Best colleges for computer science in California

    California Institute of Technology ranks first in California for computer science value (#2 nationally, value score 94.3): graduates earn $200,511 4 years after the bachelor's degree, and the average net price is $8,509 a year.

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition · Source: College Scorecard field of study, reporting year 2025 · 41 California colleges ranked · Updated November 4, 2026

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    Best computer science colleges in California

    California Institute of Technology ranks first in California for computer science value (#2 nationally, value score 94.3): graduates earn $200,511 4 years after the bachelor's degree, and the average net price is $8,509 a year. 41 California colleges qualify. At the median one, computer science graduates earn $106,181 and the average net price is $13,751 a year.

    Source: U.S. College Scorecard field of study, 2025

    What the data shows

    Key findings

    • 41 California colleges qualify. At the median one, computer science graduates earn $106,181 and the average net price is $13,751 a year.
    • The highest computer science earnings in the state are at Pomona College ($217,051), ranked #8 in the state once cost, debt and graduation rate count.
    • The lowest average net price among them is at California State University-Los Angeles: $2,385 a year.
    Median earnings
    $106,181
    National: $97,375
    Median net price
    $13,751
    National: $16,804
    Median federal debt
    $15,611
    computer science graduates
    Public colleges
    28 of 41
    in this list

    41 colleges

    The California ranking

    Ordered by the national value score; the national rank is shown with each college. Earnings are medians 4 years after the bachelor's degree.

    1. Rank in California 1

      California Institute of Technology

      Pasadena, CA · Private nonprofit · #2 nationally

      94.3Value
      Earnings
      $200,511
      Net price
      $8,509
      Federal debt
      Not reported
      Graduation rate
      90%
    2. Rank in California 2

      Stanford University

      Stanford, CA · Private nonprofit · #5 nationally

      92.4Value
      Earnings
      $214,907
      Net price
      $12,307
      Federal debt
      $12,000
      Graduation rate
      92%
    3. Rank in California 3

      University of California-Berkeley

      Berkeley, CA · Public · #9 nationally

      89.3Value
      Earnings
      $204,379
      Net price
      $14,538
      Federal debt
      $13,289
      Graduation rate
      94%
    4. Rank in California 4

      University of California-San Diego

      La Jolla, CA · Public · #17 nationally

      85.0Value
      Earnings
      $159,487
      Net price
      $14,794
      Federal debt
      $14,000
      Graduation rate
      86%
    5. Rank in California 5

      University of California-Davis

      Davis, CA · Public · #20 nationally

      83.7Value
      Earnings
      $138,673
      Net price
      $14,318
      Federal debt
      $11,000
      Graduation rate
      86%
    6. Rank in California 6

      University of California-Irvine

      Irvine, CA · Public · #27 nationally

      82.0Value
      Earnings
      $127,404
      Net price
      $13,866
      Federal debt
      $14,000
      Graduation rate
      87%
    7. Rank in California 7

      University of California-Santa Barbara

      Santa Barbara, CA · Public · #28 nationally

      80.8Value
      Earnings
      $149,190
      Net price
      $16,807
      Federal debt
      $10,000
      Graduation rate
      84%
    8. Rank in California 8

      Pomona College

      Claremont, CA · Private nonprofit · #34 nationally

      79.0Value
      Earnings
      $217,051
      Net price
      $18,978
      Federal debt
      Not reported
      Graduation rate
      92%
    9. Rank in California 9

      California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

      San Luis Obispo, CA · Public · #36 nationally

      78.4Value
      Earnings
      $154,784
      Net price
      $18,832
      Federal debt
      $15,000
      Graduation rate
      87%
    10. Rank in California 10

      University of California-Riverside

      Riverside, CA · Public · #43 nationally

      77.3Value
      Earnings
      $117,705
      Net price
      $12,672
      Federal debt
      $15,611
      Graduation rate
      75%
    11. Rank in California 11

      California State University-East Bay

      Hayward, CA · Public · #47 nationally

      75.3Value
      Earnings
      $119,900
      Net price
      $6,858
      Federal debt
      $15,750
      Graduation rate
      49%
    12. Rank in California 12

