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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Computer Science (With Aid)

409 Ranked Colleges
35,954 Degrees Awarded
$10,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Getting Aid

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 53,722 people earned their degree in computer science, making the major the 11th most popular in the United States.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 35,954 computer science graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 409 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the computer science program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” list to help you make the college decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree computer science students with aid.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Computer Science (With Aid)

Top 10% in overall quality

Out of the 409 schools in the Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #1 spot on the list. Seattle, Washington is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s computer science degrees to 378 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UW Seattle is also in the top of our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for UW Seattle is $13,297 for bachelor’s degree computer science students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, 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 93%.

Full University of Washington - Seattle Campus Computer Science Report

#2

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 409 schools in the Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #2 spot on the list. Stanford University is located in Stanford, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 307 bachelors’s computer science degrees to qualified students.

Stanford also made our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford University is $11,496 for bachelor’s degree computer science students with aid.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Computer Science at Stanford

#3

Harvard University

Cambridge, Massachusetts
#6 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Harvard University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid. Harvard University is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 190 bachelors’s computer science degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Harvard, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Harvard University is $15,386 for bachelor’s degree computer science students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive 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.

Full Harvard University Computer Science Report

#4

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Top 10% in overall quality

Out of the 409 schools in the Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the #4 spot on the list. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a large school located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina that handed out 379 bachelors’s computer science degrees in 2019-2020.

UNC Chapel Hill also claimed a top spot on our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is $12,352 for bachelor’s degree computer science students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.9% 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 more about Computer Science at UNC Chapel Hill

#5

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, Massachusetts
#2 in overall quality

Out of the 409 schools in the Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Massachusetts Institute of Technology landed the #5 spot on the list. Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a fairly large school located in Cambridge, Massachusetts that handed out 424 bachelors’s computer science degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree computer science students with aid list, MIT has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for MIT is $16,636 for Bachelor’s Degree Computer Science students with aid.

The 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 98%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Massachusetts Institute of Technology Computer Science Report

#20 in overall quality

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. UIUC is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 291 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC also took the #20 spot in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $15,880 for Bachelor’s Degree Computer Science students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Computer Science at UIUC

#7

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana
Top 10% in overall quality

Purdue University - Main Campus ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Purdue University - Main Campus is a large public school situated in West Lafayette, Indiana. It awarded 469 bachelors’s computer science degrees in 2019-2020.

Purdue excels when it comes to computer science quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Purdue University - Main Campus is $13,986 for bachelor’s degree computer science students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, 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 students.

Read more about Computer Science at Purdue University - Main Campus

#8

Hunter College

New York, New York

Hunter College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #8. New York, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s computer science degrees to 117 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $2,490 for bachelor’s degree computer science students with aid per year to attend Hunter College.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Computer Science at Hunter

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. UT Rio Grande Valley is a large school located in Edinburg, Texas that handed out 104 bachelors’s computer science degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for UT Rio Grande Valley is $4,514 for bachelor’s degree computer science students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Computer Science at UT Rio Grande Valley

#10

Queens College

Queens, New York

With a ranking of #10, Queens College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Queens College is a public institution located in Queens, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 272 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Queens College is $3,067 for bachelor’s degree computer science students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 4.4% 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 QC Computer Science Report

California State University - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #11. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school awarded 119 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s computer science students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $2,768 for bachelor’s degree computer science students with aid per year to attend Cal State LA.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Computer Science at California State University - Los Angeles

#12

The City College of New York

New York, New York

The City College of New York did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #12. The City College of New York is a public institution located in New York, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 102 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for The City College of New York is $2,385 for Bachelor’s Degree Computer Science students with aid.

Full CCNY Computer Science Report

#13

University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley, California
#13 in overall quality

University of California - Berkeley ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 845 bachelors’s computer science degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree computer science students with aid list, UC Berkeley has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $15,329 for Bachelor’s Degree Computer Science students with aid per year to attend UC Berkeley.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Computer Science at UC Berkeley

#14

Lehman College

Bronx, New York

Lehman College ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Lehman is located in Bronx, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 81 bachelors’s computer science degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend Lehman College is $1,814 for Bachelor’s Degree Computer Science students with aid.

Full Lehman Computer Science Report

Top 15% in overall quality

University of California - Irvine came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. UC Irvine is a large school located in Irvine, California that handed out 805 bachelors’s computer science degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine 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 UC Irvine is $14,783 for Bachelor’s Degree Computer Science students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low 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%.

