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Sector Analysis · Computer & Information Sciences

Best Information Science Schools by Graduate Salary & ROI (2026)

129 schools ranked by DegreeOutlook Score · Updated 2026

These are the top schools offering Information Science, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score. The score combines graduate earnings, AI automation resilience, job market demand, and return on tuition investment. The average Information Science graduate earns $59,434/yr across 129 schools.

What do Information Science graduates do? See career paths and salaries →

Why a Utah Public School Outranks Elite Universities

Utah Valley University's #1 rank is a lesson in value and location. Its low public tuition ($25,080 for four years) is a major factor, but the real story is its position within Utah's "Silicon Slopes" tech hub. UVU's practical, hands-on programs create a direct pipeline for graduates into high-paying roles at local tech giants, leading to an exceptional 39.5x ROI and $79,918/yr average earnings. It's a perfect storm of affordable education meeting high industry demand.

The Public University Advantage in Information Science

Public universities dominate the top 20, capturing 18 spots, and it's not an accident. Information Science is an applied field where return on investment is paramount. Large public schools excel at providing affordable, high-quality technical education and building strong ties with regional employers, as seen in the Maryland and Utah clusters. For this degree, a prestigious private name often can't compete with the raw value proposition of a top public program that delivers high earnings for a fraction of the cost.

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

Every program on this list faces high AI exposure, but don't panic. This doesn't mean the degree is obsolete; it means the entry-level job is evolving. Routine coding and data management are being automated, so your value won't come from writing simple scripts. Instead, your career will be built on higher-level skills: designing complex systems, verifying AI-generated code, and making strategic decisions. A top IS degree in 2026 is training you to be the architect who directs the AI, not the builder it replaces.

A For-Profit School in the Top 20? The D.C. Effect

Strayer University's #15 rank is an outlier that proves the power of specialization. As a for-profit school, its presence is unexpected, but its Washington, D.C. location is key. The program likely funnels graduates directly into the high-demand, high-paying federal government and contractor IT jobs that dominate the capital region. This explains the impressive $71,167/yr earnings, demonstrating how a focused program can thrive in a specific, lucrative job market, even with higher tuition and a lower ROI than public peers.

Programs Ranked

129

Avg Earnings

$59,434/yr

Avg DW Score

70/100

AI Risk

Very High

59% task exposure

Top Institutions

Leading the field for Information Science

The top four programs by DegreeOutlook Score. Full ranking of 129 programs below.

