Type: Public
“Fatti maschii, parole femine” is the motto of UM College Park, translating to mean “Strong deeds, gentle words.” On average, incoming freshman score between 28 and 33 on the ACT, and between 1310 and 1490 for the SAT. Not only is the University of Maryland a flagship school, it’s also a land grant, space grant, and sea grant university.
6. College of William and Mary
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Flickr user benuski
Location: Williamsburg, VA
- Student Enrollment: 8,617
- College Type: Public
Founded in 1693 by King William III and Queen Mary II, this college also the very first to have a Greek society—Phi Beta Kappa. Business, Political Science, Health and Fitness education, Biology, and Psychology are the five most popular majors on campus. W&M sports the colors green and gold.
5. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
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Flickr Zach Mullen
Location: Chapel Hill, NC
- Student Enrollment: 29,468
- College Type: Public
Regarded as a “Public Ivy,” UNC Chapel Hill receives nearly 40,000 applications a year. With an acceptance rate of 24%, around 9,500 students are admitted annually. There’s a total of 890 athletes on campus, with basketball, soccer, and field hockey being some of the most popular sports.
4. Rice University
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Flickr user Jill Ellwanger
Location: Houston, TX
- Student Enrollment: 6,855
- College Type: Private
Three owls are on Rice’s seal, and their mascot is named Sammy the Owl. With such a wise symbol, it’s no surprise that Rice has impressive academics. Incoming freshman score, on average, between 33–35 on the ACT and 1500–1580 on the SAT. Of the total student enrollment, 57% are undergraduates.
3. University of California – Los Angeles
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Location: Los Angeles, CA
- Student Enrollment: 43,548
- College Type: Public
Second oldest of the University of California system, UCLA received a whopping 102,225 applications last year. However, with an acceptance rate of 16%, only 16,356 were accepted. The 4 year graduation rate is 74% but jumps up to 91% at 6 years. 74.96% of UCLA students come from California.
2. University of California – Berkeley
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Flickr user K. Oliver
Location: Berkeley, CA
- Student Enrollment: 40,154
- College Type: Public
UC Berkeley sports two unique colors: Berkeley Blue and California Gold. Students and mascot Oski cheer on the Golden Bears during athletic events. Economics, Computer Science, Cell / Molecular Biology, Electrical Engineering, and Business Administration are the five most popular majors on campus.
1. University of Virginia – Main Campus
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Flickr user Rex Hammock
Location: Charlottesville, VA
- Student Enrollment: 23,898
- College Type: Public
Founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819, this flagship university has been the university of impressive alumni, including 8 NASA astronauts / launch directors, 8 Pulitzer Prize winners, and widely recognizable names like Edgar Allen Poe, Georgia O’Keefe, Robert and Ted Kennedy, and Tina Fey, among others.
About our methodology
Colleges are ranked based on a combination of factors, including graduation rates, campus diversity, endowment per student, and other data as reported via the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) for the most recently-available enrollment year. Some colleges may have been excluded from rankings based on certain criteria, including specialization and classification. Learn about our full methodology.
Interested in any of these schools? Check out College Raptor’s free match tool to see if they’re a good fit for you!