Full University of California - Irvine Computer Science Report

California State University - Fullerton did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #16. Located in Fullerton, California, this large public school awarded 264 degrees to qualified bachelors’s computer science students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Cal State Fullerton is $7,991 for bachelor’s degree computer science students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national 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 California State University - Fullerton

#17

Western Governors University

Salt Lake City, Utah

Western Governors University landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. WGU is located in Salt Lake City, Utah and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 135 bachelors’s computer science degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend Western Governors University is $9,805 for Bachelor’s Degree Computer Science students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Computer Science at Western Governors University

#18

University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, Maryland
Top 10% in overall quality

University of Maryland - College Park did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #18. UMCP is located in College Park, Maryland and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 746 bachelors’s computer science degrees to qualified students.

UMCP also claimed a top spot on our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Maryland - College Park is $19,045 for Bachelor’s Degree Computer Science students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Computer Science at University of Maryland - College Park

Top 10% in overall quality

University of California - San Diego ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Located in La Jolla, California, this large public school handed out 435 degrees to qualified bachelors’s computer science students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on this list, UCSD is in the top on our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UCSD is $14,232 for bachelor’s degree computer science students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, 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 94%.

Read more about Computer Science at UCSD

#20

Amherst College

Amherst, Massachusetts
#21 in overall quality

Amherst College landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Amherst College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Amherst, Massachusetts. The school has a small population, and it awarded 46 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree computer science students with aid list, Amherst has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Amherst College is $18,524 for bachelor’s degree computer science students with aid.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low student loan default rate of 3.8% 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 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Computer Science at Amherst College

California State University - Dominguez Hills ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Dominguez Hills is a public institution located in Carson, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 57 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Dominguez Hills is $4,215 for Bachelor’s Degree Computer Science students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full CSUDH Computer Science Report

Brigham Young University - Idaho ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Brigham Young University - Idaho is a large school located in Rexburg, Idaho that handed out 45 bachelors’s computer science degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $7,167 for bachelor’s degree computer science students with aid per year to attend BYU - I.

The low student loan default rate of 3.2% 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 more about Computer Science at Brigham Young University - Idaho

Top 15% in overall quality

Brigham Young University - Provo landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Brigham Young University - Provo is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Provo, Utah. It awarded 181 bachelors’s computer science degrees in 2019-2020.

BYU also claimed a top spot on our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend Brigham Young University - Provo is $13,322 for bachelor’s degree computer science students with aid.

The school has an impressive 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 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Computer Science at Brigham Young University - Provo

#24

North Carolina State University

Raleigh, North Carolina
Top 15% in overall quality

With a ranking of #24, North Carolina State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. North Carolina State University is a large school located in Raleigh, North Carolina that handed out 232 bachelors’s computer science degrees in 2019-2020.

NC State excels when it comes to computer science quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $16,458 for Bachelor’s Degree Computer Science students with aid per year to attend NC State.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Computer Science at NC State

#25

Brooklyn College

Brooklyn, New York

Brooklyn College came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Brooklyn College is a public institution located in Brooklyn, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Brooklyn College is $2,683 for Bachelor’s Degree Computer Science students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 5.0% 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%.

Read full report on Computer Science at Brooklyn College

Rest of the Best 50 in Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid

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

#30

York College

Jamaica, New York
#32

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana
#33

Appalachian State University

Boone, North Carolina
#36

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, California
#37

University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Greensboro, North Carolina
#38

Duke University

Durham, North Carolina
#39

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
#40

Stony Brook University

Stony Brook, New York
#41

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#42

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#43

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California
#44

University of Georgia

Athens, Georgia
#45

The University of West Florida

Pensacola, Florida
#48

Dartmouth College

Hanover, New Hampshire
#49

Brown University

Providence, Rhode Island
#50

University of Utah

Salt Lake City, Utah

Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid

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

Rank College Location
51 California State University - San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA
52 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN
53 Cornell University Ithaca, NY
53 California State University - Sacramento Sacramento, CA
55 College of Staten Island CUNY Staten Island, NY
56 Williams College Williamstown, MA
57 University of Missouri - St Louis Saint Louis, MO
58 University of Nevada - Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV
59 Utah Valley University Orem, UT
60 Indiana University - Northwest Gary, IN
61 North Carolina A & T State University Greensboro, NC
62 University of Illinois at Springfield Springfield, IL

Notes and References

References

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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