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Best universities in the US for computer science degrees 2024

Explore the best universities in the US for computer science degrees using data from the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024

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November 21 2023
best universities in the US for computer science degrees

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Top universities in the US for computer science degrees 2024

Scroll down for the full list of best universities for computer science in the US

US computer science rank 2024Computer science rank 2024 UniversityState
12 Stanford UniversityCalifornia
23 Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyMassachusetts
34 Carnegie Mellon UniversityPennsylvania
46 Harvard UniversityMassachusetts
59 Princeton UniversityNew Jersey
610 University of California, BerkeleyCalifornia
713 California Institute of TechnologyCalifornia
814 Cornell UniversityNew York
918 University of WashingtonWashington
1019 University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignIllinois

Not only are the world’s biggest tech companies­ such as Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Apple headquartered in the US, it’s also home to some of the best universities in the world for computer science degrees.

Many computing courses in the US focus on developing the practical skills and real-world experience that students need to enter the technology industry.

There are 124 US universities in the THE Computer Science Rankings 2024. These are spread across the country from California to New York and include a number of specialist technology colleges.

Below are the best universities in US for computer science degrees.


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5. Princeton University

Princeton is one of the oldest universities in the US having been established in 1746. 

Teaching within the university's computer science department covers a wide-range of topics including programming languages, machine learning, robotics, computational biology and human-computer interaction among many others. 

At the undergraduate level, students have the freedom to design their own courses based on their interests. All undergraduate students are also expected to carry out at least one research project while supervised by a member of faculty. 

The department also offers postgraduate and PhD programmes. 

4. Harvard University

Dating back to 1636, Harvard University is the oldest university in the US. It’s a member of the Ivy League and regarded as one of the most prestigious institutions in the world.

Courses at Harvard are designed to be flexible. Computer science students can combine their studies with other fields, including mathematics, physics, economics, psychology, and linguistics. The introduction to computer science class at Harvard is among the university’s most popular courses.

The computer science concentration covers topics ranging from cryptography to sensor motes. Students also have the opportunity to meet influential thought leaders in the field and use the latest tools and technologies, such as grid computing.

A range of clubs and societies fall under the computer science and technology umbrella, including the Harvard Undergraduate Robotics Club and Harvard Video Game Development Club.

Harvard alumni include Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft; and Mark Zuckerberg, who famously invented Facebook while still a student at the university.

3. Carnegie Mellon University

Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university established in 1900 by Scottish industrialist Andrew Carnegie.

Carnegie Mellon’s school of computer science offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in areas including neural computation, computational biology, language technologies and machine learning. 

Undergraduates can undertake research projects in areas such as robotics and human-computer interaction. In the spring, students get to present the results of their work at the university-wide “Meeting of the Minds” celebration of undergraduate research.

There are also a wide range of master’s programmes, many of them being some of the first in the world to be offered. These include the master’s in automated science and master’s in computer vision.

The university conducts research in areas including brain science and driverless cars. It was also the first institution, via professor Scott Fahlman in 1982, to create a “smile” in an email.


What can you do with a computer science degree?


2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is an independent, co-educational, private research university based in the city of Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Undergraduates are enrolled on a flexible curriculum, allowing them to focus on both theory and practical problems in computer science. Students can major in computer science or take computer science with another subject for a joint degree. 

The undergraduate computer science programme includes compulsory units in programming, software construction and AI, as well as electives in areas such as database systems, language engineering and micro-computing.

There is no master’s degree in computer science at the university, but there is a doctoral programme.

Technological advances accredited to MIT include radar and the invention of magnetic core memory, which enabled the development of digital computers.

MIT computer science graduates have gone on to found some of the most influential tech companies. These include Robert Metcalfe, co-inventor of Ethernet; and Drew Houston, co-founder of Dropbox.

1. Stanford University

Stanford University’s computer science department was established in 1965 and offers a range of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees.

Stanford’s undergraduate computer science programme covers areas such as programming, AI, biocomputation, computer engineering and graphics. All students take the same six courses in the first year. In the latter half of their degree they can choose one area to focus on.

Postgraduates are able to “shop around” for a two-week period and try as many different classes as they like, then decide which courses they want to continue with. Computer science students can take courses in areas including software theory, theoretical computer science and computer and network security.

Given the institution’s focus on innovation, it is no surprise that Stanford graduates are famous for their entrepreneurship. Alumni include the founders of Google, Netflix, WhatsApp, Instagram and Palantir Technologies. In fact, companies founded by Stanford affiliates generate more than $2.7 trillion annual revenue, which would equate to the 10th largest economy in the world.


