2023 Most Popular Colleges for Computer Science in California
133
Ranked Colleges
13,342
Degrees Awarded
$32,800
Avg Cost*
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 CompSci Major in California” ranking - to help you make that 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.
Across California, there were 13,342 computer science graduates with average earnings and debt of $72,080 and $19,754 respectively.
This year’s “Most Well Attended CompSci Major in California” ranking looked at 133 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in computer science. This ranking identifies schools that graduate the most students in computer science.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Most Well Attended CompSci Major in California” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
Most Well Attended CompSci Major in California
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended CompSci Major in California”.
Top 25 Most Popular Colleges for Computer Science in California
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Southern California. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended CompSci Major in California list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 1,386 ’s compsci degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. 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%. 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 University of Southern California
Out of the 133 schools in the Most Well Attended CompSci Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Irvine landed the #2 spot on the list. University of California - Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 1,007 ’s compsci degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full UC Irvine Computer Science Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - San Diego. The school came in at #3 for the Most Well Attended CompSci Major in California. This large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 868 ’s compsci degrees 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%. 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 UCSD
Out of the 133 schools in the Most Well Attended CompSci Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 856 ’s compsci 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 join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Santa Cruz. The school came in at #5 for the Most Well Attended CompSci Major in California. Located in Santa Cruz, California, this fairly large public school awarded 729 diplomas to qualified ’s compsci students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Read full report on Computer Science at University of California - Santa Cruz
Stanford University ranked #6 on this year’s Most Well Attended CompSci Major in California list. Stanford, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s compsci degrees to 628 students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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 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%.
Full Stanford Computer Science Report
With a ranking of #7, University of California - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended CompSci Major in California list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 504 degrees to qualified ’s compsci students in 2020-2021.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Read more about Computer Science at University of California - Los Angeles
University of California - Davis ranked #8 on this year’s Most Well Attended CompSci Major in California list. Located in Davis, California, this large public school handed out 444 diplomas to qualified ’s compsci students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Full University of California - Davis Computer Science Report
California State University - Fullerton did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended CompSci Major in California ranking, coming in at #9. Fullerton, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s compsci degrees to 397 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, 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
San Diego State University ranked #10 on this year’s Most Well Attended CompSci Major in California list. San Diego, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s compsci degrees to 381 students in 2020-2021.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Computer Science at San Diego State University
With a ranking of #11, University of California - Riverside did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended CompSci Major in California list. UCR is located in Riverside, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 316 ’s compsci degrees to qualified 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full UCR Computer Science Report
California State University - Sacramento came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended CompSci Major in California ranking. Sac State is located in Sacramento, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 310 ’s compsci degrees to qualified students.
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%.
Read more about Computer Science at California State University - Sacramento
California State University - Long Beach came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended CompSci Major in California ranking. This large school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 304 ’s compsci degrees 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 2.4% 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 CSULB
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona ranked #14 on this year’s Most Well Attended CompSci Major in California list. California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is a public institution located in Pomona, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 297 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. 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%.
Read more about Computer Science at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona
With a ranking of #15, San Jose State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended CompSci Major in California list. San Jose State University is located in San Jose, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 287 ’s compsci degrees to qualified students.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Read full report on Computer Science at San Jose State
California State University - East Bay came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended CompSci Major in California ranking. California State University - East Bay is a fairly large public school situated in Hayward, California. It awarded 280 ’s compsci degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full California State University - East Bay Computer Science Report
San Francisco State University ranked #17 on this year’s Most Well Attended CompSci Major in California list. San Francisco State University is located in San Francisco, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 268 ’s compsci degrees to qualified students.
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%.
Read more about Computer Science at San Francisco State University
California State University - Northridge landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended CompSci Major in California ranking. CSUN is located in Northridge, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 228 ’s compsci degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Computer Science at California State University - Northridge
California State University - San Marcos did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended CompSci Major in California ranking, coming in at #19. San Marcos, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s compsci degrees to 217 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.3% 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 CSUSM
University of California - Santa Barbara came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended CompSci Major in California ranking. University of California - Santa Barbara is located in Santa Barbara, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 215 ’s compsci degrees to qualified students.
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 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full UCSB Computer Science Report
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended CompSci Major in California ranking. This large school is located in San Luis Obispo, California, and it awarded 206 ’s compsci degrees 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 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Computer Science at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
With a ranking of #22, California State University - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended CompSci Major in California list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s compsci degrees to 182 students 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%.
Read full report on Computer Science at California State University - Los Angeles
California State University - Monterey Bay did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended CompSci Major in California ranking, coming in at #23. California State University - Monterey Bay is a medium-sized school located in Seaside, California that handed out 170 ’s compsci 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 more about Computer Science at CSUMB
De Anza College landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended CompSci Major in California ranking. De Anza College is located in Cupertino, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 144 ’s compsci degrees to qualified students.
Read more about Computer Science at De Anza College
University of San Francisco came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended CompSci Major in California ranking. This fairly large school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 125 ’s compsci degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Computer Science at University of San Francisco
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