by our College Data Analytics Team
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Schools Highly Focused on CompSci Major” ranking - to help you make that decision.
Computer Science is the 12th most popular major in the country with 59,565 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, computer science graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $67,538 and had an average of $23,620 in loans still to pay off.
This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on CompSci Major” ranking looked at 983 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in computer science. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in computer science.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools Highly Focused on CompSci Major” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools Highly Focused on CompSci Major”.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Toyota Technological Institute at Chicago. The school came in at #1 for the Schools Highly Focused on CompSci Major. Toyota Technological Institute at Chicago is a small school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 3 ’s compsci degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Toyota Technological Institute at Chicago Computer Science Report
Out of the 983 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on CompSci Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern Polytechnic University landed the #2 spot on the list. This small school is located in Fremont, California, and it awarded 13 ’s compsci degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 2 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on Computer Science at Northwestern Polytechnic University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Maharishi International University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on CompSci Major list. MIU is located in Fairfield, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 294 ’s compsci degrees to qualified students.
Read more about Computer Science at Maharishi International University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend North American University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on CompSci Major list. This small school is located in Stafford, Texas, and it awarded 66 ’s compsci degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Out of the 983 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on CompSci Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Harvey Mudd College landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Claremont, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 48 degrees to qualified ’s compsci students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
With a ranking of #6, Florida Polytechnic University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on CompSci Major list. Florida Polytechnic University is a small school located in Lakeland, Florida that handed out 65 ’s compsci degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Computer Science at Florida Polytechnic University
Virginia International University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on CompSci Major ranking. Located in Fairfax, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 11 degrees to qualified ’s compsci students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Computer Science at Virginia International University
International Technological University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on CompSci Major ranking. ITU is a small school located in San Jose, California that handed out 35 ’s compsci degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Computer Science at International Technological University
University of Illinois at Springfield ranked #9 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on CompSci Major list. UIS is a small school located in Springfield, Illinois that handed out 225 ’s compsci degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
With a ranking of #10, Massachusetts Institute of Technology did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on CompSci Major list. MIT is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 692 ’s compsci degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 98%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
With a ranking of #11, California Institute of Technology did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on CompSci Major list. Pasadena, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s compsci degrees to 84 students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Rose - Hulman Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on CompSci Major ranking, coming in at #12. Terre Haute, Indiana is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s compsci degrees to 79 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%.
Full Rose - Hulman Institute of Technology Computer Science Report
Illinois Institute of Technology ranked #13 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on CompSci Major list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 316 diplomas to qualified ’s compsci students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read more about Computer Science at Illinois Institute of Technology
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on CompSci Major ranking. RPI is located in Troy, New York and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 295 ’s compsci degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Computer Science Report
Stanford University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on CompSci Major ranking, coming in at #15. Stanford is located in Stanford, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 628 ’s compsci degrees to qualified students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Stevens Institute of Technology came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on CompSci Major ranking. Stevens is located in Hoboken, New Jersey and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 384 ’s compsci degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
With a ranking of #17, Worcester Polytechnic Institute did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on CompSci Major list. Worcester Polytechnic Institute is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Worcester, Massachusetts. It awarded 262 ’s compsci degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Computer Science at Worcester Polytechnic Institute
University of Central Missouri did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on CompSci Major ranking, coming in at #18. Warrensburg, Missouri is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s compsci degrees to 379 students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Computer Science at University of Central Missouri
University of California - Santa Cruz came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on CompSci Major ranking. Santa Cruz, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s compsci degrees to 729 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
University of Washington - Bothell Campus did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on CompSci Major ranking, coming in at #20. University of Washington - Bothell Campus is a medium-sized school located in Bothell, Washington that handed out 258 ’s compsci degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Computer Science at University of Washington - Bothell Campus
Wentworth Institute of Technology came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on CompSci Major ranking. Wentworth Institute of Technology is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Boston, Massachusetts. It awarded 119 ’s compsci degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Computer Science at Wentworth Institute of Technology
University of Advancing Technology came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on CompSci Major ranking. This small school is located in Tempe, Arizona, and it awarded 17 ’s compsci degrees in 2020-2021.
Full University of Advancing Technology Computer Science Report
Grinnell College came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on CompSci Major ranking. Grinnell, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s compsci degrees to 54 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Colorado School of Mines ranked #24 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on CompSci Major list. Mines is a public institution located in Golden, Colorado. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 182 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Brown University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on CompSci Major ranking. Brown is located in Providence, Rhode Island and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 319 ’s compsci degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
While not in the ‘top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Stony Brook University | Stony Brook, NY |
| 52 | University of California - San Diego | La Jolla, CA |
| 53 | Northeastern Illinois University | Chicago, IL |
| 54 | Lawrence Technological University | Southfield, MI |
| 55 | DePauw University | Greencastle, IN |
| 56 | Queens College | Queens, NY |
| 57 | Williams College | Williamstown, MA |
| 58 | Kettering University | Flint, MI |
| 59 | Middlebury College | Middlebury, VT |
| 60 | Dartmouth College | Hanover, NH |
| 61 | Carnegie Mellon University | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 62 | Columbia University in the City of New York | New York, NY |
| 63 | LaGuardia Community College | Long Island City, NY |
| 64 | University of Colorado Boulder | Boulder, CO |
| 65 | University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown | Johnstown, PA |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 141 | College of Staten Island CUNY | Staten Island, NY |
| 142 | Air Force Institute of Technology - Graduate School of Engineering & Management | Wright-Patterson AFB, OH |
| 143 | Montgomery County Community College | Blue Bell, PA |
| 144 | Whitworth University | Spokane, WA |
| 145 | Quincy College | Quincy, MA |
| 146 | Earlham College | Richmond, IN |
| 147 | Portland State University | Portland, OR |
| 148 | Blackburn College | Carlinville, IL |
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
