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2023 Best Value Colleges for Computational Science (With Aid)

25 Ranked Colleges
1,360 Degrees Awarded
$19,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Scientific Computing Schools For Those Getting Aid

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Scientific Computing Schools For Those Getting Aid” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2020-2021, 1,360 people earned their degree in computational science, making the major the 380th most popular in the United States.

This year’s “Best Value Scientific Computing Schools For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 25 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in computational science. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality computational science programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

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

More Ways to Rank Computational Science Schools

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When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Scientific Computing Schools For Those Getting Aid” list to help you make the college decision.

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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Scientific Computing Schools For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Scientific Computing Schools For Those Getting Aid.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Computational Science (With Aid)

1

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Indiana University - Bloomington. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Scientific Computing Schools For Those Getting Aid. IU Bloomington is located in Bloomington, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 176 ’s scientific computing degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our scientific computing students with aid list, IU Bloomington has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Computational Science Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Indiana University - Bloomington is $14,619 for Scientific Computing students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full IU Bloomington Computational Science Report

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Texas at Austin. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Scientific Computing Schools For Those Getting Aid. The University of Texas at Austin is a large school located in Austin, Texas that handed out 64 ’s scientific computing degrees in 2020-2021.

UT Austin also took the #6 spot in our “Best Computational Science Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas at Austin is $18,350 for scientific computing students with aid.

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

Read more about Computational Science at UT Austin

3

Out of the 25 schools in the Best Value Scientific Computing Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, The City College of New York landed the #3 spot on the list. CCNY is a fairly large school located in New York, New York that handed out 16 ’s scientific computing degrees in 2020-2021.

CCNY did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best Computational Science Schools” list. It costs about $2,805 for Scientific Computing students with aid per year to attend CCNY.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Computational Science at CCNY

4

Out of the 25 schools in the Best Value Scientific Computing Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Iowa State University landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in Ames, Iowa, and it awarded 10 ’s scientific computing degrees in 2020-2021.

Iowa State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Computational Science Schools” list. It costs about $16,002 for Scientific Computing students with aid per year to attend Iowa State.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, 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 89%.

Read full report on Computational Science at Iowa State

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Texas at El Paso. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Scientific Computing Schools For Those Getting Aid list. UTEP is a public institution located in El Paso, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 16 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UTEP did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Computational Science Schools” list. It costs about $9,000 for Scientific Computing students with aid per year to attend UTEP.

Full The University of Texas at El Paso Computational Science Report

6

University of Central Florida landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Scientific Computing Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. UCF is a public institution located in Orlando, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 41 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UCF also took the #17 spot in our “Best Computational Science Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCF is $8,618 for scientific computing students with aid.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.

Read full report on Computational Science at University of Central Florida

7
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

With a ranking of #7, University of Pennsylvania did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Scientific Computing Schools For Those Getting Aid list. University of Pennsylvania is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 19 ’s scientific computing degrees to qualified students.

UPenn also made our “Best Computational Science Schools” list, coming in at #1. The yearly cost to attend University of Pennsylvania is $25,046 for scientific computing students with aid.

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

Read more about Computational Science at University of Pennsylvania

8
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan

Michigan State University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Scientific Computing Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Michigan State is a large school located in East Lansing, Michigan that handed out 19 ’s scientific computing degrees in 2020-2021.

Michigan State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Computational Science Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Michigan State is $19,058 for Scientific Computing students with aid.

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 91%.

Read full report on Computational Science at Michigan State

9

University of California - San Diego ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Scientific Computing Schools For Those Getting Aid list. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s scientific computing degrees to 8 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our scientific computing students with aid list, UCSD has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Computational Science Schools” ranking. It costs about $15,240 for scientific computing students with aid per year to attend University of California - San Diego.

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

Read full report on Computational Science at UCSD

10
New College crest
New College of Florida
Sarasota, Florida

New College of Florida ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Scientific Computing Schools For Those Getting Aid list. This small school is located in Sarasota, Florida, and it awarded 12 ’s scientific computing degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at New College, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best Computational Science Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for New College of Florida is $10,272 for scientific computing students with aid.

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. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Computational Science at New College

11

Florida International University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Best Value Scientific Computing Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Florida International University is a public institution located in Miami, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 8 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

FIU also took the #24 spot in our “Best Computational Science Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Florida International University is $5,298 for scientific computing students with aid.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Computational Science at FIU

12
Winona State crest
Winona State University
Winona, Minnesota

Winona State University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Scientific Computing Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Winona State is a medium-sized school located in Winona, Minnesota that handed out 12 ’s scientific computing degrees in 2020-2021.

