Best Computer Science Degrees by ROI in 2026

500 programs ranked · Updated 2026

Top CS programs ranked by earnings, AI resilience, and return on investment.

Why UCLA is #1: Location, Location, Compensation

UCLA's top spot is powered by geography. Situated in Los Angeles, its CS program is a direct feeder into "Silicon Beach," home to tech giants like Google, Snap, and SpaceX. This proximity creates a powerful internship-to-hire pipeline, driving graduate earnings to an impressive $136,099 per year. While its 38.8x ROI is strong, the real story is direct access to top-tier employers who recruit heavily on campus, giving graduates a significant head start in a major global tech hub.

The Public School Takeover in Computer Science

Notice a pattern in the top 20? 17 of the programs are at public universities. This is no accident. Flagship state schools like the University of California system, Georgia Tech (#3), and The University of Texas at Austin (#6) have become epicenters for computer science. They combine massive research budgets, deep connections with regional tech economies, and lower tuition to create an unbeatable value proposition. For CS, the data is clear: public powerhouses deliver elite outcomes without the private-school price tag.

The Smartest ROI: An Online Degree from Florida

The most shocking result isn't at the top, but at #7: University of Florida-Online. With a staggering 81.6x ROI, it delivers more than double the return of #1 UCLA for a fraction of the cost ($15,504 total tuition). This isn't a lesser program; it leverages the same curriculum as UF's #2-ranked campus program but strips away massive costs. This proves that a top-tier CS education with elite financial outcomes no longer requires an expensive, traditional campus experience.

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

Every program on this list faces high AI exposure (avg. 59.9%), but this doesn't mean the jobs will vanish—it means the entry-level job is changing. AI is automating the routine coding and testing once assigned to junior developers, so companies will hire for higher-level skills from day one. A degree in 2026 must prepare you not just to write code, but to architect systems, critically evaluate AI-generated work, and make the strategic judgments that algorithms cannot.

Programs Ranked
500
Avg Earnings
$72,622/yr
Avg DW Score
83/100
#1 Program
Computer Science
University of California-Los Angeles