Rank #1 · DegreeOutlook Score 86

Utah Valley University

University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

MI · #2

$88,515/yr · 17.2x ROI

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

NC · #3

$75,834/yr · 27.5x ROI

James Madison University

VA · #4

$80,173/yr · 19.5x ROI

The Ranking Matrix

All Information Science Programs Ranked

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

Sort by

#	School	DW Score	Earnings	ROI
1	Utah Valley University Orem, UT · Public	86 80–87	$79,918/yr	39.5x
2	University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI · Public	85 78–86	$88,515/yr	17.2x
3	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC · Public	85 79–86	$75,834/yr	27.5x
4	James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA · Public	85 78–86	$80,173/yr	19.5x
5	University of Maryland Global Campus Adelphi, MD · Public	84 78–85	$72,140/yr	29.7x
6	University of Maryland-College Park College Park, MD · Public	84 78–85	$70,344/yr	23.7x
7	University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT · Public	84 78–85	$70,833/yr	28.5x
8	Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY · Public	83 77–84	$68,007/yr	23.1x
9	Utah State University Logan, UT · Public	82 76–83	$61,896/yr	26.3x
10	Colorado State University-Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO · Public	81 75–82	$67,827/yr	18.5x
11	Florida Institute of Technology-Online Melbourne, FL · Private nonprofit	81 74–82	$59,368/yr	20.3x
12	Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, GA · Public	81 75–82	$63,986/yr	35.1x
13	University of Maryland-Baltimore County Baltimore, MD · Public	80 74–81	$63,334/yr	18.2x
14	Metropolitan State University Saint Paul, MN · Public	80 73–81	$64,382/yr	20.0x
15	Strayer University-District of Columbia Washington, DC · Private for-profit	79 73–80	$71,167/yr	14.7x
16	Salisbury University Salisbury, MD · Public	79 73–80	$61,290/yr	19.1x
17	Grand Valley State University Allendale, MI · Public	79 73–80	$66,967/yr	15.1x
18	CUNY Bernard M Baruch College New York, NY · Public	79 72–80	$51,864/yr	28.7x
19	University of Cincinnati-Main Campus Cincinnati, OH · Public	79 73–80	$68,864/yr	15.3x
20	Dakota State University Madison, SD · Public	79 72–80	$63,636/yr	19.4x
21	Strayer University-Virginia Arlington, VA · Private for-profit	79 73–80	$71,167/yr	14.7x
22	Strayer University-Maryland Suitland, MD · Private for-profit	79 73–80	$71,167/yr	14.7x
23	Strayer University-Tennessee Memphis, TN · Private for-profit	79 73–80	$71,167/yr	14.7x
24	Strayer University-Pennsylvania Trevose, PA · Private for-profit	79 73–80	$71,167/yr	14.7x
25	Strayer University-Florida Tampa, FL · Private for-profit	79 73–80	$71,167/yr	14.7x
26	Strayer University-Delaware Wilmington, DE · Private for-profit	79 73–80	$71,167/yr	14.7x
27	Strayer University-Alabama Birmingham, AL · Private for-profit	79 73–80	$71,167/yr	14.7x
28	Strayer University-North Carolina Greensboro, NC · Private for-profit	79 73–80	$71,167/yr	14.7x
29	Strayer University-New Jersey Piscataway, NJ · Private for-profit	79 73–80	$71,167/yr	14.7x
30	Strayer University-West Virginia Scott Depot, WV · Private for-profit	79 73–80	$71,167/yr	14.7x
31	Strayer University-Arkansas Little Rock, AR · Private for-profit	79 73–80	$71,167/yr	14.7x
32	Strayer University-Georgia Chamblee, GA · Private for-profit	79 73–80	$71,167/yr	14.7x
33	Strayer University-Mississippi Jackson, MS · Private for-profit	79 73–80	$71,167/yr	14.7x
34	Strayer University-South Carolina Greenville, SC · Private for-profit	79 73–80	$71,167/yr	14.7x
35	Strayer University-Texas Farmers Branch, TX · Private for-profit	79 73–80	$71,167/yr	14.7x
36	Strayer University-Global Region Washington, DC · Private for-profit	79 73–80	$71,167/yr	14.7x
37	Georgia Southern University Statesboro, GA · Public	78 72–79	$52,435/yr	33.0x
38	Fort Hays State University Hays, KS · Public	78 71–79	$56,399/yr	30.7x
39	University of Nebraska at Omaha Omaha, NE · Public	78 72–79	$58,757/yr	22.0x
40	The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX · Public	78 72–79	$57,756/yr	17.8x
