2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Computer Science (With Aid)
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking.
In 2019-2020, 53,722 people earned their degree in computer science, making the major the 19th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, computer science graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $66,561 and had an average of $23,565 in loans still to pay off.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 35,954 computer science graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 409 colleges that offer a degree in computer science. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality computer science programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the computer science program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Computer Science (With Aid)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Seattle, Washington, and it awarded 378 bachelors’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.
UW Seattle also claimed a top spot on our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for UW Seattle is $13,297 for Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The low student loan default rate of 2.2% 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 University of Washington - Seattle Campus
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Stanford, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s compsci degrees to 307 students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Stanford, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford University is $11,496 for Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students with aid.
The low 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Harvard University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Harvard University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 190 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Harvard also took the #6 spot in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Harvard University is $15,386 for Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students with aid.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Out of the 409 schools in the Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and it awarded 379 bachelors’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UNC Chapel Hill is also in the top of our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for UNC Chapel Hill is $12,352 for Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Computer Science at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. MIT is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It awarded 424 bachelors’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.
MIT did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology is $16,636 for bachelor’s degree compsci students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 98%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well in the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #6. UIUC is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 291 bachelors’s compsci degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIUC, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $15,880 for bachelor’s degree compsci students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%.
Purdue University - Main Campus came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. West Lafayette, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s compsci degrees to 469 students in 2019-2020.
On top of its placing in this ranking, Purdue also did well on our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $13,986 for Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students with aid per year to attend Purdue.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
With a ranking of #8, Hunter College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Hunter College is a large school located in New York, New York that handed out 117 bachelors’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $2,490 for Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students with aid per year to attend Hunter.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is a public institution located in Edinburg, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 104 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is $4,514 for bachelor’s degree compsci students with aid.
The low student loan default rate of 4.8% 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%.
Queens College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. QC is a public institution located in Queens, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 272 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for QC is $3,067 for Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students with aid.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
California State University - Los Angeles came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Cal State LA is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 119 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Cal State LA is $2,768 for Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students with aid.
The low student loan default rate of 1.4% 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 California State University - Los Angeles Computer Science Report
With a ranking of #12, The City College of New York did quite well on the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. CCNY is a fairly large school located in New York, New York that handed out 102 bachelors’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend The City College of New York is $2,385 for Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students with aid.
Read full report on Computer Science at The City College of New York
University of California - Berkeley landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school handed out 845 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s compsci students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree compsci students with aid list, UC Berkeley has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Berkeley is $15,329 for Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students with aid.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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 University of California - Berkeley
University of California - Irvine did quite well in the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #14. UC Irvine is a public institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 805 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UC Irvine excels when it comes to compsci quality. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category. It costs about $14,783 for bachelor’s degree compsci students with aid per year to attend UC Irvine.
The low student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Computer Science at University of California - Irvine
Lehman College ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Bronx, New York is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s compsci degrees to 81 students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $1,814 for bachelor’s degree compsci students with aid per year to attend Lehman College.
California State University - Fullerton ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Fullerton is a public institution located in Fullerton, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 264 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Cal State Fullerton is $7,991 for Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full California State University - Fullerton Computer Science Report
Western Governors University landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Western Governors University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Salt Lake City, Utah. The school has a large population, and it awarded 135 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend WGU is $9,805 for bachelor’s degree compsci students with aid.
The low student loan default rate of 4.1% 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 Western Governors University
University of Maryland - College Park landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. UMCP is a public institution located in College Park, Maryland. The school has a large population, and it awarded 746 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UMCP also claimed a top spot on our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UMCP is $19,045 for bachelor’s degree compsci students with aid.
The low student loan default rate of 2.4% 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 95%.
Full University of Maryland - College Park Computer Science Report
University of California - San Diego ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 435 bachelors’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.
On top of its placing in this ranking, UCSD also did well on our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UCSD is $14,232 for bachelor’s degree compsci students with aid.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Full University of California - San Diego Computer Science Report
Amherst College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #20. Located in Amherst, Massachusetts, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 46 degrees to qualified bachelors’s compsci students in 2019-2020.
Amherst also made our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #21. It costs about $18,524 for Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students with aid per year to attend Amherst.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 3.8% 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%.
California State University - Dominguez Hills landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Carson, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s compsci degrees to 57 students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - Dominguez Hills is $4,215 for bachelor’s degree compsci students with aid.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Brigham Young University - Idaho ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Brigham Young University - Idaho is located in Rexburg, Idaho and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 45 bachelors’s compsci degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for BYU - I is $7,167 for bachelor’s degree compsci students with aid.
The low student loan default rate of 3.2% 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 Brigham Young University - Idaho
Brigham Young University - Provo ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Provo, Utah, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 181 degrees to qualified bachelors’s compsci students in 2019-2020.
BYU excels when it comes to compsci quality. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend BYU is $13,322 for Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students with aid.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive 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 Brigham Young University - Provo
North Carolina State University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. North Carolina State University is located in Raleigh, North Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 232 bachelors’s compsci degrees to qualified students.
NC State also claimed a top spot on our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for NC State is $16,458 for Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students with aid.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Brooklyn College ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Brooklyn, New York is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s compsci degrees to 3 students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $2,683 for bachelor’s degree compsci students with aid per year to attend Brooklyn College.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Rest of the Best 50 in Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid
While not in the ‘top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | California State University - San Bernardino | San Bernardino, CA |
| 52 | University of Minnesota - Twin Cities | Minneapolis, MN |
| 53 | California State University - Sacramento | Sacramento, CA |
| 53 | Cornell University | Ithaca, NY |
| 55 | College of Staten Island CUNY | Staten Island, NY |
| 56 | Williams College | Williamstown, MA |
| 57 | University of Missouri - St Louis | Saint Louis, MO |
| 58 | University of Nevada - Las Vegas | Las Vegas, NV |
| 59 | Utah Valley University | Orem, UT |
| 60 | Indiana University - Northwest | Gary, IN |
| 61 | North Carolina A & T State University | Greensboro, NC |
| 62 | University of Illinois at Springfield | Springfield, IL |
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Notes and References
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
Footnotes
- *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Negative Space.
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