Best Computer Science Degrees by ROI

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

# Program DW Score Earnings AI Risk ROI
1 Computer Science
University of California-Los Angeles · Los Angeles, CA
91
86–92
$136,099/yr Very High 38.8x
2 Computer Science
University of Florida · Gainesville, FL
91
84–92
$90,651/yr Very High 49.2x
3 Computer Science
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus · Atlanta, GA
91
85–92
$105,137/yr Very High 32.0x
4 Computer Science
University of New Mexico-Main Campus · Albuquerque, NM
91
84–92
$89,498/yr Very High 34.8x
5 Computer Science
Stony Brook University · Stony Brook, NY
91
84–92
$90,673/yr Very High 32.0x
6 Computer Science
The University of Texas at Austin · Austin, TX
91
85–92
$111,587/yr Very High 27.4x
7 Computer Science
University of Florida-Online · Gainesville, FL
91
84–92
$90,651/yr Very High 81.6x
8 Computer Science
University of California-Berkeley · Berkeley, CA
90
85–92
$149,866/yr Very High 36.9x
9 Computer Science
University of California-San Diego · La Jolla, CA
90
84–91
$112,006/yr Very High 25.3x
10 Computer Science
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign · Champaign, IL
90
84–91
$124,530/yr Very High 25.6x
11 Computer Science
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor · Ann Arbor, MI
90
84–91
$113,634/yr Very High 21.2x
12 Computer Science
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill · Chapel Hill, NC
90
83–91
$90,293/yr Very High 33.8x
13 Computer Science
Brigham Young University · Provo, UT
90
83–91
$80,934/yr Very High 46.6x
14 Computer Science
Brigham Young University · Provo, UT
90
83–91
$90,625/yr Very High 47.1x
15 Computer Science
University of Utah · Salt Lake City, UT
90
82–91
$90,282/yr Very High 30.2x
16 Computer Science
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University · Blacksburg, VA
90
83–90
$96,432/yr Very High 20.8x
17 Computer Science
University of Washington-Seattle Campus · Seattle, WA
90
85–91
$128,887/yr Very High 31.1x
18 Computer Science
Purdue University-Main Campus · West Lafayette, IN
90
83–91
$94,786/yr Very High 36.4x
19 Computer Science
University of Washington-Bothell Campus · Bothell, WA
90
85–91
$128,887/yr Very High 31.3x
20 Computer Science
Western Governors University · Salt Lake City, UT
90
83–91
$84,242/yr Very High 30.3x
21 Computer Science
California State University-Chico · Chico, CA
89
82–90
$81,021/yr Very High 37.8x
22 Computer Science
University of California-Davis · Davis, CA
89
83–90
$84,343/yr Very High 22.5x
23 Computer Science
University of California-Santa Barbara · Santa Barbara, CA
89
83–91
$107,776/yr Very High 23.3x
24 Computer Science
Colorado State University-Fort Collins · Fort Collins, CO
89
82–90
$78,856/yr Very High 22.6x
25 Computer Science
Boise State University · Boise, ID
89
82–91
$85,596/yr Very High 32.5x
26 Computer Science
Brigham Young University-Idaho · Rexburg, ID
89
82–90
$77,316/yr Very High 65.4x
27 Computer Science
University of Maryland Global Campus · Adelphi, MD
89
82–90
$75,619/yr Very High 31.5x
28 Computer Science
University of Nebraska-Lincoln · Lincoln, NE
89
82–90
$78,017/yr Very High 24.7x
29 Computer Science
CUNY City College · New York, NY
89
82–90
$83,258/yr Very High 35.0x
30 Computer Science
Binghamton University · Vestal, NY
89
82–90
$82,329/yr Very High 32.0x
31 Computer Science
North Carolina State University at Raleigh · Raleigh, NC
89
82–90
$85,809/yr Very High 30.3x
32 Computer Science
University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus · Norman, OK
89
82–90
$78,610/yr Very High 34.1x
33 Computer Science
Texas A & M University-College Station · College Station, TX
89
82–90
$81,231/yr Very High 20.8x
34 Computer Science
Texas Tech University · Lubbock, TX
89
82–90
$82,521/yr Very High 21.4x
35 Computer Science
West Texas A & M University · Canyon, TX
89
82–91
$88,391/yr Very High 29.5x
36 Computer Science
Utah Valley University · Orem, UT
89
82–90
$77,946/yr Very High 45.4x
37 Computer Science
University of Virginia-Main Campus · Charlottesville, VA
89
83–90
$98,067/yr Very High 18.2x
38 Computer Science
University of Wisconsin-Madison · Madison, WI
89
82–90
$80,566/yr Very High 25.5x
39 Computer Science
The University of Alabama · Tuscaloosa, AL
88
81–89
$83,651/yr Very High 20.4x
40 Computer Science
Arizona State University Campus Immersion · Tempe, AZ
88
80–89
$80,686/yr Very High 21.7x
41 Computer Science
University of Arizona · Tucson, AZ
88
81–89
$86,040/yr Very High 20.2x
42 Computer Science
University of California-Irvine · Irvine, CA
88
81–90
$82,161/yr Very High 22.3x
43 Computer Science
San Diego State University · San Diego, CA
88
81–89
$74,523/yr Very High 33.5x
44 Computer Science
University of Colorado Colorado Springs · Colorado Springs, CO
88
81–89
$77,761/yr Very High 26.7x
45 Computer Science
Iowa State University · Ames, IA
88
81–89
$78,517/yr Very High 24.9x
46 Computer Science
University of Maryland-Baltimore County · Baltimore, MD
88
80–89
$83,684/yr Very High 20.1x
47 Computer Science
University of Massachusetts-Amherst · Amherst, MA
88
80–89
$88,554/yr Very High 18.0x
48 Computer Science
Truman State University · Kirksville, MO
88
81–89
$74,794/yr Very High 25.7x
49 Computer Science
Rutgers University-Camden · Camden, NJ
88
81–89
$80,448/yr Very High 18.2x
50 Computer Science
Rutgers University-New Brunswick · New Brunswick, NJ
88
81–89
$80,448/yr Very High 18.0x

Scores calculated using College Scorecard, BLS, and AI task-exposure data. See full methodology →

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