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Sector Analysis · Engineering

Best Computer Engineering Schools by Graduate Salary & ROI (2026)

174 schools ranked by DegreeOutlook Score · Updated 2026

These are the top schools offering Computer Engineering, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score. The score combines graduate earnings, AI automation resilience, job market demand, and return on tuition investment. The average Computer Engineering graduate earns $78,695/yr across 174 schools.

What do Computer Engineering graduates do? See career paths and salaries →

Why UW Seattle Owns the Top Spot

The University of Washington-Seattle's #1 ranking is a direct result of its location at the epicenter of a global tech hub. Graduates don't just hope for a good job; they step into a high-demand pipeline feeding directly into Amazon, Microsoft, and a thriving startup ecosystem. This geographic advantage is why its alumni report the highest earnings in the nation at $141,588 per year, providing a clear path from a public university education to top-tier compensation.

The Surprise #2: A Satellite Campus That Outperforms

The most shocking result isn't a famous name, but a satellite campus: University of Washington-Bothell at #2. It delivers the exact same $141,588 earning potential as the flagship Seattle campus, but with a slightly higher ROI (43.5x). This proves that the power of the UW brand and the Seattle tech economy is so strong it extends beyond the main campus, offering a potential backdoor to elite outcomes for students.

Public Universities Are the New Powerhouses

Forget the idea that you need an expensive private degree for a top-tier engineering career. A staggering 19 of the top 20 programs are public universities. Schools like Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (#3) and the University of Florida (#4) dominate by delivering exceptional, hands-on engineering education at a relatively low cost. This combination creates an unbeatable value proposition, resulting in massive ROIs (44.0x for Florida) that private institutions struggle to match.

AI Won't Steal Your Job, It Will Reshape It

Every single computer engineering program on our list faces high exposure to AI-driven change, with an average of 62% of tasks being automatable. This doesn't mean the jobs are disappearing; it means the job of a junior engineer is changing fundamentally. Writing routine code and basic tests is being handed over to AI assistants. Your future value will come from architecting complex systems, managing AI-driven workflows, and exercising the critical judgment AI lacks.

Programs Ranked

174

Avg Earnings

$78,695/yr

Avg DW Score

77/100

AI Risk

Very High

62% task exposure

Top Institutions

Leading the field for Computer Engineering

The top four programs by DegreeOutlook Score. Full ranking of 174 programs below.

Rank #1 · DegreeOutlook Score 88

University of Washington-Seattle Campus

Seattle, WA · Public

$141,5881-yr earnings

43.2xROI multiple

Very HighAI risk

University of Washington-Bothell Campus

WA · #2

$141,588/yr · 43.5x ROI

California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

CA · #3

$111,560/yr · 32.0x ROI

University of Florida

FL · #4

$87,949/yr · 44.0x ROI

The Ranking Matrix

All Computer Engineering Programs Ranked

Click any row for full AI scenario analysis, earnings projections, and career path breakdown.

