Highest-Paying Computer Science Programs
Colleges whose computer science graduates earn the most one year after finishing, across all bachelor's programs in the field.
Ranked by median earnings, 1 year after completing · 750 of 2,406 institutions report this measure · Compiled 2026-09-01
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Top schools on this list that also show up elsewhere — hop lists without leaving the trail.
#2
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
#4
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA
#5
Harvey Mudd College
Claremont, CA
- 1California Institute of TechnologyPasadena, CA · Private$149,858Compare nearby
- 2Stanford UniversityStanford, CA · Private$147,858Compare nearby
Also on 15 other lists
- Biological Sciences#3
- Engineering Technology#3
- Most Selective Colleges in America#3
- Best Earnings-to-Debt Ratio#4
- Psychology#6
- the Highest SAT Averages#6
- the Highest ACT Scores#7
- Best Early-Career Earnings, 6 Years After Enrolling#7
- Graduates Earn the Most 10 Years Out#7
- Area & Ethnic Studies#8
- Social Sciences#8
- Engineering#10
- English Language & Literature#18
- Multidisciplinary Studies#22
- Are Least Likely to Leave#24
- 3Rice UniversityHouston, TX · Private$144,240Compare nearby
- 4Harvard UniversityCambridge, MA · Private$142,198Compare nearby
Also on 13 other lists
- Highest Four-Year Graduation Rates#2
- Most Selective Colleges in America#2
- the Highest ACT Scores#3
- Psychology#3
- the Highest SAT Averages#3
- Biological Sciences#4
- Mathematics & Statistics#6
- English Language & Literature#8
- History#8
- Best Early-Career Earnings, 6 Years After Enrolling#10
- Are Least Likely to Leave#18
- Social Sciences#21
- Best Earnings-to-Debt Ratio#24
- 5Harvey Mudd CollegeClaremont, CA · Private$141,586Compare nearby
- 6Brown UniversityProvidence, RI · Private$136,278Compare nearby
- 7Pomona CollegeClaremont, CA · Private$135,393Compare nearby
- 8University of California-BerkeleyBerkeley, CA · Public$128,909Compare nearby
- 9Yale UniversityNew Haven, CT · Private$127,397Compare nearby
Also on 13 other lists
- History#1
- English Language & Literature#5
- Most Selective Colleges in America#5
- Most Expensive Colleges by Sticker Price#7
- Highest Four-Year Graduation Rates#7
- Social Sciences#9
- Multidisciplinary Studies#10
- the Highest ACT Scores#11
- Are Least Likely to Leave#15
- the Highest SAT Averages#15
- Best Student-to-Faculty Ratios#16
- Best Earnings-to-Debt Ratio#17
- Psychology#24
- 10Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridge, MA · Private$126,504Compare nearby
Also on 15 other lists
- Graduates Earn the Most 10 Years Out#1
- Biological Sciences#1
- Business#1
- Liberal Arts#1
- Multidisciplinary Studies#2
- Physical Sciences#2
- Best Early-Career Earnings, 6 Years After Enrolling#3
- the Highest SAT Averages#4
- Best Student-to-Faculty Ratios#5
- Best Earnings-to-Debt Ratio#6
- Most Selective Colleges in America#7
- Highest Four-Year Graduation Rates#8
- Engineering#11
- Mathematics & Statistics#12
- Are Least Likely to Leave#14
- 11Amherst CollegeAmherst, MA · Private$122,038Compare nearby
- 12Swarthmore CollegeSwarthmore, PA · Private$122,038Compare nearby
- 13Duke UniversityDurham, NC · Private$119,247Compare nearby
- 14Dartmouth CollegeHanover, NH · Private$117,572Compare nearby
Also on 11 other lists
- Philosophy & Religious Studies#1
- Physical Sciences#1
- Mathematics & Statistics#3
- Highest Four-Year Graduation Rates#9
- History#11
- Most Selective Colleges in America#12
- English Language & Literature#14
- the Highest SAT Averages#16
- Most Expensive Colleges by Sticker Price#17
- the Highest ACT Scores#19
- Are Least Likely to Leave#25
