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2023 Most Popular Colleges for Computer Science in California

133 Ranked Colleges
13,342 Degrees Awarded
$32,800 Avg Cost*
Most Well Attended Computer Science Major in California

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Most Well Attended Computer Science Major in California” ranking is part of that endeavor.

With 59,565 degrees handed out in 2020-2021, computer science is the 8th most popular major in the United States.

Across California, there were 13,342 computer science graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Most Well Attended Computer Science Major in California” ranking, we looked at 133 colleges that offer a degree in computer science. This ranking identifies schools that graduate the most students in computer science.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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The computer science school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Most Well Attended Computer Science Major in California”.

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. 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.

Most Well Attended Computer Science Major in California

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Computer Science Major in California”.

1
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

Out of the 133 schools in the Most Well Attended Computer Science Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Southern California landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Southern California is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 1,386 ’s computer science degrees in 2020-2021.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. 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 1.3% 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%.

Read more about Computer Science at University of Southern California

2

Out of the 133 schools in the Most Well Attended Computer Science Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Irvine landed the #2 spot on the list. This large school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 1,007 ’s computer science degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Computer Science at UC Irvine

3

Out of the 133 schools in the Most Well Attended Computer Science Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - San Diego landed the #3 spot on the list. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s computer science degrees to 868 students 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 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UCSD Computer Science Report

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Computer Science Major in California list. University of California - Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 856 ’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 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 California - Berkeley

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Santa Cruz. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Computer Science Major in California list. University of California - Santa Cruz is a fairly large school located in Santa Cruz, California that handed out 729 ’s computer science degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UC Santa Cruz Computer Science Report

6
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

Stanford University ranked #6 on this year’s Most Well Attended Computer Science Major in California list. Stanford University 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.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Stanford University Computer Science Report

7

University of California - Los Angeles came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Computer Science Major in California ranking. University of California - Los Angeles is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 504 ’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 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of California - Los Angeles Computer Science Report

8

University of California - Davis did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Computer Science Major in California ranking, coming in at #8. University of California - Davis is a large school located in Davis, California that handed out 444 ’s computer science degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Computer Science at UC Davis

9

California State University - Fullerton did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Computer Science Major in California ranking, coming in at #9. Located in Fullerton, California, this large public school handed out 397 degrees to qualified ’s computer science students in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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%.

Full California State University - Fullerton Computer Science Report

10
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

With a ranking of #10, San Diego State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Computer Science Major in California list. SDSU is a large public school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 381 ’s computer science degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, 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 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full San Diego State University Computer Science Report

11

With a ranking of #11, University of California - Riverside did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Computer Science Major in California list. Riverside, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s computer science degrees to 316 students in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, 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 UCR Computer Science Report

12

California State University - Sacramento landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Computer Science Major in California ranking. Located in Sacramento, California, this large public school awarded 310 degrees to qualified ’s computer science students in 2020-2021.

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%.

Full Sac State Computer Science Report

13

California State University - Long Beach did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Computer Science Major in California ranking, coming in at #13. This large school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 304 ’s computer science degrees 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 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Computer Science at California State University - Long Beach

14

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona ranked #14 on this year’s Most Well Attended Computer Science Major in California list. Pomona, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s computer science degrees to 297 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Full California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Computer Science Report

15
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

San Jose State University ranked #15 on this year’s Most Well Attended Computer Science Major in California list. This large school is located in San Jose, California, and it awarded 287 ’s computer science degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, 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.

Read more about Computer Science at San Jose State University

16

California State University - East Bay ranked #16 on this year’s Most Well Attended Computer Science Major in California list. California State University - East Bay is a fairly large school located in Hayward, California that handed out 280 ’s computer science degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad 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%.

Read full report on Computer Science at Cal State East Bay

17
SFSU crest
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Computer Science Major in California ranking, coming in at #17. SFSU is a large school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 268 ’s computer science degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full SFSU Computer Science Report

18

California State University - Northridge ranked #18 on this year’s Most Well Attended Computer Science Major in California list. This large school is located in Northridge, California, and it awarded 228 ’s computer science degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Computer Science at CSUN

19

California State University - San Marcos came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Computer Science Major in California ranking. CSUSM is a fairly large public school situated in San Marcos, California. It awarded 217 ’s computer science degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full CSUSM Computer Science Report

20

With a ranking of #20, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Computer Science Major in California list. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this large public school handed out 215 degrees to qualified ’s computer science 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 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%.

Full University of California - Santa Barbara Computer Science Report

21

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Computer Science Major in California ranking, coming in at #21. San Luis Obispo, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s computer science degrees to 206 students in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.

Read more about Computer Science at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

22

California State University - Los Angeles ranked #22 on this year’s Most Well Attended Computer Science Major in California list. Cal State LA is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 182 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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 Cal State LA Computer Science Report

23

California State University - Monterey Bay landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Computer Science Major in California ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Seaside, California, and it awarded 170 ’s computer science degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Computer Science at California State University - Monterey Bay

24
De Anza College crest
De Anza College
Cupertino, California

De Anza College landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Computer Science Major in California ranking. De Anza College is a fairly large school located in Cupertino, California that handed out 144 ’s computer science degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Computer Science at De Anza College

25
USFCA crest
University of San Francisco
San Francisco, California

University of San Francisco landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Computer Science Major in California ranking. University of San Francisco is a fairly large school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 125 ’s computer science degrees in 2020-2021.

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%.

Read more about Computer Science at USFCA

Notes and References

References

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