Sort by

#	School	DW Score	Earnings	ROI
1	University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle, WA · Public	88 83–89	$141,588/yr	43.2x
2	University of Washington-Bothell Campus Bothell, WA · Public	88 83–89	$141,588/yr	43.5x
3	California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA · Public	87 82–89	$111,560/yr	32.0x
4	University of Florida Gainesville, FL · Public	87 80–88	$87,949/yr	44.0x
5	Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus Atlanta, GA · Public	87 80–88	$93,629/yr	26.9x
6	Brigham Young University Provo, UT · Private nonprofit	87 81–89	$88,785/yr	55.5x
7	California State University-Fresno Fresno, CA · Public	86 79–87	$75,101/yr	46.0x
8	California State University-Long Beach Long Beach, CA · Public	86 79–88	$79,809/yr	37.8x
9	University of California-Davis Davis, CA · Public	86 80–88	$96,418/yr	23.0x
10	University of California-San Diego La Jolla, CA · Public	86 80–88	$96,256/yr	24.3x
11	University of California-Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA · Public	86 80–87	$91,387/yr	22.4x
12	Florida State University Tallahassee, FL · Public	86 79–87	$78,941/yr	44.3x
13	University of South Florida Tampa, FL · Public	86 79–88	$83,660/yr	37.9x
14	University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL · Public	86 80–87	$103,123/yr	20.3x
15	CUNY City College New York, NY · Public	86 79–87	$78,326/yr	37.1x
16	Binghamton University Vestal, NY · Public	86 80–88	$86,938/yr	26.5x
17	North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, NC · Public	86 79–88	$82,997/yr	30.2x
18	Texas A & M University-College Station College Station, TX · Public	86 79–87	$86,366/yr	21.8x
19	Utah Valley University Orem, UT · Public	86 80–88	$85,564/yr	39.1x
20	University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez Mayaguez, PR · Public	86 79–87	$83,545/yr	44.1x
21	Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette, IN · Public	86 80–88	$89,965/yr	28.5x
22	Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ · Public	85 78–87	$81,123/yr	22.5x
23	University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR · Public	85 79–87	$77,306/yr	28.4x
24	University of California-Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA · Public	85 79–87	$79,969/yr	22.7x
25	University of Central Florida Orlando, FL · Public	85 79–87	$76,819/yr	37.9x
26	Florida International University Miami, FL · Public	85 79–87	$75,210/yr	38.4x
27	Iowa State University Ames, IA · Public	85 79–87	$79,182/yr	25.5x
28	University of Maryland-Baltimore County Baltimore, MD · Public	85 79–87	$86,444/yr	20.5x
29	University of Nebraska-Lincoln Lincoln, NE · Public	85 79–87	$82,398/yr	25.2x
30	Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY · Public	85 79–87	$73,820/yr	29.5x
31	Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, OH · Public	85 78–86	$83,342/yr	19.8x
32	University of North Texas Denton, TX · Public	85 78–86	$78,714/yr	23.2x
33	The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX · Public	85 79–87	$81,226/yr	23.8x
34	Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX · Public	85 78–87	$85,619/yr	21.0x
35	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA · Public	85 78–86	$86,636/yr	19.0x
36	Washington State University Pullman, WA · Public	85 79–87	$87,135/yr	20.3x
37	West Virginia University Institute of Technology Beckley, WV · Public	85 78–86	$76,314/yr	29.7x
38	Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, GA · Public	85 79–87	$77,455/yr	42.1x
39	California State Polytechnic University-Pomona Pomona, CA · Public	84 78–86	$70,768/yr	33.3x
40	University of California-Irvine Irvine, CA · Public	84 77–86	$79,812/yr	19.2x
41	Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL · Public	84 78–86	$72,029/yr	48.2x
42	University of Massachusetts-Amherst Amherst, MA · Public	84 78–86	$89,327/yr	16.9x
43	University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI · Public	84 78–86	$92,501/yr	16.9x
44	University of Nevada-Reno Reno, NV · Public	84 78–85	$69,310/yr	28.8x
45	University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY · Public	84 78–86	$74,753/yr	23.0x
46	University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC · Public	84 78–86	$71,117/yr	34.8x
