College ROI Report
Updated 2024
Best-value Colleges for Computer science
According to Payscale’s College ROI Report, computer science majors have the best 20-year net return on investment out of any degrees on the list, which can probably be credited to the high earning potential a computer science degree warrants in today’s technology-driven world.
| Rank | School Name | 20 Year Net ROI | Total 4 Year Cost | Graduation Rate | Typical Years to Graduate | Average Loan Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank:1 | School Name: Stanford University (Private) | 20 Year Net ROI:$2,014,000 | Total 4 Year Cost:$314,000 | Graduation Rate:95% | Typical Years to Graduate:4 | Average Loan Amount:$52,000 |
| Rank:2 | School Name: University of California-Berkeley (In-State) | 20 Year Net ROI:$1,764,000 | Total 4 Year Cost:$165,000 | Graduation Rate:94% | Typical Years to Graduate:4 | Average Loan Amount:$29,000 |
| Rank:3 | School Name: Harvey Mudd College (Private) | 20 Year Net ROI:$1,740,000 | Total 4 Year Cost:$326,000 | Graduation Rate:92% | Typical Years to Graduate:4 | Average Loan Amount:$29,900 |
| Rank:4 | School Name: Brown University (Private) | 20 Year Net ROI:$1,728,000 | Total 4 Year Cost:$324,000 | Graduation Rate:95% | Typical Years to Graduate:4 | Average Loan Amount:$40,200 |
| Rank:5 | School Name: Princeton University (Private) | 20 Year Net ROI:$1,679,000 | Total 4 Year Cost:$301,000 | Graduation Rate:97% | Typical Years to Graduate:4 | Average Loan Amount:$30,200 |
| Rank:6 | School Name: Georgetown University (Private) | 20 Year Net ROI:$1,665,000 | Total 4 Year Cost:$321,000 | Graduation Rate:96% | Typical Years to Graduate:4 | Average Loan Amount:$35,900 |
| Rank:7 | School Name:_50px.png) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Private) | 20 Year Net ROI:$1,649,000 | Total 4 Year Cost:$302,000 | Graduation Rate:95% | Typical Years to Graduate:4 | Average Loan Amount:$55,200 |
| Rank:8 | School Name:University of California-Berkeley (Out-of-State) | 20 Year Net ROI:$1,645,000 | Total 4 Year Cost:$285,000 | Graduation Rate:94% | Typical Years to Graduate:4 | Average Loan Amount:$29,000 |
| Rank:9 | School Name: Harvard University (Private) | 20 Year Net ROI:$1,610,000 | Total 4 Year Cost:$311,000 | Graduation Rate:98% | Typical Years to Graduate:4 | Average Loan Amount:$36,000 |
| Rank:10 | School Name: Yale University (Private) | 20 Year Net ROI:$1,610,000 | Total 4 Year Cost:$323,000 | Graduation Rate:98% | Typical Years to Graduate:4 | Average Loan Amount:$19,700 |
In case you hadn’t noticed, technology is ubiquitous these days, permeating every facet of our world, from the iPhone in your pocket to Google’s self-driving cars roaming the streets outside your office. This explosion in tech means there’s a relative scarcity of employees who can invent, code, develop build it all, and computer science and math majors are poised to cash in on that shortage. Payscale’s College ROI Report provides expected return on investment for different majors based on expected 20-year earnings for alumni from top universities across the nation, and the return on investment for computer science majors is the highest overall. And by using the College ROI Report, computer science majors can use the findings to make an informed decision of which computer science programs offer the best return for their educational dollar.
Perennially coming in as one for best value colleges for computer science majors is Stanford University in Silicon Valley, home to some of the largest high-tech companies and startups in the world. Stanford might top the charts for best college for students to pursue a computer science degree, but it, unfortunately, is also at the top of the list for having one of the worst college mascots; a tree (‘Cardinal”, if you’re feeling fancy). In fact, Stanford doesn’t actually have a mascot, the school unofficially reverted to “Cardinal” because it was the university’s color. Official mascot or not, Stanford’s graduation rate is still near perfect at 96 percent.
Another high-ranked school for computer science majors in our College ROI report is a consistently high performer across the board: UC Berkeley.
All three top-tier best value colleges for computer science majors prove to be wise investments. One thing’s for sure, computer science majors can expect one of the most lucrative ROIs out of any degree on the College ROI Report. Use Payscale’s College ROI Report to see how well a computer science degree from your current or potential university pays its alumni back in the real world.
More rankings for best-value colleges:
Put a badge on it
Did your school rank well in one or more of the categories of the 2024 Payscale College ROI Report? You can easily share that good news with the world by placing a College ROI Report badge on your website.
EMBED CODE:
College salary report
Get up-to-date information on which colleges, degrees, and majors pay the most with breakouts for bachelor's degrees and associate's degrees by state and by type as well as common jobs by major with mid-career median pay.
Go to the report
The impact of a college degree on compensation
Learn how a bachelor’s degree affects salaries and which jobs see the most differentiation and get thought leadership and HR industry insights on how to manage graduate pay premiums and prepare for skills-based pay.
Go to the report