41	Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX · Public	78 72–79	$55,081/yr	18.8x
42	Emporia State University Emporia, KS · Public	77 71–78	$48,438/yr	28.2x
43	Missouri University of Science and Technology Rolla, MO · Public	77 70–78	$65,393/yr	13.7x
44	University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown Johnstown, PA · Public	77 70–78	$59,951/yr	14.2x
45	University of South Alabama Mobile, AL · Public	76 70–77	$56,344/yr	18.4x
46	Towson University Towson, MD · Public	76 69–76	$50,067/yr	18.1x
47	University of Massachusetts-Lowell Lowell, MA · Public	76 70–77	$68,362/yr	11.9x
48	New Jersey Institute of Technology Newark, NJ · Public	76 70–77	$61,739/yr	12.0x
49	Rutgers University-New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ · Public	76 69–77	$56,360/yr	13.2x
50	Rutgers University-Newark Newark, NJ · Public	76 70–77	$56,360/yr	13.7x
51	CUNY Lehman College Bronx, NY · Public	76 70–77	$50,133/yr	24.3x
52	California State University-Fullerton Fullerton, CA · Public	75 69–76	$49,897/yr	23.8x
53	Christopher Newport University Newport News, VA · Public	75 68–76	$58,550/yr	12.5x
54	Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA · Public	75 69–76	$62,116/yr	12.2x
55	University of Illinois Chicago Chicago, IL · Public	74 67–75	$58,651/yr	12.8x
56	Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA · Private nonprofit	74 67–75	$80,731/yr	3.9x
57	University of Toledo Toledo, OH · Public	74 68–75	$50,920/yr	15.7x
58	Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania Slippery Rock, PA · Public	74 68–75	$49,369/yr	18.0x
59	Albright College Reading, PA · Private nonprofit	73 66–74	$80,329/yr	6.5x
60	University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI · Public	73 67–74	$51,582/yr	16.8x
61	Murray State University Murray, KY · Public	72 69–73	$43,178/yr	21.9x
62	Stockton University Galloway, NJ · Public	72 65–72	$56,594/yr	11.2x
63	CUNY Graduate School and University Center New York, NY · Public	72 66–73	$73,937/yr	23.9x
64	CUNY New York City College of Technology Brooklyn, NY · Public	72 67–73	$45,790/yr	23.1x
65	SUNY Buffalo State University Buffalo, NY · Public	72 65–72	$49,686/yr	17.8x
66	University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA · Public	72 66–73	$59,951/yr	9.3x
67	University of South Carolina-Upstate Spartanburg, SC · Public	72 66–73	$48,664/yr	15.4x
68	Radford University Radford, VA · Public	72 67–73	$46,446/yr	16.2x
69	Drexel University Philadelphia, PA · Private nonprofit	71 65–72	$78,755/yr	3.4x
70	Eastern Florida State College Melbourne, FL · Public	70 64–71	$57,313/yr	56.4x
71	Florida Institute of Technology Melbourne, FL · Private nonprofit	69 63–70	$59,368/yr	4.9x
72	Syracuse University Syracuse, NY · Private nonprofit	69 63–70	$73,033/yr	3.0x
73	University of California-Riverside Riverside, CA · Public	68 62–69	$76,090/yr	12.4x
74	Westfield State University Westfield, MA · Public	68 61–69	$52,728/yr	11.9x
75	Ramapo College of New Jersey Mahwah, NJ · Public	68 62–69	$49,568/yr	10.4x
76	Valdosta State University Valdosta, GA · Public	67 60–68	$51,888/yr	20.6x
77	DePaul University Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit	67 60–67	$60,468/yr	3.9x
78	Rasmussen University-Minnesota St. Cloud, MN · Private for-profit	67 61–68	$64,329/yr	13.8x
79	Pace University New York, NY · Private nonprofit	67 60–68	$52,116/yr	4.2x
80	SUNY Polytechnic Institute Utica, NY · Public	67 64–68	$42,604/yr	18.1x
81	Clemson University Clemson, SC · Public	67 61–68	$76,549/yr	11.3x
82	University of North Georgia Dahlonega, GA · Public	67 61–68	$50,539/yr	24.2x
83	Morgan State University Baltimore, MD · Public	66 60–67	$55,711/yr	16.2x
84	SUNY Old Westbury Old Westbury, NY · Public	66 60–67	$56,333/yr	15.8x
85	Rasmussen University-Wisconsin Green Bay, WI · Private for-profit	66 59–67	$64,329/yr	12.4x
86	Colorado State University Pueblo Pueblo, CO · Public	65 61–66	$44,712/yr	14.8x
87	Suffolk University Boston, MA · Private nonprofit	65 59–66	$56,780/yr	3.7x
88	SUNY College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill Cobleskill, NY · Public	65 61–66	$43,246/yr	16.2x
