Best Computer Science Degrees in the US by ROI
Top colleges ranked by estimated 20-year net return on investment across all active states. Data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
Programs Analyzed
257
Colleges with salary data
Average 20-Yr Net ROI
+$625,960
Across all programs
Average Annual Cost
$38,652
Cost of attendance
| # | College | State | 20-Yr Net ROI | Median Salary | Annual Cost | Avg Debt | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Carnegie Mellon University
Grad rate: 92.0% |
PA | +$2,839,817 | $201,541 | $80,514 | $21,442 | Full ROI → |
| 2 |
Brown University
Grad rate: 95.5% |
RI | +$2,499,771 | $184,762 | $84,986 | $11,500 | Full ROI → |
| 3 |
University of California-Berkeley
Grad rate: 93.5% |
CA | +$2,198,383 | $161,399 | $42,708 | $13,900 | Full ROI → |
| 4 |
Stanford University
Grad rate: 94.0% |
CA | +$2,124,813 | $165,375 | $82,162 | $10,399 | Full ROI → |
| 5 |
Harvard University
Grad rate: 97.5% |
MA | +$2,106,552 | $163,896 | $82,842 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 6 |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Grad rate: 95.5% |
MA | +$2,094,320 | $163,496 | $79,850 | $12,000 | Full ROI → |
| 7 |
Vanderbilt University
Grad rate: 92.7% |
TN | +$2,085,557 | $164,139 | $84,412 | $14,500 | Full ROI → |
| 8 |
Harvey Mudd College
Grad rate: 92.9% |
CA | +$1,982,574 | $159,657 | $84,896 | $22,949 | Full ROI → |
| 9 |
Cornell University
Grad rate: 95.2% |
NY | +$1,968,893 | $158,076 | $83,196 | $14,698 | Full ROI → |
| 10 |
Washington University in St Louis
Grad rate: 94.1% |
MO | +$1,788,731 | $149,178 | $83,476 | $15,500 | Full ROI → |
| 11 |
University of Chicago
Grad rate: 95.2% |
IL | +$1,656,016 | $142,172 | $86,856 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 12 |
University of Pennsylvania
Grad rate: 96.5% |
PA | +$1,543,403 | $137,229 | $85,738 | $13,500 | Full ROI → |
| 13 |
Duke University
Grad rate: 96.2% |
NC | +$1,501,619 | $134,542 | $82,749 | $13,500 | Full ROI → |
| 14 |
Columbia University in the City of New York
Grad rate: 95.1% |
NY | +$1,501,456 | $135,658 | $86,042 | $20,397 | Full ROI → |
| 15 |
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Grad rate: 81.3% |
IN | +$1,457,661 | $131,382 | $74,226 | $24,500 | Full ROI → |
| 16 |
University of Washington-Bothell Campus
Grad rate: 68.5% |
WA | +$1,416,392 | $118,800 | $24,462 | $16,118 | Full ROI → |
| 17 |
University of Washington-Seattle Campus
Grad rate: 84.0% |
WA | +$1,393,112 | $118,800 | $30,282 | $16,118 | Full ROI → |
| 18 |
Dartmouth College
Grad rate: 95.4% |
NH | +$1,376,950 | $128,856 | $83,802 | $18,490 | Full ROI → |
| 19 |
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Grad rate: 84.8% |
IL | +$1,372,829 | $118,452 | $32,134 | $20,500 | Full ROI → |
| 20 |
Bowdoin College
Grad rate: 94.8% |
ME | +$1,284,280 | $122,292 | $80,390 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 21 |
University of San Francisco
Grad rate: 72.8% |
CA | +$1,255,586 | $121,602 | $76,421 | $22,792 | Full ROI → |
| 22 |
University of California-San Diego
Grad rate: 87.7% |
CA | +$1,097,257 | $105,245 | $36,325 | $16,550 | Full ROI → |
| 23 |
Tufts University
Grad rate: 93.5% |
MA | +$1,071,795 | $113,556 | $84,600 | $15,500 | Full ROI → |
| 24 |
San Jose State University
Grad rate: 66.2% |
CA | +$1,069,780 | $100,628 | $25,695 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 25 |