47	George Mason University Fairfax, VA · Public	84 78–86	$87,466/yr	18.7x
48	University of Virginia-Main Campus Charlottesville, VA · Public	84 79–85	$118,232/yr	15.6x
49	West Virginia University Morgantown, WV · Public	84 78–86	$76,314/yr	24.7x
50	University of Wisconsin-Platteville Platteville, WI · Public	84 78–85	$71,635/yr	28.6x
51	Auburn University Auburn, AL · Public	83 77–85	$80,067/yr	18.7x
52	California State University-Sacramento Sacramento, CA · Public	83 77–85	$66,266/yr	34.4x
53	University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO · Public	83 76–84	$86,211/yr	15.4x
54	Indiana University-Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN · Public	83 77–84	$71,986/yr	22.2x
55	University of Louisville Louisville, KY · Public	83 76–84	$72,710/yr	19.3x
56	Missouri University of Science and Technology Rolla, MO · Public	83 76–85	$78,964/yr	17.5x
57	University of New Hampshire-Main Campus Durham, NH · Public	83 76–84	$88,904/yr	14.7x
58	University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown Johnstown, PA · Public	83 76–84	$78,075/yr	16.7x
59	Tennessee Technological University Cookeville, TN · Public	83 77–85	$69,291/yr	25.1x
60	The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX · Public	83 77–85	$77,609/yr	17.8x
61	Old Dominion University Norfolk, VA · Public	83 77–84	$70,298/yr	21.2x
62	University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu, HI · Public	82 76–84	$65,003/yr	23.0x
63	Michigan State University East Lansing, MI · Public	82 75–84	$83,934/yr	14.9x
64	University of Michigan-Dearborn Dearborn, MI · Public	82 75–83	$79,022/yr	15.6x
65	Oakland University Rochester Hills, MI · Public	82 75–84	$78,709/yr	16.0x
66	University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN · Public	82 75–83	$85,672/yr	14.4x
67	University of Missouri-Columbia Columbia, MO · Public	82 76–84	$83,243/yr	16.1x
68	Florida Gulf Coast University Fort Myers, FL · Public	82 76–84	$60,746/yr	45.0x
69	University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus Waterbury, CT · Public	82 75–84	$82,924/yr	14.6x
70	University of Connecticut-Avery Point Groton, CT · Public	82 75–84	$82,924/yr	14.6x
71	University of Connecticut-Stamford Stamford, CT · Public	82 75–84	$82,924/yr	14.5x
72	University of Connecticut-Hartford Campus Hartford, CT · Public	82 75–84	$82,924/yr	14.6x
73	California State University-Fullerton Fullerton, CA · Public	81 75–82	$55,093/yr	39.0x
74	University of California-Riverside Riverside, CA · Public	81 76–83	$65,049/yr	19.8x
75	Wichita State University Wichita, KS · Public	81 75–83	$66,207/yr	23.1x
76	University of Akron Main Campus Akron, OH · Public	81 75–82	$69,070/yr	17.9x
77	Wright State University-Main Campus Dayton, OH · Public	81 75–82	$70,345/yr	18.6x
78	Clemson University Clemson, SC · Public	81 74–83	$77,672/yr	14.8x
79	University of Memphis Memphis, TN · Public	81 75–83	$65,222/yr	21.9x
80	University of Houston-Clear Lake Houston, TX · Public	81 76–83	$63,751/yr	28.1x
81	San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA · Public	80 74–82	$53,180/yr	36.4x
82	University of Connecticut Storrs, CT · Public	80 74–82	$82,924/yr	12.3x
83	Michigan Technological University Houghton, MI · Public	80 74–82	$77,465/yr	13.4x
84	Miami University-Oxford Oxford, OH · Public	80 74–82	$71,836/yr	14.1x
85	University of Toledo Toledo, OH · Public	80 74–81	$68,597/yr	17.2x
86	Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania Shippensburg, PA · Public	80 73–82	$80,574/yr	14.6x
87	University of South Carolina-Columbia Columbia, SC · Public	80 74–82	$73,982/yr	16.3x
88	The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Edinburg, TX · Public	79 73–80	$57,841/yr	21.2x
89	University of California-Merced Merced, CA · Public	79 73–80	$58,835/yr	17.0x
90	California State University-San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA · Public	78 72–79	$49,043/yr	30.9x
91	New Jersey Institute of Technology Newark, NJ · Public	78 72–80	$67,640/yr	13.0x
92	University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA · Public	78 72–80	$78,075/yr	11.0x
93	Santa Clara University Santa Clara, CA · Private nonprofit	77 71–78	$103,804/yr	7.1x
94	University of Illinois Chicago Chicago, IL · Public	77 70–78	$71,148/yr	13.0x
