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2023 Best Value Colleges for Computer Science (Income $48-$75k)

385 Ranked Colleges
59,565 Degrees Awarded
Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $48-$75k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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.

This year’s “Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking looked at 385 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in computer science. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality computer science programs that also have a lower cost than 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $48-$75k” list to help you make the college 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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Computer Science (Income $48-$75k)

1
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

Out of the 385 schools in the Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #1 spot on the list. Stanford is located in Stanford, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 628 ’s computer science degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Stanford, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Computer Science Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Stanford University is $7,081 for Computer Science students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Full Stanford Computer Science Report

2
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, North Carolina

Out of the 385 schools in the Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Duke University landed the #2 spot on the list. Duke is a private not-for-profit institution located in Durham, North Carolina. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 404 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Duke not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Computer Science Schools” list. It costs about $7,160 for computer science students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Duke University.

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%. 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. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Computer Science at Duke University

3
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Harvard University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Harvard is a large school located in Cambridge, Massachusetts that handed out 187 ’s computer science degrees in 2020-2021.

Harvard also made our “Best Computer Science Schools” list, coming in at #9. The estimated yearly cost for Harvard University is $2,669 for Computer Science students whose families make $48-$75k.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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 Harvard University

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $48-$75k. Cambridge, Massachusetts is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s computer science degrees to 692 students in 2020-2021.

MIT also made our “Best Computer Science Schools” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for Massachusetts Institute of Technology is $2,834 for computer science students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 98%. 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.

Read full report on Computer Science at MIT

5

Out of the 385 schools in the Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Columbia University in the City of New York landed the #5 spot on the list. This large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 898 ’s computer science degrees in 2020-2021.

Columbia also made our “Best Computer Science Schools” list, coming in at #11. It costs about $8,106 for Computer Science students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Columbia University in the City of New York.

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. 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Columbia University in the City of New York Computer Science Report

6

California Institute of Technology came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Caltech is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Pasadena, California. It awarded 84 ’s computer science degrees in 2020-2021.

Caltech also made our “Best Computer Science Schools” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend Caltech is $9,755 for Computer Science students whose families make $48-$75k.

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. 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 Caltech Computer Science Report

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 $48-$75k ranking. University of Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 337 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our computer science students whose families make $48-$75k list, UChicago has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Computer Science Schools” ranking. It costs about $8,375 for computer science students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Chicago.

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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Computer Science at University of Chicago

8
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, Tennessee

Vanderbilt University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 229 degrees to qualified ’s computer science students in 2020-2021.

Vanderbilt did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Computer Science Schools” list. It costs about $7,694 for computer science students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Vanderbilt University.

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. 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Read full report on Computer Science at Vanderbilt

9
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Northwestern University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Evanston, Illinois. It awarded 227 ’s computer science degrees in 2020-2021.

Northwestern not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best Computer Science Schools” list. It costs about $5,849 for Computer Science students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Northwestern University.

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%. 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.

Read full report on Computer Science at Northwestern University

10
Brown crest
Brown University
Providence, Rhode Island

With a ranking of #10, Brown University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Brown is a fairly large school located in Providence, Rhode Island that handed out 319 ’s computer science degrees in 2020-2021.

Brown also made our “Best Computer Science Schools” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $10,219 for Computer Science students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Brown University.

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. 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Computer Science at Brown

11
Cornell crest
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York

Cornell University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Cornell is located in Ithaca, New York and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 744 ’s computer science degrees to qualified students.

Cornell did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Computer Science Schools” list. It costs about $9,785 for computer science students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Cornell.

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. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.

Full Cornell University Computer Science Report

12
Williams crest
Williams College
Williamstown, Massachusetts

Williams College ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Williams is a small school located in Williamstown, Massachusetts that handed out 46 ’s computer science degrees in 2020-2021.

Williams not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #23 on our “Best Computer Science Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Williams is $5,576 for computer science students whose families make $48-$75k.

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

13
Dartmouth crest
Dartmouth College
Hanover, New Hampshire

With a ranking of #13, Dartmouth College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Dartmouth is a private not-for-profit institution located in Hanover, New Hampshire. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 141 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Dartmouth also took the #14 spot in our “Best Computer Science Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Dartmouth is $12,172 for computer science students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on Computer Science at Dartmouth

14

University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #14. This large school is located in Seattle, Washington, and it awarded 470 ’s computer science degrees in 2020-2021.

UW Seattle not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Computer Science Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus is $8,393 for Computer Science students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.