- 15University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignChampaign, IL · Public$117,393Compare nearby
- 16Wellesley CollegeWellesley, MA · Private$116,934Compare nearby
- 17Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, TN · Private$116,083Compare nearby
- 18University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PA · Private$115,116Compare nearby
Also on 15 other lists
- Philosophy & Religious Studies#2
- Most Expensive Colleges by Sticker Price#4
- Communications#4
- Mathematics & Statistics#4
- Highest Four-Year Graduation Rates#5
- Multidisciplinary Studies#5
- Business#9
- History#10
- the Highest SAT Averages#11
- Most Selective Colleges in America#11
- Graduates Earn the Most 10 Years Out#12
- Engineering#12
- Best Early-Career Earnings, 6 Years After Enrolling#17
- Are Least Likely to Leave#20
- Social Sciences#22
- 19Carnegie Mellon UniversityPittsburgh, PA · Private$114,032Compare nearby
Also on 12 other lists
- Social Sciences#2
- Business#3
- Visual & Performing Arts#3
- Multidisciplinary Studies#4
- Best Early-Career Earnings, 6 Years After Enrolling#6
- Philosophy & Religious Studies#6
- Mathematics & Statistics#8
- Physical Sciences#8
- the Highest SAT Averages#10
- Graduates Earn the Most 10 Years Out#11
- Architecture#12
- Best Student-to-Faculty Ratios#13
- 20Cornell UniversityIthaca, NY · Private$112,385Compare nearby
Also on 15 other lists
- Public Administration#1
- Mathematics & Statistics#11
- Psychology#11
- Communications#13
- Highest Four-Year Graduation Rates#17
- Graduates Earn the Most 10 Years Out#19
- Philosophy & Religious Studies#19
- the Highest ACT Scores#21
- Architecture#21
- Best Earnings-to-Debt Ratio#22
- Best Early-Career Earnings, 6 Years After Enrolling#23
- Are Least Likely to Leave#23
- the Highest SAT Averages#23
- Most Selective Colleges in America#23
- Area & Ethnic Studies#25
- 21Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimore, MD · Private$110,401Compare nearby
- 22University of California-Los AngelesLos Angeles, CA · Public$109,429Compare nearby
- 23California Polytechnic State University-San Luis ObispoSan Luis Obispo, CA · Public$109,392Compare nearby
- 24Washington University in St LouisSaint Louis, MO · Private$108,649Compare nearby
- 25Columbia University in the City of New YorkNew York, NY · Private$107,089Compare nearby
Also on 14 other lists
- Most Expensive Colleges by Sticker Price#3
- the Highest ACT Scores#4
- Most Selective Colleges in America#4
- Foreign Languages#5
- the Highest SAT Averages#8
- Philosophy & Religious Studies#9
- History#16
- Mathematics & Statistics#16
- Highest Four-Year Graduation Rates#18
- Area & Ethnic Studies#19
- Best Early-Career Earnings, 6 Years After Enrolling#21
- Graduates Earn the Most 10 Years Out#25
- Social Sciences#25
- Best Student-to-Faculty Ratios#25
How this list was built
- Measure
- Median earnings, 1 year after completing — sorted highest to lowest
- Source variable
EARN_MDN_HI_1YR- Dataset
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, Most-Recent-Cohorts-Field-of-Study (04-17-2025 release)
- Where a college offers several computer science programs, the figure shown is the median across those programs.
- Earnings cover graduates who received federal financial aid, were working and not enrolled one year after completing, and whose highest credential is that bachelor's degree.
- 750 institutions report earnings for this field; programs with too few graduates are suppressed for privacy by the Department of Education and cannot be ranked.
A single measure is a narrow way to judge a college. Read this alongside the others, and see the methodology for what these figures do and do not capture.
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