2023 Best Value Colleges for Computer Science (Income $0-$30k)
385
Ranked Colleges
59,565
Degrees Awarded
$4,400
Avg Net Price*
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Computer Science is the 12th most popular major in the country with 59,565 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, computer science graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $67,538 and had an average of $23,620 in loans still to pay off.
This year’s “Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 385 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in computer science. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent computer science programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the computer science program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
More Ways to Rank Computer Science Schools
When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for compsci students whose families make $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Computer Science (Income $0-$30k)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Duke University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Durham, North Carolina is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s compsci degrees to 404 students in 2020-2021.
Duke also took the #3 spot in our “Best Computer Science Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Duke University is $371 for compsci students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Duke University Computer Science Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Stanford University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 628 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Stanford also took the #1 spot in our “Best Computer Science Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford University is $1,233 for CompSci students whose families make $0-$30k.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Computer Science at Stanford University
Out of the 385 schools in the Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Brown University landed the #3 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Providence, Rhode Island, and it awarded 319 ’s compsci degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our compsci students whose families make $0-$30k list, Brown has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Computer Science Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Brown is $1,468 for compsci students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on Computer Science at Brown University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 692 diplomas to qualified ’s compsci students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our compsci students whose families make $0-$30k list, MIT has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Computer Science Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Massachusetts Institute of Technology is $5,193 for compsci students whose families make $0-$30k.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full MIT Computer Science Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Harvard University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. Harvard University is a large school located in Cambridge, Massachusetts that handed out 187 ’s compsci degrees in 2020-2021.
Harvard also made our “Best Computer Science Schools” list, coming in at #9. The estimated yearly cost for Harvard is $2,564 for compsci students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Computer Science at Harvard
With a ranking of #6, University of Pennsylvania did quite well on the 2023 Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 199 diplomas to qualified ’s compsci students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UPenn, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Computer Science Schools” ranking. It costs about $580 for compsci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Pennsylvania.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full University of Pennsylvania Computer Science Report
With a ranking of #7, University of Chicago did quite well on the 2023 Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. UChicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 337 ’s compsci degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our compsci students whose families make $0-$30k list, UChicago has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Computer Science Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UChicago is $2,500 for CompSci students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Computer Science at University of Chicago
California Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2023 Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. Pasadena, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s compsci degrees to 84 students in 2020-2021.
Caltech did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Computer Science Schools” list. It costs about $-539 for compsci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California Institute of Technology. The negative number means the student will receive more financial aid on average than it costs to attend the school.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Read full report on Computer Science at Caltech
Vanderbilt University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 229 degrees to qualified ’s compsci students in 2020-2021.
Vanderbilt also made our “Best Computer Science Schools” list, coming in at #13. The estimated yearly cost for Vanderbilt is $3,176 for CompSci students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Read full report on Computer Science at Vanderbilt University
Northwestern University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Northwestern is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 227 ’s compsci degrees in 2020-2021.
Northwestern also made our “Best Computer Science Schools” list, coming in at #21. It costs about $245 for CompSci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Northwestern University.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Full Northwestern Computer Science Report
Cornell University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Cornell is located in Ithaca, New York and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 744 ’s compsci degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our compsci students whose families make $0-$30k list, Cornell has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Computer Science Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cornell is $5,244 for CompSci students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on Computer Science at Cornell
Williams College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Williams College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Williamstown, Massachusetts. The school has a small population, and it awarded 46 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Williams not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #23 on our “Best Computer Science Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Williams is $1,451 for compsci students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%.
Full Williams College Computer Science Report
With a ranking of #13, Washington University in St Louis did quite well on the 2023 Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Saint Louis, Missouri is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s compsci degrees to 280 students in 2020-2021.
WUSTL did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Computer Science Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend WUSTL is $1,556 for CompSci students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Computer Science at Washington University in St Louis
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UNC Chapel Hill is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 461 ’s compsci degrees to qualified students.
UNC Chapel Hill did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #25 on our “Best Computer Science Schools” list. It costs about $3,753 for CompSci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UNC Chapel Hill.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Computer Science Report
With a ranking of #15, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on the 2023 Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 901 ’s compsci degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our compsci students whose families make $0-$30k list, UIUC has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Computer Science Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UIUC is $4,858 for compsci students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full UIUC Computer Science Report
University of California - Berkeley landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 856 ’s compsci degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Computer Science Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Berkeley is $8,450 for compsci students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full UC Berkeley Computer Science Report
Tufts University landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Tufts University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Medford, Massachusetts. It awarded 237 ’s compsci degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Tufts, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best Computer Science Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Tufts is $8,122 for compsci students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Full Tufts Computer Science Report
Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Purdue University - Main Campus is a large school located in West Lafayette, Indiana that handed out 572 ’s compsci degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Purdue, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best Computer Science Schools” ranking. It costs about $5,995 for compsci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Purdue University - Main Campus.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Computer Science at Purdue
Columbia University in the City of New York came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in New York, New York, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 898 degrees to qualified ’s compsci students in 2020-2021.
Columbia not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Computer Science Schools” list. It costs about $9,873 for compsci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Columbia.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full Columbia Computer Science Report
With a ranking of #20, Georgetown University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Georgetown University is located in Washington, District of Columbia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 85 ’s compsci degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on this list, Georgetown is in the top on our “Best Computer Science Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for Georgetown University is $3,077 for CompSci students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Full Georgetown Computer Science Report
University of Washington - Seattle Campus ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. UW Seattle is a public institution located in Seattle, Washington. The school has a large population, and it awarded 470 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UW Seattle also made our “Best Computer Science Schools” list, coming in at #16. The yearly cost to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus is $5,194 for compsci students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Computer Science at University of Washington - Seattle Campus
With a ranking of #22, University of Maryland - College Park did quite well on the 2023 Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. UMCP is a large public school situated in College Park, Maryland. It awarded 929 ’s compsci degrees in 2020-2021.
UMCP also made our “Best Computer Science Schools” list, coming in at #18. The yearly cost to attend University of Maryland - College Park is $6,067 for CompSci students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Maryland - College Park Computer Science Report
Carnegie Mellon University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #23. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s compsci degrees to 340 students in 2020-2021.
Carnegie Mellon did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Computer Science Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Carnegie Mellon is $16,456 for CompSci students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Full Carnegie Mellon University Computer Science Report
Amherst College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #24. Amherst is located in Amherst, Massachusetts and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 34 ’s compsci degrees to qualified students.
Amherst also claimed a top spot on our “Best Computer Science Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for Amherst College is $4,468 for CompSci students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Computer Science at Amherst College
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well in the 2023 Best Value CompSci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #25. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a public institution located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school has a large population, and it awarded 645 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
On top of its placing in this ranking, UMN Twin Cities also did well on our “Best Computer Science Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $7,698 for compsci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UMN Twin Cities.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Computer Science at UMN Twin Cities