Brigham Young University
Grad rate: 80.4% |
UT | +$1,054,744 | $99,723 | $20,879 | $12,000 | Full ROI → |
| 26 |
Indiana University-Southeast
Grad rate: 34.0% |
IN | +$1,049,968 | $97,561 | $15,313 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 27 |
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Grad rate: 83.5% |
NY | +$1,037,876 | $111,450 | $79,934 | $23,250 | Full ROI → |
| 28 |
University of Portland
Grad rate: 79.7% |
OR | +$1,010,771 | $107,900 | $69,183 | $22,590 | Full ROI → |
| 29 |
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Grad rate: 88.7% |
MA | +$1,005,278 | $109,222 | $75,678 | $27,000 | Full ROI → |
| 30 |
University of Southern California
Grad rate: 92.2% |
CA | +$979,467 | $109,271 | $84,678 | $20,178 | Full ROI → |
| 31 |
Emory University
Grad rate: 90.9% |
GA | +$969,916 | $107,288 | $78,814 | $15,250 | Full ROI → |
| 32 |
Sonoma State University
Grad rate: 60.1% |
CA | +$961,812 | $96,409 | $24,739 | $20,305 | Full ROI → |
| 33 |
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Grad rate: 91.7% |
NC | +$944,279 | $95,204 | $25,181 | $14,131 | Full ROI → |
| 34 |
Grinnell College
Grad rate: 87.9% |
IA | +$943,241 | $106,113 | $79,228 | $16,375 | Full ROI → |
| 35 |
Purdue University-Main Campus
Grad rate: 83.1% |
IN | +$938,115 | $94,727 | $22,567 | $19,375 | Full ROI → |
| 36 |
University of California-Santa Barbara
Grad rate: 85.5% |
CA | +$930,506 | $96,623 | $36,776 | $11,000 | Full ROI → |
| 37 |
Colorado School of Mines
Grad rate: 80.5% |
CO | +$927,166 | $97,622 | $38,556 | $23,000 | Full ROI → |
| 38 |
Georgetown University
Grad rate: 95.0% |
DC | +$922,566 | $106,148 | $84,696 | $16,007 | Full ROI → |
| 39 |
Boston College
Grad rate: 91.0% |
MA | +$917,058 | $105,872 | $83,683 | $19,000 | Full ROI → |
| 40 |
Portland State University
Grad rate: 52.9% |
OR | +$898,934 | $93,529 | $22,449 | $31,000 | Full ROI → |
| 41 |
University of Massachusetts-Amherst
Grad rate: 83.1% |
MA | +$895,225 | $95,030 | $33,389 | $23,569 | Full ROI → |
| 42 |
Northwestern University
Grad rate: 96.2% |
IL | +$895,214 | $105,307 | $87,804 | $14,600 | Full ROI → |
| 43 |
Seattle University
Grad rate: 73.8% |
WA | +$891,765 | $102,001 | $68,633 | $24,980 | Full ROI → |
| 44 |
University of Rochester
Grad rate: 87.0% |
NY | +$891,630 | $104,384 | $82,600 | $19,000 | Full ROI → |
| 45 |
Brigham Young University-Idaho
Grad rate: 54.5% |
ID | +$891,553 | $89,777 | $13,357 | $7,821 | Full ROI → |
| 46 |
University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus
Grad rate: 59.7% |
CT | +$888,562 | $92,299 | $20,917 | $25,000 | Full ROI → |
| 47 |
University of Connecticut-Avery Point
Grad rate: 57.8% |
CT | +$885,818 | $92,299 | $21,603 | $25,000 | Full ROI → |
| 48 |
Utah Valley University
Grad rate: 40.0% |
UT | +$884,533 | $90,930 | $15,172 | $24,725 | Full ROI → |
| 49 |
University of Connecticut-Hartford Campus
Grad rate: 63.9% |
CT | +$872,106 | $92,299 | $25,031 | $25,000 | Full ROI → |
| 50 |
California State University-Chico
Grad rate: 63.9% |
CA | +$861,900 | $91,563 | $25,590 | $20,000 | Full ROI → |
How ROI is calculated
20-Year Net ROI = Gross Earnings (salary × 20) − Total Degree Cost − Debt Payoff (×1.35) − Baseline Opportunity Cost ($42,000 × 20). Data from the U.S. College Scorecard.
Find Best Computer Science Degrees by State
Browse Computer Science programs ranked by 20-year ROI in every state that offers this degree.