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2023 Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k

385 Ranked Colleges
59,565 Degrees Awarded
$4,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

Computer Science is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 8th of all the majors we analyze. In 2020-2021, 59,565 degrees were awarded to students with this major.

For this year’s “Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 385 colleges that offer a degree in computer science. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great computer science programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the computer science program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Computer Science Schools

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for computer science students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Computer Science (Income $0-$30k)

1
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, North Carolina

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Duke University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. Duke is located in Durham, North Carolina and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 404 ’s computer science degrees to qualified students.

Duke did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Computer Science Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Duke University is $371 for computer science students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 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 Duke University

2
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Stanford, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s computer science degrees to 628 students in 2020-2021.

Stanford did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Computer Science Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford is $1,233 for Computer Science students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 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. 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%.

Read full report on Computer Science at Stanford University

3
Brown crest
Brown University
Providence, Rhode Island

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Brown University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. Providence, Rhode Island is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s computer science degrees to 319 students in 2020-2021.

Brown also took the #5 spot in our “Best Computer Science Schools” ranking. It costs about $1,468 for computer science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Brown University.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full Brown University Computer Science Report

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 692 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

MIT also took the #2 spot in our “Best Computer Science Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology is $5,193 for Computer Science students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 98%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full MIT Computer Science Report

5
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Harvard University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 187 degrees to qualified ’s computer science students in 2020-2021.

Harvard did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Computer Science Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Harvard is $2,564 for Computer Science students whose families make $0-$30k.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Computer Science at Harvard University

6
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

University of Pennsylvania ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. UPenn is a large school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that handed out 199 ’s computer science degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UPenn, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Computer Science Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Pennsylvania is $580 for Computer Science students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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.

Read full report on Computer Science at UPenn

7
UChicago crest
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

University of Chicago landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 337 diplomas to qualified ’s computer science students in 2020-2021.

UChicago also took the #12 spot in our “Best Computer Science Schools” ranking. It costs about $2,500 for Computer Science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Chicago.

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 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Computer Science at University of Chicago

8

With a ranking of #8, California Institute of Technology did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Pasadena, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 84 diplomas to qualified ’s computer science students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our computer science students whose families make $0-$30k list, Caltech has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Computer Science Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Caltech is $-539 for Computer Science students whose families make $0-$30k. A negative average net price may seem strange, but it generally means that financial aid will more than cover the cost to attend the school.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full California Institute of Technology Computer Science Report

9
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, Tennessee

Vanderbilt University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Nashville, Tennessee is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s computer science degrees to 229 students in 2020-2021.

Vanderbilt also took the #13 spot in our “Best Computer Science Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Vanderbilt University is $3,176 for Computer Science students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, 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. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Computer Science at Vanderbilt University

10
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

With a ranking of #10, Northwestern University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Evanston, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s computer science degrees to 227 students in 2020-2021.

Northwestern also made our “Best Computer Science Schools” list, coming in at #21. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern is $245 for computer science students whose families make $0-$30k.

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. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Northwestern University Computer Science Report

11
Cornell crest
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York

Cornell University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Ithaca, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s computer science degrees to 744 students in 2020-2021.

Cornell also took the #4 spot in our “Best Computer Science Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cornell University is $5,244 for Computer Science students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%.

Read full report on Computer Science at Cornell University

12
Williams crest
Williams College
Williamstown, Massachusetts

Williams College ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Williams College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Williamstown, Massachusetts. The school has a small population, and it awarded 46 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our computer science students whose families make $0-$30k list, Williams has also earned the #23 rank in our “Best Computer Science Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Williams College is $1,451 for Computer Science students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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.

Read full report on Computer Science at Williams

13

Washington University in St Louis landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Saint Louis, Missouri, and it awarded 280 ’s computer science degrees in 2020-2021.

WUSTL also made our “Best Computer Science Schools” list, coming in at #15. The estimated yearly cost for WUSTL is $1,556 for Computer Science students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read full report on Computer Science at Washington University in St Louis

14

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UNC Chapel Hill is a public institution located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 461 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UNC Chapel Hill also took the #25 spot in our “Best Computer Science Schools” ranking. It costs about $3,753 for Computer Science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UNC Chapel Hill.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Computer Science at UNC Chapel Hill

15

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 901 ’s computer science degrees in 2020-2021.

