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

385 Ranked Colleges
59,565 Degrees Awarded
Best Value CompSci 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 has developed its “Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Computer Science is the 12th most popular major in the country with 59,565 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, computer science graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $67,538 and had an average of $23,620 in loans still to pay off.

This year’s “Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking looked at 385 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.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the computer science program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k

The colleges and universities below are the best for compsci students whose families make $48-$75k.

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

1
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k. Stanford is located in Stanford, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 628 ’s compsci degrees to qualified students.

Stanford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Computer Science Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Stanford is $7,081 for CompSci students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate 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 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.

Read full report on Computer Science at Stanford University

2
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, North Carolina

Out of the 385 schools in the Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Duke University landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Durham, North Carolina, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 404 degrees to qualified ’s compsci students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Duke, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Computer Science Schools” ranking. It costs about $7,160 for CompSci students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Duke.

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%. 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. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Duke Computer Science Report

3
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts

Out of the 385 schools in the Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Harvard University landed the #3 spot on the list. Harvard University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It awarded 187 ’s compsci degrees in 2020-2021.

Harvard not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Computer Science Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Harvard is $2,669 for compsci students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Harvard Computer Science Report

4
MIT crest
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, Massachusetts

Out of the 385 schools in the Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Massachusetts Institute of Technology landed the #4 spot on the list. MIT is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It awarded 692 ’s compsci degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our compsci students whose families make $48-$75k list, MIT has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Computer Science Schools” ranking. It costs about $2,834 for CompSci students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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.

Read full report on Computer Science at Massachusetts Institute of Technology

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Columbia University in the City of New York. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k. This large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 898 ’s compsci degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Columbia, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Computer Science Schools” ranking. It costs about $8,106 for compsci students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Columbia University in the City of New York.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 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%.

Read more about Computer Science at Columbia University in the City of New York

6

California Institute of Technology landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Pasadena, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s compsci degrees to 84 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our compsci students whose families make $48-$75k list, Caltech has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Computer Science Schools” ranking. It costs about $9,755 for CompSci students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Caltech.

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

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 CompSci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s compsci degrees to 337 students in 2020-2021.

UChicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Computer Science Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UChicago is $8,375 for compsci students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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.

Read more about Computer Science at University of Chicago

8
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, Tennessee

With a ranking of #8, Vanderbilt University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Nashville, Tennessee is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s compsci degrees to 229 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 CompSci students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Vanderbilt.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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 8 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 Vanderbilt

9
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Northwestern is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Evanston, Illinois. It awarded 227 ’s compsci degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our compsci students whose families make $48-$75k list, Northwestern has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best Computer Science Schools” ranking. It costs about $5,849 for compsci students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Northwestern.

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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Computer Science at Northwestern

10
Brown crest
Brown University
Providence, Rhode Island

Brown University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Brown is a fairly large school located in Providence, Rhode Island that handed out 319 ’s compsci degrees in 2020-2021.

Brown also made our “Best Computer Science Schools” list, coming in at #5. The yearly cost to attend Brown is $10,219 for compsci students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%. 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. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Computer Science at Brown

11
Cornell crest
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York

Cornell University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Ithaca, New York, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 744 degrees to qualified ’s compsci students in 2020-2021.

Cornell did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Computer Science Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Cornell University is $9,785 for CompSci students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 freshman retention rate of 96%, 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 more about Computer Science at Cornell University

12
Williams crest
Williams College
Williamstown, Massachusetts

Williams College landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Williams College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Williamstown, Massachusetts. The school has a small population, and it awarded 46 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Williams did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best Computer Science Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Williams College is $5,576 for CompSci students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. 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.

Full Williams College Computer Science Report

13
Dartmouth crest
Dartmouth College
Hanover, New Hampshire

Dartmouth College landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Dartmouth is located in Hanover, New Hampshire and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 141 ’s compsci degrees to qualified students.

Dartmouth did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Computer Science Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Dartmouth is $12,172 for compsci students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 1.3%, which is much lower than the national 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.

Full Dartmouth College Computer Science Report

14

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

UW Seattle also took the #16 spot in our “Best Computer Science Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UW Seattle is $8,393 for compsci students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, 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 UW Seattle Computer Science Report

15
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

University of Pennsylvania ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of Pennsylvania is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It awarded 199 ’s compsci degrees in 2020-2021.

