by our College Data Analytics Team
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Computer Science Major” ranking.
In 2020-2021, 59,565 computer science students received their degree, making the major the 8th most popular in the country.
At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,252 computer science graduates with average earnings and debt of $75,260 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Computer Science Major” ranking analyzed 117 colleges that offered a degree in computer science. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their computer science program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Computer Science Major” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Computer Science Major”.
Out of the 117 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Computer Science Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Toyota Technological Institute at Chicago landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 3 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s computer science students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Computer Science at Toyota Technological Institute at Chicago
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Computer Science Major list. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 49 degrees to qualified doctorate’s computer science students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 98%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 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%.
Read more about Computer Science at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Out of the 117 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Computer Science Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Colorado Technical University - Colorado Springs landed the #3 spot on the list. Colorado Technical University - Colorado Springs is located in Colorado Springs, Colorado and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 70 doctorate’s computer science degrees to qualified students.
Read more about Computer Science at Colorado Technical University - Colorado Springs
Out of the 117 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Computer Science Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #4 spot on the list. Stanford is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 36 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Princeton University. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Computer Science Major. This medium-sized school is located in Princeton, New Jersey, and it awarded 13 doctorate’s computer science degrees in 2020-2021.
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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #6, Carnegie Mellon University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Computer Science Major list. Carnegie Mellon is a private not-for-profit institution located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 30 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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. 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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
The Graduate Center, CUNY landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Computer Science Major ranking. New York, New York is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s computer science degrees to 16 students in 2020-2021.
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 impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Air Force Institute of Technology - Graduate School of Engineering & Management came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Computer Science Major ranking. This small school is located in Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, and it awarded 3 doctorate’s computer science degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Idaho ranked #9 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Computer Science Major list. U of I is a fairly large school located in Moscow, Idaho that handed out 11 doctorate’s computer science degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.1% 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, Stony Brook University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Computer Science Major list. Stony Brook University is a large school located in Stony Brook, New York that handed out 36 doctorate’s computer science degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #11, Dartmouth College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Computer Science Major list. This medium-sized school is located in Hanover, New Hampshire, and it awarded 9 doctorate’s computer science degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%. 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.
University of California - Riverside ranked #12 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Computer Science Major list. UCR is located in Riverside, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 28 doctorate’s computer science degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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 91%.
With a ranking of #13, Brown University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Computer Science Major list. Brown University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Providence, Rhode Island. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 11 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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.
University of California - Berkeley ranked #14 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Computer Science Major list. University of California - Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 51 doctorate’s computer science degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. 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%.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Computer Science Major ranking. UIUC is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 52 doctorate’s computer science degrees in 2020-2021.
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%.
University of Tulsa came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Computer Science Major ranking. Tulsa, Oklahoma is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s computer science degrees to 4 students in 2020-2021.
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. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% 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%.
With a ranking of #17, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Computer Science Major list. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is a medium-sized school located in Troy, New York that handed out 7 doctorate’s computer science degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Cornell University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Computer Science Major ranking. Located in Ithaca, New York, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 25 degrees to qualified doctorate’s computer science students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 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 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #19, University of Chicago did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Computer Science Major list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s computer science degrees to 21 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%.
Read full report on Computer Science at University of Chicago
With a ranking of #20, Worcester Polytechnic Institute did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Computer Science Major list. Worcester, Massachusetts is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s computer science degrees to 6 students 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%.
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology ranked #21 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Computer Science Major list. This small school is located in Socorro, New Mexico, and it awarded 1 doctorate’s computer science degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Full New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology Computer Science Report
Michigan Technological University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Computer Science Major ranking. Michigan Technological University is a medium-sized public school situated in Houghton, Michigan. It awarded 5 doctorate’s computer science degrees in 2020-2021.
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 low undergrad 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%.
Full Michigan Technological University Computer Science Report
University of Rochester did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Computer Science Major ranking, coming in at #23. University of Rochester is a fairly large school located in Rochester, New York that handed out 11 doctorate’s computer science degrees in 2020-2021.
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 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 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%.
Read full report on Computer Science at University of Rochester
Binghamton University landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Computer Science Major ranking. Binghamton University is located in Vestal, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 15 doctorate’s computer science degrees to qualified students.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Illinois Institute of Technology came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Computer Science Major ranking. Illinois Tech is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5 doctorate’s computer science degrees to qualified students.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