UIUC also took the #19 spot in our “Best Computer Science Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $4,858 for Computer Science students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Computer Science at UIUC

16

University of California - Berkeley ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 856 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Berkeley also took the #8 spot in our “Best Computer Science Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Berkeley is $8,450 for Computer Science students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Read more about Computer Science at UC Berkeley

17
Tufts crest
Tufts University
Medford, Massachusetts

Tufts University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Tufts is a private not-for-profit institution located in Medford, Massachusetts. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 237 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Tufts not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Computer Science Schools” list. It costs about $8,122 for computer science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Tufts.

With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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. 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%.

Full Tufts Computer Science Report

18
Purdue crest
Purdue University - Main Campus
West Lafayette, Indiana

With a ranking of #18, Purdue University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Purdue is a large public school situated in West Lafayette, Indiana. It awarded 572 ’s computer science degrees in 2020-2021.

Purdue also took the #22 spot in our “Best Computer Science Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Purdue University - Main Campus is $5,995 for computer science students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Computer Science at Purdue University - Main Campus

19

Columbia University in the City of New York did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #19. This large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 898 ’s computer science degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Columbia, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Computer Science Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Columbia is $9,873 for computer science students whose families make $0-$30k.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Computer Science at Columbia

20
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, District of Columbia

Georgetown University landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Washington, District of Columbia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s computer science degrees to 85 students in 2020-2021.

On top of its placing in this ranking, Georgetown also did well on our “Best Computer Science Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. It costs about $3,077 for Computer Science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Georgetown University.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Georgetown Computer Science Report

21

University of Washington - Seattle Campus came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Seattle, Washington, this large public school awarded 470 diplomas to qualified ’s computer science students in 2020-2021.

UW Seattle did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Computer Science Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UW Seattle is $5,194 for Computer Science students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full University of Washington - Seattle Campus Computer Science Report

22

University of Maryland - College Park landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Maryland - College Park is a public institution located in College Park, Maryland. The school has a large population, and it awarded 929 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UMCP did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Computer Science Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UMCP is $6,067 for computer science students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Computer Science at UMCP

23
Carnegie Mellon crest
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Carnegie Mellon University landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Carnegie Mellon is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It awarded 340 ’s computer science degrees in 2020-2021.

Carnegie Mellon not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Computer Science Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Carnegie Mellon University is $16,456 for Computer Science students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon

24
Amherst crest
Amherst College
Amherst, Massachusetts

Amherst College ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Amherst, Massachusetts, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 34 degrees to qualified ’s computer science students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on this list, Amherst is in the top on our “Best Computer Science Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $4,468 for Computer Science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Amherst.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Computer Science at Amherst

25

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a large school located in Minneapolis, Minnesota that handed out 645 ’s computer science degrees in 2020-2021.

On top of its placing in this ranking, UMN Twin Cities also did well on our “Best Computer Science Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Computer Science Schools” list. It costs about $7,698 for computer science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Computer Science at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Rest of the Best 50 in Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k

Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

26
27
Wake Forest University crest
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
28
29
Boston College crest
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
30
Pomona crest
Pomona College
Claremont, California
31
William & Mary crest
William & Mary
Williamsburg, Virginia
32
BHCC crest
Bunker Hill Community College
Boston, Massachusetts
33
34
Dartmouth crest
Dartmouth College
Hanover, New Hampshire
35
NC State crest
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, North Carolina
36
UGA crest
University of Georgia
Athens, Georgia
37
Hunter crest
Hunter College
New York, New York
38
39
Middlebury crest
Middlebury College
Middlebury, Vermont
40
41
QC crest
Queens College
Queens, New York
42
43
Smith crest
Smith College
Northampton, Massachusetts
44
45
Colgate crest
Colgate University
Hamilton, New York
46
Carleton crest
Carleton College
Northfield, Minnesota
47
Emory crest
Emory University
Atlanta, Georgia
48
49
50

Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k

While not in the ’top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

RankCollegeLocation
51Brigham Young University - ProvoProvo, UT
51Boston UniversityBoston, MA
53University of Southern CaliforniaLos Angeles, CA
54Western Governors UniversitySalt Lake City, UT
55Lehman CollegeBronx, NY
56Michigan Technological UniversityHoughton, MI
57University of California - Santa CruzSanta Cruz, CA
58Indiana University - Purdue University - IndianapolisIndianapolis, IN

Notes and References

References

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