89	Rasmussen University-North Dakota Fargo, ND · Private for-profit	65 59–66	$64,329/yr	11.6x
90	Savannah State University Savannah, GA · Public	64 59–65	$46,840/yr	20.3x
91	Wayne State College Wayne, NE · Public	64 57–64	$49,981/yr	14.7x
92	CUNY Brooklyn College Brooklyn, NY · Public	64 58–65	$49,688/yr	15.7x
93	College of Charleston Charleston, SC · Public	64 58–65	$63,069/yr	11.1x
94	Rasmussen University-Illinois Rockford, IL · Private for-profit	64 58–65	$64,329/yr	10.9x
95	Rasmussen University-Florida Ocala, FL · Private for-profit	63 57–64	$64,329/yr	9.6x
96	State University of New York at Oswego Oswego, NY · Public	63 57–64	$50,862/yr	13.5x
97	Excelsior University Albany, NY · Private nonprofit	63 57–64	$88,713/yr	—
98	Bowling Green State University-Main Campus Bowling Green, OH · Public	63 56–63	$60,359/yr	9.7x
99	Cleveland State University Cleveland, OH · Public	63 56–63	$57,661/yr	10.4x
100	Norwich University Northfield, VT · Private nonprofit	63 57–64	$98,551/yr	4.0x
101	Rasmussen University-Kansas Topeka, KS · Private for-profit	63 57–64	$64,329/yr	9.5x
102	University of Arkansas at Little Rock Little Rock, AR · Public	62 56–63	$48,964/yr	13.5x
103	Northwestern University Evanston, IL · Private nonprofit	62 56–63	$102,998/yr	2.9x
104	University of Akron Main Campus Akron, OH · Public	62 55–63	$56,824/yr	10.1x
105	South University-Savannah Online Savannah, GA · Private for-profit	62 58–63	$44,682/yr	9.2x
106	South University-Montgomery Montgomery, AL · Private for-profit	61 56–62	$44,682/yr	8.2x
107	South University-Savannah Savannah, GA · Private for-profit	61 56–62	$44,682/yr	8.2x
108	University of North Texas Denton, TX · Public	61 55–62	$52,449/yr	10.7x
109	South University-Columbia Columbia, SC · Private for-profit	61 56–62	$44,682/yr	8.2x
110	South University-Tampa Tampa, FL · Private for-profit	61 56–62	$44,682/yr	8.2x
111	South University-Richmond Glen Allen, VA · Private for-profit	61 56–62	$44,682/yr	8.2x
112	South University-Virginia Beach Virginia Beach, VA · Private for-profit	61 56–62	$44,682/yr	8.2x
113	South University-Austin Round Rock, TX · Private for-profit	61 56–62	$44,682/yr	8.2x
114	Wentworth Institute of Technology Boston, MA · Private nonprofit	60 54–61	$72,095/yr	3.4x
115	Minnesota State University Moorhead Moorhead, MN · Public	60 54–61	$49,625/yr	11.0x
116	University of Kentucky Lexington, KY · Public	58 52–58	$49,165/yr	8.3x
117	Robert Morris University Moon Township, PA · Private nonprofit	58 52–59	$62,375/yr	3.5x
118	Bradley University Peoria, IL · Private nonprofit	56 49–57	$58,014/yr	2.7x
119	Elizabethtown College Elizabethtown, PA · Private nonprofit	56 49–57	$56,789/yr	2.9x
120	University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Flex Milwaukee, WI · Public	56 50–57	$51,582/yr	—
121	Coastal Carolina University Conway, SC · Public	54 59–55	$31,322/yr	15.9x
122	University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Green Bay, WI · Public	54 52–54	$41,041/yr	11.3x
123	University of Michigan-Flint Flint, MI · Public	53 49–54	$44,184/yr	6.9x
124	University of Baltimore Baltimore, MD · Public	51 52–52	$37,417/yr	12.0x
125	Xavier University Cincinnati, OH · Private nonprofit	51 45–52	$49,285/yr	1.6x
126	Northern Kentucky University Highland Heights, KY · Public	50 55–51	$31,390/yr	14.1x
127	Western Oregon University Monmouth, OR · Public	48 48–49	$39,320/yr	7.9x
128	Alabama State University Montgomery, AL · Public	37 42–38	$30,651/yr	9.0x
129	Saint Mary's University of Minnesota Winona, MN · Private nonprofit	29 31–30	$25,534/yr	0.5x

FAQ

Frequently asked

What is the best school for Information Science?

Based on our DegreeOutlook Score, Utah Valley University ranks #1 for Information Science with a score of 86/100 and graduate earnings of $79,918/yr.

How much do Information Science graduates earn?

Across 129 schools, Information Science graduates earn an average of $59,434/yr in their first year. The highest-earning program reports $102,998/yr.

Is Information Science a good major for AI resistance?

Information Science has an average AI task exposure of 59%, 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.