2026 Best Software Engineering Schools in the New England Region
Software Engineering degree programs prepare students for a range of careers in the field. The schools below stand out for the quality of their software engineering programs.
For its 2026 ranking, College Factual looked at 12 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for software engineering students pursuing a degree.
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Best Schools for Software Engineering in the New England Region
If you are not interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the software engineering degrees they offer, see the list below.
Top Schools in Software Engineering
Harvard University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in software engineering. Located in the city of Cambridge, Harvard University is a very large private not-for-profit university. Harvard University graduates 98% of students within six years. There were roughly 33 software engineering students who graduated with this degree at Harvard University in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, software engineering degree recipients from Harvard University generally make around $177,890. Typical student debt for the program is $16,616.
Get the full software engineering details for Harvard University
Students looking for a strong software engineering program will find one at Northeastern University, which ranked #2. Located in the city of Boston, Northeastern University is a very large private not-for-profit university. The six-year graduation rate is 90%. Northeastern University awarded about 1,086 software engineering degrees in the most recent data year. Software Engineering graduates of Northeastern University earn a median of $99,499 early in their careers. Students borrow a median of $25,005 to complete this degree.
Get the full software engineering details for Northeastern University
Students looking for a strong software engineering program will find one at Southern New Hampshire University, which ranked #3. Located in the suburb of Manchester, Southern New Hampshire University is a very large private not-for-profit university. About 44% of students finish within six years. There were roughly 151 software engineering students who graduated with this degree at Southern New Hampshire University in the most recent data year. Software Engineering graduates of Southern New Hampshire University earn a median of $53,211 early in their careers. Typical student debt for the program is $29,103.
Read more about the software engineering program at Southern New Hampshire University
Fairfield University is one of the finest schools in the country for a degree in software engineering, ranking #4. This moderately-sized private not-for-profit university is located in the suburb of Fairfield. Fairfield University graduates 84% of students within six years. About 10 software engineering degrees were awarded at Fairfield University in the most recent year. Students who receive their software engineering degree from Fairfield University earn around $66,305 in the first couple years of their career. Fairfield University graduates carry a median of $26,687 in student loans.
See the full software engineering program report for Fairfield University
A rank of #5 makes Capital Community College one of the top schools for software engineering. Set in the city of New Britain, Capital Community College is a very large public institution. Capital Community College awarded about 12 software engineering degrees in the most recent data year. Students who receive their software engineering degree from Capital Community College earn around $43,086 in the first couple years of their career. Capital Community College graduates carry a median of $12,059 in student loans.
See the full software engineering program report for Capital Community College
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Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on a blend of student outcomes (graduation rate, post-graduation earnings), affordability, and program focus, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 12 schools evaluated.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
