by our College Data Analytics Team
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Most Well Attended Computer Science Major for a Doctorate” ranking - to help you make that decision.
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 “Most Well Attended Computer Science Major for a Doctorate” ranking looked at 117 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in computer science. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular computer science programs in the United States.
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 “Most Well Attended Computer Science Major for a Doctorate” 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 “Most Well Attended Computer Science Major for a Doctorate”.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Colorado Technical University - Colorado Springs. The school came in at #1 for the Most Well Attended Computer Science Major for a Doctorate. Colorado Technical University - Colorado Springs is a large school located in Colorado Springs, Colorado that handed out 70 doctorate’s computer science degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Computer Science at Colorado Technical University - Colorado Springs
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Computer Science Major for a Doctorate list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school handed out 52 degrees to qualified doctorate’s computer science students in 2020-2021.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Computer Science at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #3 for the Most Well Attended Computer Science Major for a Doctorate. UC Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 51 doctorate’s computer science degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. 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 University of California - Berkeley
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Computer Science Major for a Doctorate list. MIT is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 49 doctorate’s computer science degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 98%.
Out of the 117 schools in the Most Well Attended Computer Science Major for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, Stony Brook University landed the #5 spot on the list. Stony Brook, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s computer science degrees to 36 students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% 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%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Computer Science Major for a Doctorate list. Stanford, California 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 36 students in 2020-2021.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Carnegie Mellon University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Computer Science Major for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #7. Carnegie Mellon is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 30 doctorate’s computer science degrees to qualified 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. 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.
University of Maryland - College Park ranked #8 on this year’s Most Well Attended Computer Science Major for a Doctorate list. College Park, Maryland is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s computer science degrees to 29 students in 2020-2021.
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 University of Maryland - College Park
University of California - Riverside landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Computer Science Major for a Doctorate ranking. University of California - Riverside is a large public school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 28 doctorate’s computer science degrees in 2020-2021.
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 #9, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Computer Science Major for a Doctorate list. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this large public school handed out 28 degrees to qualified doctorate’s computer science students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
University of Southern California did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Computer Science Major for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #11. University of Southern California is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 27 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on Computer Science at University of Southern California
University of California - Los Angeles came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Computer Science Major for a Doctorate ranking. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 27 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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% 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 - Los Angeles Computer Science Report
Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Computer Science Major for a Doctorate ranking. Purdue is a public institution located in West Lafayette, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 26 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
Read full report on Computer Science at Purdue University - Main Campus
Cornell University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Computer Science Major for a Doctorate ranking. Cornell University is located in Ithaca, New York and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 25 doctorate’s computer science degrees to qualified students.
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 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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
University of California - San Diego landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Computer Science Major for a Doctorate ranking. University of California - San Diego is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 23 doctorate’s computer science degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Full University of California - San Diego Computer Science Report
Columbia University in the City of New York came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Computer Science Major for a Doctorate ranking. This large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 22 doctorate’s computer science degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, 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. 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%.
Full Columbia University in the City of New York Computer Science Report
Texas A&M University - College Station landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Computer Science Major for a Doctorate ranking. College Station, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s computer science degrees to 22 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Texas A&M University - College Station Computer Science Report
University of Chicago ranked #18 on this year’s Most Well Attended Computer Science Major for a Doctorate list. University of Chicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 21 doctorate’s computer science degrees in 2020-2021.
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 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Computer Science Major for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #18. Bloomington, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s computer science degrees to 21 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #18, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Computer Science Major for a Doctorate list. University of California - Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 21 doctorate’s computer science degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Read more about Computer Science at University of California - Irvine
With a ranking of #21, University of Colorado Boulder did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Computer Science Major for a Doctorate list. CU - Boulder is located in Boulder, Colorado and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 19 doctorate’s computer science degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Arizona State University - Tempe landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Computer Science Major for a Doctorate ranking. Arizona State University - Tempe is a large school located in Tempe, Arizona that handed out 19 doctorate’s computer science degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Georgia State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Computer Science Major for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #23. This large school is located in Atlanta, Georgia, and it awarded 18 doctorate’s computer science degrees in 2020-2021.
North Carolina State University landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Computer Science Major for a Doctorate ranking. Raleigh, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s computer science degrees to 18 students in 2020-2021.
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 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #25, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Computer Science Major for a Doctorate list. University of California - Santa Barbara is a large public school situated in Santa Barbara, California. It awarded 16 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 91%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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%.
University of Massachusetts Amherst came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Computer Science Major for a Doctorate ranking. Amherst, Massachusetts is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s computer science degrees to 16 students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. 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%.
With a ranking of #25, The Graduate Center, CUNY did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Computer Science Major for a Doctorate list. The Graduate Center is a public institution located in New York, New York. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 16 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