95	University of Nevada-Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV · Public	77 71–78	$65,436/yr	18.2x
96	Bowling Green State University-Main Campus Bowling Green, OH · Public	77 71–79	$67,949/yr	14.0x
97	Cleveland State University Cleveland, OH · Public	77 71–79	$68,852/yr	14.6x
98	Duke University Durham, NC · Private nonprofit	76 71–77	$111,145/yr	5.6x
99	Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Terre Haute, IN · Private nonprofit	75 68–76	$92,123/yr	4.5x
100	Boston University Boston, MA · Private nonprofit	75 69–76	$93,995/yr	4.3x
101	Northeastern University Boston, MA · Private nonprofit	75 69–77	$99,499/yr	4.7x
102	Stevens Institute of Technology Hoboken, NJ · Private nonprofit	75 68–76	$89,001/yr	4.6x
103	Bucknell University Lewisburg, PA · Private nonprofit	75 68–76	$90,171/yr	4.4x
104	Brigham Young University-Idaho Rexburg, ID · Private nonprofit	74 67–75	$76,193/yr	39.9x
105	Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY · Private nonprofit	74 68–76	$90,829/yr	4.4x
106	North Carolina A & T State University Greensboro, NC · Public	74 67–75	$80,685/yr	28.9x
107	Drexel University Philadelphia, PA · Private nonprofit	74 67–75	$89,418/yr	3.9x
108	University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT · Public	74 67–75	$89,605/yr	23.0x
109	California State University-Northridge Northridge, CA · Public	73 66–74	$75,692/yr	25.7x
110	University of Colorado Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, CO · Public	73 66–74	$82,084/yr	20.1x
111	University of Maryland-College Park College Park, MD · Public	73 67–75	$95,847/yr	19.8x
112	Portland State University Portland, OR · Public	73 66–74	$87,259/yr	18.4x
113	Villanova University Villanova, PA · Private nonprofit	73 67–74	$94,228/yr	3.5x
114	University of Alabama in Huntsville Huntsville, AL · Public	72 65–73	$83,909/yr	16.8x
115	Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott Prescott, AZ · Private nonprofit	72 65–73	$79,276/yr	4.6x
116	San Diego State University San Diego, CA · Public	72 66–74	$76,812/yr	22.2x
117	Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Daytona Beach Daytona Beach, FL · Private nonprofit	72 65–73	$79,276/yr	4.6x
118	Florida Institute of Technology Melbourne, FL · Private nonprofit	72 66–74	$79,244/yr	4.7x
119	Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit	72 65–74	$81,252/yr	4.0x
120	Clarkson University Potsdam, NY · Private nonprofit	72 66–74	$80,942/yr	3.8x
121	New York University New York, NY · Private nonprofit	72 65–73	$82,183/yr	3.5x
122	Lehigh University Bethlehem, PA · Private nonprofit	72 66–74	$82,209/yr	3.6x
123	University of Houston Houston, TX · Public	72 66–74	$80,438/yr	19.7x
124	University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Oshkosh, WI · Public	72 66–74	$76,187/yr	22.2x
125	University of Wisconsin-Stout Menomonie, WI · Public	72 65–74	$80,493/yr	18.8x
126	University of Georgia Athens, GA · Public	71 64–72	$77,882/yr	16.4x
127	University of Iowa Iowa City, IA · Public	71 65–73	$79,228/yr	17.1x
128	Kansas State University Manhattan, KS · Public	71 64–73	$77,938/yr	16.8x
129	Saint Cloud State University Saint Cloud, MN · Public	71 65–73	$77,792/yr	18.2x
130	State University of New York at Oswego Oswego, NY · Public	71 65–72	$71,436/yr	19.4x
131	North Dakota State University-Main Campus Fargo, ND · Public	71 64–72	$76,558/yr	16.6x
132	The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX · Public	71 65–73	$73,639/yr	19.5x
133	Milwaukee School of Engineering Milwaukee, WI · Private nonprofit	71 65–73	$78,333/yr	4.1x
134	University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI · Public	71 65–73	$76,982/yr	18.2x
135	Florida Polytechnic University Lakeland, FL · Public	71 65–72	$65,126/yr	32.0x
136	University of Kentucky Lexington, KY · Public	70 63–71	$79,620/yr	14.1x
137	Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA · Public	70 64–72	$78,915/yr	15.5x
138	Mississippi State University Mississippi State, MS · Public	70 64–72	$72,529/yr	17.5x
139	Montana State University Bozeman, MT · Public	70 64–71	$67,015/yr	19.7x
140	University of Cincinnati-Main Campus Cincinnati, OH · Public	70 64–72	$83,489/yr	14.4x
141	Oklahoma State University-Main Campus Stillwater, OK · Public	70 64–72	$72,820/yr	16.8x