Winona State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Computational Science Schools” list. It costs about $17,634 for scientific computing students with aid per year to attend Winona State University.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Computational Science at Winona State University

13
Tufts crest
Tufts University
Medford, Massachusetts

Tufts University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Value Scientific Computing Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Tufts is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Medford, Massachusetts. It awarded 21 ’s scientific computing degrees in 2020-2021.

Tufts not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Computational Science Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Tufts University is $37,494 for Scientific Computing students with aid.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 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 92%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% 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 Computational Science at Tufts

14
Wazzu crest
Washington State University
Pullman, Washington

Washington State University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Best Value Scientific Computing Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Pullman, Washington, and it awarded 19 ’s scientific computing degrees in 2020-2021.

Wazzu also took the #14 spot in our “Best Computational Science Schools” ranking. It costs about $15,300 for scientific computing students with aid per year to attend Washington State University.

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 Computational Science at Washington State University

15
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, Tennessee

Vanderbilt University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Scientific Computing Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Vanderbilt University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Nashville, Tennessee. It awarded 28 ’s scientific computing degrees in 2020-2021.

Vanderbilt did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Computational Science Schools” list. It costs about $19,970 for Scientific Computing students with aid per year to attend Vanderbilt University.

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. 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.

Read full report on Computational Science at Vanderbilt University

16

University of South Carolina - Beaufort ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Scientific Computing Schools For Those Getting Aid list. USCB is located in Bluffton, South Carolina and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 15 ’s scientific computing degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our scientific computing students with aid list, USCB has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Computational Science Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of South Carolina - Beaufort is $16,574 for scientific computing students with aid.

Read full report on Computational Science at USCB

17
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, District of Columbia

With a ranking of #17, Georgetown University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Scientific Computing Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Washington, District of Columbia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s scientific computing degrees to 94 students in 2020-2021.

Georgetown also took the #3 spot in our “Best Computational Science Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Georgetown is $32,108 for scientific computing students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Georgetown Computational Science Report

18

The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Best Value Scientific Computing Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga is a public institution located in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 3 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UT Chattanooga also took the #22 spot in our “Best Computational Science Schools” ranking. It costs about $14,040 for Scientific Computing students with aid per year to attend The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga.

Read more about Computational Science at UT Chattanooga

19

University of Oklahoma Norman Campus came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Scientific Computing Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Oklahoma Norman Campus is a large school located in Norman, Oklahoma that handed out 53 ’s scientific computing degrees in 2020-2021.

University of Oklahoma did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Computational Science Schools” list. It costs about $21,122 for Scientific Computing students with aid per year to attend University of Oklahoma.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, 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 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Computational Science at University of Oklahoma Norman Campus

20
Carnegie Mellon crest
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Carnegie Mellon University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Scientific Computing Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s scientific computing degrees to 68 students in 2020-2021.

Carnegie Mellon did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Computational Science Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Carnegie Mellon is $36,775 for Scientific Computing students with aid.

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%. 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 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Computational Science at Carnegie Mellon

21
Temple crest
Temple University
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Temple University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Scientific Computing Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #21. Temple University is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 23 ’s scientific computing degrees to qualified students.

Temple also took the #11 spot in our “Best Computational Science Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Temple University is $23,888 for scientific computing students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Temple University Computational Science Report

22

Texas A&M University - Commerce landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Best Value Scientific Computing Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Texas A&M University - Commerce is a public institution located in Commerce, Texas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 6 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Texas A&M Commerce also made our “Best Computational Science Schools” list, coming in at #25. The estimated yearly cost for Texas A&M University - Commerce is $13,515 for scientific computing students with aid.

Full Texas A&M University - Commerce Computational Science Report

23
UD crest
University of Delaware
Newark, Delaware

University of Delaware came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Scientific Computing Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Newark, Delaware, and it awarded 5 ’s scientific computing degrees in 2020-2021.

UD also took the #20 spot in our “Best Computational Science Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UD is $18,967 for Scientific Computing students with aid.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full UD Computational Science Report

24
Notre Dame crest
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, Indiana

University of Notre Dame landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Best Value Scientific Computing Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Notre Dame, Indiana, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 43 degrees to qualified ’s scientific computing students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our scientific computing students with aid list, Notre Dame has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Computational Science Schools” ranking. It costs about $31,101 for Scientific Computing students with aid per year to attend Notre Dame.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Computational Science at University of Notre Dame

25
NYU crest
New York University
New York, New York

With a ranking of #25, New York University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Scientific Computing Schools For Those Getting Aid list. New York, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s scientific computing degrees to 3 students in 2020-2021.

NYU also made our “Best Computational Science Schools” list, coming in at #10. The estimated yearly cost for New York University is $38,569 for Scientific Computing students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full NYU Computational Science Report

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