UPenn also took the #10 spot in our “Best Computer Science Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UPenn is $12,020 for CompSci students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 full report on Computer Science at University of Pennsylvania

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 CompSci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. West Lafayette, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s compsci degrees to 572 students in 2020-2021.

Purdue also made our “Best Computer Science Schools” list, coming in at #22. The yearly cost to attend Purdue is $8,450 for compsci students whose families make $48-$75k.

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

Read more about Computer Science at Purdue

17

With a ranking of #17, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on the 2023 Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school handed out 856 diplomas to qualified ’s compsci students in 2020-2021.

UC Berkeley also took the #8 spot in our “Best Computer Science Schools” ranking. It costs about $13,423 for compsci students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of California - Berkeley.

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 UC Berkeley

18
WUSTL crest
Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, Missouri

With a ranking of #18, Washington University in St Louis did quite well on the 2023 Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Saint Louis, Missouri is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s compsci degrees to 280 students in 2020-2021.

WUSTL also made our “Best Computer Science Schools” list, coming in at #15. It costs about $8,149 for CompSci students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Washington University in St Louis.

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

Read full report on Computer Science at Washington University in St Louis

19
Amherst crest
Amherst College
Amherst, Massachusetts

Amherst College ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Amherst College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Amherst, Massachusetts. It awarded 34 ’s compsci degrees in 2020-2021.

On top of its placing in this ranking, Amherst also did well on our “Best Computer Science Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. It costs about $7,793 for CompSci students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Amherst.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read full report on Computer Science at Amherst

20

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did quite well in the 2023 Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #20. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 461 ’s compsci degrees to qualified students.

UNC Chapel Hill also made our “Best Computer Science Schools” list, coming in at #25. The estimated yearly cost for University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is $11,619 for CompSci 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.

Full University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Computer Science Report

21
BHCC crest
Bunker Hill Community College
Boston, Massachusetts

Bunker Hill Community College landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Boston, Massachusetts is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s compsci degrees to 39 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on this list, BHCC is in the top on our “Best Computer Science Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend BHCC is $9,176 for compsci students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Computer Science at Bunker Hill Community College

22

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. UIUC is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 901 ’s compsci degrees to qualified students.

UIUC also took the #19 spot in our “Best Computer Science Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $11,505 for CompSci students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%. 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 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

23
Tufts crest
Tufts University
Medford, Massachusetts

Tufts University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #23. Located in Medford, Massachusetts, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 237 degrees to qualified ’s compsci students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our compsci students whose families make $48-$75k list, Tufts has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Computer Science Schools” ranking. It costs about $19,827 for CompSci students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Tufts University.

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 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%. 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.

Read full report on Computer Science at Tufts

24
Carnegie Mellon crest
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Carnegie Mellon University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #24. Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 340 diplomas to qualified ’s compsci students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Carnegie Mellon, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Computer Science Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Carnegie Mellon is $21,526 for CompSci students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. 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 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 full report on Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon

25

With a ranking of #25, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well on the 2023 Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. UMN Twin Cities is a large school located in Minneapolis, Minnesota that handed out 645 ’s compsci degrees in 2020-2021.

On top of its placing in this ranking, UMN Twin Cities also did well on our “Best Computer Science Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for UMN Twin Cities is $12,911 for compsci students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Computer Science at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Rest of the Best 50 in Best Value CompSci 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
IU Bloomington crest
Indiana University - Bloomington
Bloomington, Indiana
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
40
41
42
43
El Centro College crest
El Centro College
Dallas, Texas
44
QC crest
Queens College
Queens, New York
45
CCNY crest
The City College of New York
New York, New York
46
UGA crest
University of Georgia
Athens, Georgia
47
48
49
UMSL crest
University of Missouri - St Louis
Saint Louis, Missouri
50

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

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

Rank College Location
51 North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC
52 University of California - Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA
53 South Texas College McAllen, TX
54 University of Minnesota - Morris Morris, MN
55 University of California - Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA
56 Iowa State University Ames, IA
57 University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, IL
58 University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA

Notes and References

References

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