      California State University-Chico

      Chico, CA · Public · #52 nationally

      74.1Value
      Earnings
      $127,498
      Net price
      $14,157
      Federal debt
      $17,500
      Graduation rate
      60%
    13. Rank in California 13

      University of Southern California

      Los Angeles, CA · Private nonprofit · #54 nationally

      73.5Value
      Earnings
      $192,897
      Net price
      $33,056
      Federal debt
      $16,550
      Graduation rate
      90%
    14. Rank in California 14

      Harvey Mudd College

      Claremont, CA · Private nonprofit · #60 nationally

      72.1Value
      Earnings
      $198,257
      Net price
      $39,347
      Federal debt
      $22,232
      Graduation rate
      93%
    15. Rank in California 15

      California State Polytechnic University-Pomona

      Pomona, CA · Public · #66 nationally

      70.9Value
      Earnings
      $103,494
      Net price
      $9,404
      Federal debt
      $15,000
      Graduation rate
      68%
    16. Rank in California 16

      University of California-Santa Cruz

      Santa Cruz, CA · Public · #68 nationally

      70.6Value
      Earnings
      $123,422
      Net price
      $18,549
      Federal debt
      $15,482
      Graduation rate
      74%
    17. Rank in California 17

      California State University-Long Beach

      Long Beach, CA · Public · #69 nationally

      70.5Value
      Earnings
      $101,428
      Net price
      $9,426
      Federal debt
      $14,673
      Graduation rate
      70%
    18. Rank in California 18

      Sonoma State University

      Rohnert Park, CA · Public · #71 nationally

      70.2Value
      Earnings
      $106,181
      Net price
      $10,759
      Federal debt
      $12,500
      Graduation rate
      55%
    19. Rank in California 19

      San Diego State University

      San Diego, CA · Public · #75 nationally

      69.3Value
      Earnings
      $100,586
      Net price
      $13,243
      Federal debt
      $13,000
      Graduation rate
      78%
    20. Rank in California 20

      University of San Diego

      San Diego, CA · Private nonprofit · #81 nationally

      68.5Value
      Earnings
      $149,847
      Net price
      $29,539
      Federal debt
      $21,000
      Graduation rate
      81%
    21. Rank in California 21

      University of the Pacific

      Stockton, CA · Private nonprofit · #84 nationally

      68.2Value
      Earnings
      $147,511
      Net price
      $24,186
      Federal debt
      $21,526
      Graduation rate
      73%
    22. Rank in California 22

      California State University-Northridge

      Northridge, CA · Public · #90 nationally

      67.7Value
      Earnings
      $101,348
      Net price
      $6,346
      Federal debt
      $15,500
      Graduation rate
      57%
    23. Rank in California 23

      California State University-Channel Islands

      Camarillo, CA · Public · #97 nationally

      65.5Value
      Earnings
      $100,887
      Net price
      $8,534
      Federal debt
      $15,625
      Graduation rate
      55%
    24. Rank in California 24

      San Francisco State University

      San Francisco, CA · Public · #100 nationally

      64.9Value
      Earnings
      $105,166
      Net price
      $9,803
      Federal debt
      $17,062
      Graduation rate
      50%
    25. Rank in California 25

      University of San Francisco

      San Francisco, CA · Private nonprofit · #108 nationally

      64.0Value
      Earnings
      $150,341
      Net price
      $30,496
      Federal debt
      $21,819
      Graduation rate
      66%
    26. Rank in California 26

      California State University-Monterey Bay

      Seaside, CA · Public · #125 nationally

      62.6Value
      Earnings
      $101,787
      Net price
      $13,861
      Federal debt
      $15,833
      Graduation rate
      63%
    27. Rank in California 27

      California State University-San Marcos

      San Marcos, CA · Public · #126 nationally

      62.5Value
      Earnings
      $97,827
      Net price
      $10,939
      Federal debt
      $14,094
      Graduation rate
      55%
    28. Rank in California 28

      Loyola Marymount University

      Los Angeles, CA · Private nonprofit · #162 nationally

      58.5Value
      Earnings
      $127,011
      Net price
      $50,518
      Federal debt
      $21,500
      Graduation rate
      79%
    29. Rank in California 29