142	University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus Norman, OK · Public	70 64–71	$70,904/yr	17.5x
143	South Dakota School of Mines and Technology Rapid City, SD · Public	70 64–71	$72,639/yr	16.5x
144	California Baptist University Riverside, CA · Private nonprofit	69 63–71	$75,087/yr	4.2x
145	University of Maine Orono, ME · Public	69 62–70	$75,282/yr	13.9x
146	Grand Valley State University Allendale, MI · Public	69 62–70	$80,746/yr	12.8x
147	Marquette University Milwaukee, WI · Private nonprofit	69 64–71	$69,664/yr	4.0x
148	University of Massachusetts-Lowell Lowell, MA · Public	68 62–70	$85,280/yr	11.9x
149	University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth North Dartmouth, MA · Public	68 61–70	$79,383/yr	12.0x
150	The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Knoxville, TN · Public	68 61–69	$74,085/yr	12.7x
151	Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA · Public	68 61–70	$82,964/yr	11.6x
152	Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Edwardsville, IL · Public	67 61–69	$71,841/yr	12.9x
153	The College of New Jersey Ewing, NJ · Public	67 60–68	$84,241/yr	10.3x
154	University of Rhode Island Kingston, RI · Public	67 61–69	$80,029/yr	11.2x
155	University of South Alabama Mobile, AL · Public	66 60–67	$59,626/yr	14.4x
156	University of Delaware Newark, DE · Public	66 59–67	$73,750/yr	10.5x
157	Keiser University-Ft Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale, FL · Private nonprofit	64 59–65	$45,453/yr	7.8x
158	DigiPen Institute of Technology Redmond, WA · Private for-profit	64 58–65	$101,832/yr	5.8x
159	Jackson State University Jackson, MS · Public	63 57–64	$51,570/yr	13.2x
160	University of Northern Colorado Greeley, CO · Public	62 56–64	$56,557/yr	10.8x
161	Wentworth Institute of Technology Boston, MA · Private nonprofit	62 55–63	$82,057/yr	4.0x
162	Arizona State University Digital Immersion Scottsdale, AZ · Public	62 55–64	$81,123/yr	—
163	Kettering University Flint, MI · Private nonprofit	61 55–63	$82,580/yr	3.5x
164	Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY · Private nonprofit	61 55–62	$102,083/yr	2.7x
165	Valparaiso University Valparaiso, IN · Private nonprofit	60 53–61	$75,484/yr	3.1x
166	Manhattan College Riverdale, NY · Private nonprofit	60 53–61	$77,463/yr	2.8x
167	Syracuse University Syracuse, NY · Private nonprofit	60 53–61	$84,793/yr	2.4x
168	Full Sail University Winter Park, FL · Private for-profit	59 53–60	$61,553/yr	4.8x
169	Trine University Angola, IN · Private nonprofit	59 53–60	$67,500/yr	3.7x
170	Loyola University Chicago Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit	57 51–59	$68,020/yr	2.3x
171	Johnson & Wales University-Providence Providence, RI · Private nonprofit	57 51–58	$62,056/yr	2.8x
172	Universidad Politecnica de Puerto Rico Hato Rey, PR · Private nonprofit	56 58–57	$38,213/yr	14.4x
173	Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico-Orlando Orlando, FL · Private nonprofit	51 54–52	$38,213/yr	9.6x
174	Universidad Ana G. Mendez-Gurabo Campus Gurabo, PR · Private nonprofit	47 53–49	$28,052/yr	18.9x

FAQ

Frequently asked

What is the best school for Computer Engineering?

Based on our DegreeOutlook Score, University of Washington-Seattle Campus ranks #1 for Computer Engineering with a score of 88/100 and graduate earnings of $141,588/yr.

How much do Computer Engineering graduates earn?

Across 174 schools, Computer Engineering graduates earn an average of $78,695/yr in their first year. The highest-earning program reports $141,588/yr.

Is Computer Engineering a good major for AI resistance?

Computer Engineering has an average AI task exposure of 62%, rated "Very High". This field has significant AI exposure. Check individual program pages for scenario analysis.

Programs are ranked by DegreeOutlook Score, which combines four equally weighted factors: graduate earnings (Year 1 after graduation), AI automation resilience (based on OpenAI and academic research), job market size (BLS annual openings), and earnings-to-tuition multiple (10-year projected earnings vs. 4-year tuition).

Earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, which reports actual median earnings of graduates — not self-reported surveys.