Read more about Computer Science at UW Seattle

15
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

With a ranking of #15, University of Pennsylvania did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 199 diplomas to qualified ’s computer science students in 2020-2021.

UPenn also took the #10 spot in our “Best Computer Science Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Pennsylvania is $12,020 for computer science students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%. 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

16
Purdue crest
Purdue University - Main Campus
West Lafayette, Indiana

Purdue University - Main Campus came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Purdue is a large public school situated in West Lafayette, Indiana. It awarded 572 ’s computer science degrees in 2020-2021.

Purdue also made our “Best Computer Science Schools” list, coming in at #22. It costs about $8,450 for Computer Science students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Purdue.

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 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Purdue Computer Science Report

17

University of California - Berkeley ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 856 ’s computer science degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Berkeley also took the #8 spot in our “Best Computer Science Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Berkeley is $13,423 for Computer Science students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UC Berkeley Computer Science Report

18

Washington University in St Louis did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #18. This fairly large school is located in Saint Louis, Missouri, and it awarded 280 ’s computer science degrees in 2020-2021.

WUSTL did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Computer Science Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for WUSTL is $8,149 for Computer Science students whose families make $48-$75k.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Computer Science at WUSTL

19
Amherst crest
Amherst College
Amherst, Massachusetts

Amherst College landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Amherst College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Amherst, Massachusetts. It awarded 34 ’s computer science degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on this list, Amherst is in the top on our “Best Computer Science Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Computer Science Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Amherst College is $7,793 for Computer Science students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 more about Computer Science at Amherst

20

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. UNC Chapel Hill is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 461 ’s computer science degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our computer science students whose families make $48-$75k list, UNC Chapel Hill has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best Computer Science Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is $11,619 for Computer Science students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%. 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 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

21
BHCC crest
Bunker Hill Community College
Boston, Massachusetts

Bunker Hill Community College landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Boston, Massachusetts, this medium-sized public school awarded 39 degrees to qualified ’s computer science students in 2020-2021.

BHCC excels when it comes to computer science quality. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend BHCC is $9,176 for computer science students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Computer Science at BHCC

22

With a ranking of #22, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s computer science degrees to 901 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our computer science students whose families make $48-$75k list, UIUC has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Computer Science Schools” ranking. It costs about $11,505 for computer science students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UIUC.

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 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Computer Science Report

23
Tufts crest
Tufts University
Medford, Massachusetts

Tufts University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Tufts is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Medford, Massachusetts. It awarded 237 ’s computer science degrees in 2020-2021.

Tufts did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best Computer Science Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Tufts is $19,827 for Computer Science students whose families make $48-$75k.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Computer Science at Tufts

24
Carnegie Mellon crest
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Carnegie Mellon University landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Carnegie Mellon University is a fairly large school located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that handed out 340 ’s computer science degrees in 2020-2021.

Carnegie Mellon also took the #6 spot in our “Best Computer Science Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Carnegie Mellon University is $21,526 for computer science students whose families make $48-$75k.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Read more about Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon

25

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Minneapolis, Minnesota is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s computer science degrees to 645 students in 2020-2021.

UMN Twin Cities also claimed a top spot on our “Best Computer Science Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is $12,911 for computer science students whose families make $48-$75k.

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

Full University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Computer Science Report

Rest of the Best 50 in Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $48-$75k

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
28
Pomona crest
Pomona College
Claremont, California
29
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, District of Columbia
30
Wake Forest University crest
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
31
Harvey Mudd College crest
Harvey Mudd College
Claremont, California
32
WGU crest
Western Governors University
Salt Lake City, Utah
33
34
35
36
Grinnell crest
Grinnell College
Grinnell, Iowa
37
Hunter crest
Hunter College
New York, New York
38
William & Mary crest
William & Mary
Williamsburg, Virginia
39
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41
42
43
El Centro College crest
El Centro College
Dallas, Texas
44
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Queens College
Queens, New York
45
46
UGA crest
University of Georgia
Athens, Georgia
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50

Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Best Value Computer Science Schools For Those Making $48-$75k

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

RankCollegeLocation
51North Carolina State UniversityRaleigh, NC
52University of California - Santa BarbaraSanta Barbara, CA
53South Texas CollegeMcAllen, TX
54University of Minnesota - MorrisMorris, MN
55University of California - Santa CruzSanta Cruz, CA
56Iowa State UniversityAmes, IA
57University of Illinois at ChicagoChicago, IL
58University of Southern CaliforniaLos Angeles, CA

Notes and References

References

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