      California State University-Sacramento

      Sacramento, CA · Public · #164 nationally

      58.4Value
      Earnings
      $92,519
      Net price
      $11,186
      Federal debt
      $13,220
      Graduation rate
      54%
    30. Rank in California 30

      California State University-Fullerton

      Fullerton, CA · Public · #170 nationally

      57.9Value
      Earnings
      $87,460
      Net price
      $5,115
      Federal debt
      $15,000
      Graduation rate
      68%
    31. Rank in California 31

      California State University-Los Angeles

      Los Angeles, CA · Public · #177 nationally

      57.4Value
      Earnings
      $87,525
      Net price
      $2,385
      Federal debt
      $12,875
      Graduation rate
      55%
    32. Rank in California 32

      Chapman University

      Orange, CA · Private nonprofit · #203 nationally

      53.5Value
      Earnings
      $112,780
      Net price
      $46,708
      Federal debt
      $20,500
      Graduation rate
      83%
    33. Rank in California 33

      California State University-Stanislaus

      Turlock, CA · Public · #264 nationally

      46.1Value
      Earnings
      $71,601
      Net price
      $3,565
      Federal debt
      $11,622
      Graduation rate
      52%
    34. Rank in California 34

      California State University-San Bernardino

      San Bernardino, CA · Public · #313 nationally

      39.4Value
      Earnings
      $66,202
      Net price
      $3,946
      Federal debt
      $14,000
      Graduation rate
      53%
    35. Rank in California 35

      California State University-Fresno

      Fresno, CA · Public · #316 nationally

      39.2Value
      Earnings
      $71,490
      Net price
      $5,418
      Federal debt
      $17,000
      Graduation rate
      58%
    36. Rank in California 36

      California State University-Bakersfield

      Bakersfield, CA · Public · #325 nationally

      38.4Value
      Earnings
      $80,432
      Net price
      $4,001
      Federal debt
      $21,250
      Graduation rate
      48%
    37. Rank in California 37

      University of La Verne

      La Verne, CA · Private nonprofit · #367 nationally

      32.4Value
      Earnings
      $90,694
      Net price
      $20,523
      Federal debt
      $26,529
      Graduation rate
      61%
    38. Rank in California 38

      California State University-Dominguez Hills

      Carson, CA · Public · #410 nationally

      27.3Value
      Earnings
      $59,603
      Net price
      $7,244
      Federal debt
      $18,250
      Graduation rate
      42%
    39. Rank in California 39

      California Polytechnic State University-Humboldt

      Arcata, CA · Public · #420 nationally

      26.3Value
      Earnings
      $74,620
      Net price
      $13,751
      Federal debt
      $20,389
      Graduation rate
      44%
    40. Rank in California 40

      National University-California

      La Jolla, CA · Private nonprofit · #422 nationally

      26.1Value
      Earnings
      $95,555
      Net price
      $24,008
      Federal debt
      $37,738
      Graduation rate
      43%
    41. Rank in California 41

      California Lutheran University

      Thousand Oaks, CA · Private nonprofit · #448 nationally

      20.9Value
      Earnings
      $77,030
      Net price
      $26,445
      Federal debt
      $23,125
      Graduation rate
      69%

    Method: the same value score as the national computer science ranking (earnings, debt relative to earnings, average net price and graduation rate, each a national percentile). Data: College Scorecard, reporting year 2025; 2026–27 edition, verified Nov 2026.

    Questions about computer science colleges in California

    What are the best colleges for computer science in California?

    By CollegesRef value score, the top 3 California colleges for computer science are California Institute of Technology (value score 94.3), Stanford University (value score 92.4) and University of California-Berkeley (value score 89.3). The score weighs graduate earnings, debt relative to earnings, average net price and graduation rate.

    Which California college has the highest earnings for computer science graduates?

    Pomona College: its computer science graduates have median earnings of $217,051 4 years after the bachelor's degree.

    What is the most affordable computer science college in California on this list?

    California State University-Los Angeles has the lowest average net price of the ranked California colleges, $2,385 a year after grants. A family's own price depends on income and aid.

    How many California colleges are ranked for computer science?

    41 California colleges have a computer science bachelor's program with enough graduates and reported earnings, plus a published net price and graduation rate. Ranks shown are national; the state rank is their order within California.