2024 Best Computer Science Schools in California
40
Colleges in California
13,342
CompSci Degrees Awarded
$72,080
Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a degree in
computer science, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #12 most popular program in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.
For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 40 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for computer science students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 13,342 degrees in computer science during the 2020-2021 academic year.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great Computer Science School
The compsci program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Computer Science rankings. We derive our Best Overall Computer Science School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.
You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.
Computer Science Rankings by Degree Level
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Computer Science Schools in California ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.
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.
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.
If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.
Best Schools for Computer Science in California
Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the compsci degree levels they offer.
10 Top California Schools in CompSci
It's hard to beat Stanford University if you want to pursue a degree in computer science. Stanford is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Stanford. A Best Colleges rank of #3 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Stanford is a great university overall.
There were roughly 628 computer science students who graduated with this degree at Stanford in the most recent data year. Computer Science degree recipients from Stanford University earn a boost of approximately $75,848 over the typical earnings of computer science majors.
More information about a degree in computer science from Stanford University
It's hard to beat University of California - Berkeley if you wish to pursue a degree in computer science. UC Berkeley is a fairly large public university located in the city of Berkeley. A Best Colleges rank of #18 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.
There were about 856 computer science students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent data year. Computer Science degree recipients from University of California - Berkeley get an earnings boost of about $53,170 over the typical earnings of computer science majors.
More information about a degree in computer science from University of California - Berkeley
Any student who is interested in computer science needs to take a look at California Institute of Technology. Caltech is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Pasadena. A Best Colleges rank of #31 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Caltech is a great school overall.
There were about 84 computer science students who graduated with this degree at Caltech in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the computer science program at California Institute of Technology get $57,613 more than the standard college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a degree in computer science from California Institute of Technology
University of Southern California is a wonderful choice for students interested in a degree in computer science. USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #11 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means USC is a great university overall.
There were about 1386 computer science students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the computer science major at University of Southern California make $35,467 more than the typical college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a degree in computer science from University of Southern California
UCSD is a fairly large public university located in the large city of La Jolla. A Best Colleges rank of #38 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UCSD is a great university overall.
There were approximately 868 computer science students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent year we have data available. Computer Science degree recipients from University of California - San Diego receive an earnings boost of about $35,673 above the typical income of computer science majors.
More information about a degree in computer science from University of California - San Diego
UC Irvine is a fairly large public university located in the city of Irvine. A Best Colleges rank of #61 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC Irvine is a great university overall.
There were roughly 1007 computer science students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, compsci degree recipients generally make an average of $70,796 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a degree in computer science from University of California - Irvine
Harvey Mudd College is a small private not-for-profit college located in the suburb of Claremont. A Best Colleges rank of #35 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Harvey Mudd College is a great college overall.
There were about 48 computer science students who graduated with this degree at Harvey Mudd College in the most recent data year. Computer Science degree recipients from Harvey Mudd College earn a boost of about $51,259 over the average income of computer science majors.
More information about a degree in computer science from Harvey Mudd College
Located in the large suburb of Claremont, Pomona is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #57 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Pomona is a great college overall.
There were about 33 computer science students who graduated with this degree at Pomona in the most recent data year. Those computer science students who get their degree from Pomona College make $38,658 more than the typical compsci grad.
More information about a degree in computer science from Pomona College
UC Santa Cruz is a fairly large public university located in the city of Santa Cruz. A Best Colleges rank of #102 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC Santa Cruz is a great university overall.
There were approximately 729 computer science students who graduated with this degree at UC Santa Cruz in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the compsci program state that they receive average early career earnings of $63,040.
More information about a degree in computer science from University of California - Santa Cruz
Located in the suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #45 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UCSB is a great university overall.
There were about 215 computer science students who graduated with this degree at UCSB in the most recent data year. Computer Science degree recipients from University of California - Santa Barbara earn a boost of approximately $14,196 over the typical earnings of computer science majors.
More information about a degree in computer science from University of California - Santa Barbara
