Top 15 Best Colleges for Computer Science
Computer science is a rapidly-expanding field with high demand and lucrative pay, drawing in many new students yearly. In college, Computer Science majors will learn programming languages and study the underlying systems and theories behind their code. Students will graduate with a strong ability to adapt to different programming environments and to come up with creative solutions in a short period of time.
Graduates in Computer Science go on to become developers, analysts, data scientists, UX designers, and more. If you’re interested in studying compsci in college, here are the top 15 schools in the country to develop your skills, plus what it takes to get into these colleges. See the complete list of best schools for Computer Science majors.
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Top 15 Best Colleges for Computer Science
Click on the school to jump to a link where you can learn more about the college and what it takes to get in.
| School Name | Location | Acceptance Rate (2019) | Middle 50% SAT Scores | Middle 50% ACT Scores |
| 1. Stanford University | Stanford, CA | 4.3% | 1440-1550 | 32-35 |
| 2. California Institute of Technology | Pasadena, CA | 6.4% | 1530-1570 | 35-36 |
| 3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Cambridge, MA | 6.7% | 1520-1580 | 34-36 |
| 4. Princeton University | Princeton, NJ | 5.8% | 1460-1570 | 33-35 |
| 5. Harvard University | Cambridge, MA | 4.5% | 1460-1580 | 33-35 |
| 6. Carnegie Mellon University | Pittsburgh, PA | 15.4% | 1460-1560 | 33-35 |
| 7. UC Berkeley | Berkeley, CA | 16.8% | 1350-1540 | 30-35 |
| 8. Rice University | Houston, TX | 8.7% | 1470-1560 | 33-35 |
| 9. University of Chicago | Chicago, IL | 6.2% | 1500-1560 | 33-35 |
| 10. Cornell University | Ithaca, NY | 10.6% | 1400-1560 | 32-35 |
| 11. Duke University | Durham, NC | 7.8% | 1500-1560 | 33-35 |
| 12. Columbia University | New York, NY | 5.3% | 1480-1560 | 33-35 |
| 13. Georgia Institute of Technology – main campus | Atlanta, Georgia | 18.8% | 1310-1480 | 29-34 |
| 14. University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 7.7% | 1460-1550 | 33-35 |
| 15. Yale University | New Haven, CT | 6.1% | 1470-1560 | 33-35 |
1. Stanford University
Location: Stanford, CA
Acceptance Rate: 4.3%
Total Undergrad Enrollment: 7,087
Middle 50% SAT/ACT: 1440-1550 SAT, 32-35 ACT
Learn more about Stanford and what it takes to get accepted.
2. California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
Location: Pasadena, CA
Acceptance Rate: 6.4%
Total Undergrad Enrollment: 948
Middle 50% SAT/ACT: 1530-1570 SAT, 35-36 ACT
Learn more about Caltech and what it takes to get accepted.
3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Location: Cambridge, MA
Acceptance Rate: 6.7%
Total Undergrad Enrollment: 4,602
Middle 50% SAT/ACT: 1520-1580 SAT, 34-36 ACT
Learn more about MIT and what it takes to get accepted.
4. Princeton University
Location: Princeton, NJ
Acceptance Rate: 5.8%
Total Undergrad Enrollment: 5,267
Middle 50% SAT/ACT: 1460-1570 SAT, 33-35 ACT
Learn more about Princeton and what it takes to get accepted.
5. Harvard University
Location: Cambridge, MA
Acceptance Rate: 4.5%
Total Undergrad Enrollment: 6,788
Middle 50% SAT/ACT: 1460-1580 SAT, 33-35 ACT
Learn more about Harvard and what it takes to get accepted.
6. Carnegie Mellon University
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Acceptance Rate: 15.4%
Total Undergrad Enrollment: 6,947
Middle 50% SAT/ACT: 1470-1560 SAT, 33-35 ACT
Learn more about Carnegie Mellon and what it takes to get accepted.
7. UC Berkeley
Location: Berkeley, CA
Acceptance Rate: 16.8%
Total Undergrad Enrollment: 30,853
Middle 50% SAT/ACT: 1350-1540 SAT, 30-35 ACT
Learn more about UC Berkeley and what it takes to get accepted.
8. Rice University
Location: Houston, TX
Acceptance Rate: 8.7%
Total Undergrad Enrollment: 3,992
Middle 50% SAT/ACT: 1470-1560 SAT, 33-35 ACT
Learn more about Rice and what it takes to get accepted.
9. University of Chicago
Location: Chicago, IL
Acceptance Rate: 6.2%
Total Undergrad Enrollment: 6,552
Middle 50% SAT/ACT: 1500-1560 SAT, 33-35 ACT
Learn more about UChicago and what it takes to get accepted.
10. Cornell University
Location: Ithaca, NY
Acceptance Rate: 10.6%
Total Undergrad Enrollment: 15,182
Middle 50% SAT/ACT: 1400-1560 SAT, 32-35 ACT
Learn more about Cornell and what it takes to get accepted.
11. Duke University
Location: Durham, NC
Acceptance Rate: 7.8%
Total Undergrad Enrollment: 6,682
Middle 50% SAT/ACT: 1500-1560 SAT, 33-35 ACT
Learn more about Duke and what it takes to get accepted.
12. Columbia University
Location: New York, NY
Acceptance Rate: 5.3%
Total Undergrad Enrollment: 6,202
Middle 50% SAT/ACT: 1480-1560 SAT, 33-35 ACT
Learn more about Columbia and what it takes to get accepted.
13. Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech)
Location: Atlanta, GA
Acceptance Rate: 18.8%
Total Undergrad Enrollment: 16,049
Middle 50% SAT/ACT: 1310-1480 SAT, 29-34 ACT
Learn more about Georgia Tech and what it takes to get accepted.
14. University of Pennsylvania (UPenn)
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Acceptance Rate: 7.7%
Total Undergrad Enrollment: 10,183
Middle 50% SAT/ACT: 1460-1550 SAT, 33-35 ACT
Learn more about UPenn and what it takes to get accepted.
15. Yale University
Location: New Haven, CT
Acceptance Rate: 6.1%
Total Undergrad Enrollment: 5,964
Middle 50% SAT/ACT: 1470-1560 SAT, 33-35 ACT
Learn more about Yale and what it takes to get accepted.
There are many more schools that are great for Computer Science majors. See the complete list of best colleges for compsci.
Curious about your chances of acceptance to your dream school? Our free chancing engine takes into account your GPA, test scores, extracurriculars, and other data to predict your odds of acceptance at over 500 colleges across the U.S. We’ll also let you know how you stack up against other applicants and how you can improve your profile. Sign up for your free CollegeVine account today to get started!