Top universities in the US for computer science degrees 2024

Click each institution to view its World University Ranking 2024 profile

US computer science rank 2024Computer science rank 2024 UniversityState
12 Stanford UniversityCalifornia
23 Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyMassachusetts
34 Carnegie Mellon UniversityPennsylvania
46 Harvard UniversityMassachusetts
59 Princeton UniversityNew Jersey
610 University of California, BerkeleyCalifornia
713 California Institute of TechnologyCalifornia
814 Cornell UniversityNew York
918 University of WashingtonWashington
1019 University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignIllinois
1121 University of California, Los AngelesCalifornia
1222 Georgia Institute of TechnologyGeorgia
1323 Yale UniversityConnecticut
1424 Columbia UniversityNew York
1527 Johns Hopkins UniversityMaryland
1629 New York UniversityNew York
1732 University of Texas at AustinTexas
1834 University of PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
1936 University of California, San DiegoCalifornia
2037 The University of ChicagoIllinois
2141 University of Michigan-Ann ArborMichigan
2247 University of Maryland, College ParkMaryland
2354 Purdue University West LafayetteIndiana
2457 University of MassachusettsMassachusetts
25=59 Duke UniversityNorth Carolina
2663 University of Southern CaliforniaCalifornia
2765 University of California, Santa BarbaraCalifornia
2868 University of Wisconsin-MadisonWisconsin
29=70 University of California, IrvineCalifornia
3074 Brown UniversityRhode Island
3188 Michigan State UniversityMichigan
3290 Northwestern UniversityIllinois
3391 Boston UniversityMassachusetts
3492 Northeastern University, USIllinois
35=93 Rice UniversityTexas
36=97 Penn State (Main campus)Pennsylvania
37=99 University of California, DavisCalifornia
=38101–125 University of North Carolina at Chapel HillNorth Carolina
=38101–125 Texas A&M UniversityTexas
=38101–125 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversityVirginia
=41126–150 University of California, RiversideCalifornia
=41126–150 University of Colorado BoulderColorado
=41126–150 University of Illinois ChicagoIllinois
=41126–150 Stony Brook UniversityNew York
=45151–175 Arizona State University (Tempe)Arizona
=45151–175 North Carolina State UniversityNorth Carolina
=45151–175 University of Notre DameIndiana
=45151–175 Ohio State University (Main campus)Ohio
=45151–175 Rutgers University – New BrunswickNew Jersey
=45151–175 University of Virginia (Main campus)Virginia
=51176–200 University at BuffaloNew York
=51176–200 University of California, Santa CruzCalifornia
=51176–200 Dartmouth CollegeNew Hampshire
=51176–200 University of FloridaFlorida
=51176–200 University of MinnesotaMinnesota
=51176–200 University of RochesterRochester
=57201–250 Case Western Reserve UniversityOhio
=57201–250 University of Central FloridaFlorida
=57201–250 Iowa State UniversityIowa
=57201–250 New Jersey Institute of TechnologyNew Jersey
=57201–250 University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh campusPennsylvania
=57201–250 Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteNew York
=57201–250 Stevens Institute of TechnologyNew Jersey
=57201–250 SUNY Binghamton UniversityNew York
=57201–250 Vanderbilt UniversityTennessee
=57201–250 Washington University in St LouisMissouri
=67251–300 University of DelawareDelaware
=67251–300 Indiana UniversityIndiana
=67251–300 University of IowaIowa
=67251–300 Louisiana State UniversityLouisiana
=67251–300 Temple UniversityPennsylvania
=67251–300 William & MaryIndiana
=73301–400 Florida Atlantic UniversityFlorida
=73301–400 Florida International UniversityFlorida
=73301–400 George Mason UniversityVirginia
=73301–400 George Washington UniversityWashington DC
=73301–400 University of GeorgiaGeorgia
=73301–400 Illinois Institute of TechnologyIllinois
=73301–400 University of KentuckyKentucky
=73301–400 Lehigh UniversityPennsylvania
=73301–400 University of Maryland, Baltimore CountyMaryland
=73301–400 Missouri University of Science and TechnologyMissouri
=73301–400 Old Dominion UniversityVirginia
=73301–400 University of OregonOregon
=73301–400 Syracuse UniversityNew York
=73301–400 University of Texas at ArlingtonTexas
=73301–400 University of Texas at DallasTexas
=73301–400 The University of Texas at San AntonioTexas
=73301–400 University of UtahUtah
=73301–400 Washington State UniversityWashington
=73301–400 Wayne State UniversityMichigan
=73301–400 Worcester Polytechnic InstituteMassachusetts
=93401–500 University of ArizonaArizona
=93401–500 University of ConnecticutConnecticut
=93401–500 Florida State UniversityFlorida
=93401–500 Georgetown UniversityWashington DC
=93401–500 University of HoustonTexas
=93401–500 University of MiamiFlorida
=93401–500 Mississippi State UniversityMississippi
=93401–500 University of North Carolina at CharlotteNorth Carolina
=93401–500 Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma
=93401–500 University of Rhode IslandRhode Island
=93401–500 University of South FloridaFlorida
=93401–500 Texas Tech UniversityTexas
=93401–500 Tufts UniversityMassachusetts
=93401–500 Virginia Commonwealth UniversityVirginia
=107501–600 University of ArkansasArkansas
=107501–600 Drexel UniversityPennsylvania
=107501–600 Georgia State UniversityGeorgia
=107501–600 University of Hawai’i at MānoaHawai'i
=107501–600 University of KansasKansas
=107501–600 Kansas State UniversityKansas
=107501–600 University of MemphisTennessee
=107501–600 University of Nevada, Las VegasNevada
=107501–600 Oakland UniversityMichigan
=107501–600 Rochester Institute of TechnologyNew York
=117601–800 University of AlabamaAlabama
=117601–800 Colorado State University, Fort CollinsColorado
=117601–800 Georgia Southern UniversityGeorgia
=117601–800 New Mexico State University (Main campus)New Mexico
=117601–800 San Diego State UniversityCalifornia
=117601–800 University of Texas at El PasoTexas
=123801–1000 Portland State UniversityOregon
=123801–1000 Texas State UniversityTexas

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