2025 Best Colleges for Computer Science

Academic Highlights: Undergraduates pursue one of 58 majors and 59 minors at this world-class research institution. The student-to-faculty ratio is an astonishing 3-to-1, and even with a substantial focus on graduate programs, the class sizes are intimate. Over two-fifths of all class sections have single-digit enrollments, and 66% of courses contain fewer than twenty students. MIT is known for having one of the best formalized undergraduate research programs in the country. The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) operates year-round and helped connect 93%+ of students to a research experience with an MIT faculty member. Studying abroad is strongly encouraged; almost half participate.

Professional Outcomes: The Class of 2023 saw 49% of its members enter the world of employment and 43% continue on their educational paths. The top employers included Amazon, Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, Google, General Motors, the US Navy, Apple, Bain & Company, and McKinsey. The median starting salary for an MIT bachelor’s degree holder was $110,000. The most frequently attended graduate schools are a who’s who of elite institutions including MIT itself, Stanford, Cornell, Harvard, and Johns Hopkins.

Academic Highlights: A virtually unmatched 6:1 student-to-faculty ratio sets students up for a personalized classroom experience and an incredible amount of face time with some of the leaders in their respective fields. Sixty-nine percent of classes have fewer than twenty students, and 32% have a single-digit enrollment. Stanford puts immense resources behind undergraduate research; more than $6.5 million in grant funding is allocated each year to support roughly 1,100 student research projects. Close to 900 students study abroad annually through the Bing Overseas Studies Program in 12 international cities.

Professional Outcomes: Stanford grads entering the working world flock to three major industries: business development, engineering, and education. Among the companies employing the largest number of grads are Google, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Amazon, NVIDIA, and OpenAI. A sizable number of newly minted Cardinals dive into the world of entrepreneurship. San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles were the top three US destinations for recent grads. Starting salaries for Stanford grads are among the highest in the country.

Academic Highlights: Across all six divisions at Caltech, there are 28 distinct majors. Possessing an absurdly favorable 3:1 student-to-faculty ratio, plenty of individualized attention is up for grabs. Class sizes are not quite as tiny as the student-to-faculty ratio might suggest, but 66% of courses enroll fewer than twenty students, and 28% enroll fewer than ten. Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF) enjoy wide participation with 90% of undergraduates partaking, and 20% of that group going on to publish their results.

Professional Outcomes: Caltech is a rare school that sees six-figure average starting salaries for its graduates; in 2023, the median base salary range was 110k-119k. Forty-four percent of recent grads went directly into the workforce and found homes at tech giants such as Google, NVIDIA, Microsoft, Apple, and Meta. A healthy 43% of those receiving their diplomas in 2023 continued directly on the higher education path, immediately entering graduate school. Seventy-four percent of these students were admitted to their top-choice school.

Academic Highlights: More than 150 undergraduate majors and minors are available across six schools. Undergrads will encounter a mix of large lectures (20% of sections contain more than 50 students) and tiny, single-digit enrollments in seminar-style courses (21% of sections contain nine or fewer students). Plenty of undergraduate research opportunities exist, with many facilitated by the Office of Undergraduate Research & Scholarships; 48% of students participate in research during their time at Berkeley. Over 200 study abroad opportunities are available for those who desire them, and approximately 1,800 undergrads take advantage each year.

Professional Outcomes: Upon graduating, 53% of Cal’s Class of 2023 had already secured employment, and 17% were headed to graduate school. The median starting salary was $94,000 across all majors. Thousands of alumni can be found in the offices of Google, Apple, Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft, and 500+ Golden Bears are currently employed by NVIDIA and LinkedIn. The school is the number one all-time producer of Peace Corps volunteers. For those continuing their education, most chose to stay at UC Berkeley, with Stanford, the University of Southern California, Columbia, and Harvard rounding out the top five grad school destinations.

Academic Highlights: The academic experience at Columbia is driven by the famed Core Curriculum that lays out an extensive to-do list that includes highly specified courses rather than categorical requirements. Class sizes at Columbia are reasonably small and the student-to-faculty ratio is favorable; however, in 2022, it was revealed that the university had been submitting faulty data in this area. It is presently believed that 59% of undergraduate courses enroll 19 or fewer students. More than 570 students per year participate in the Columbia Overseas Program. A little over one-quarter of the students leave Manhattan for a foreign country during their four years of study. Undergraduate research is taken seriously by the university, which offers multiple avenues through which students can work side-by-side with faculty on their projects or pursue funding for their own original research ideas.

Professional Outcomes: The companies hiring the largest number of Lions in 2023 were among the most desirable employers in the world including Amazon, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Google, Citi, McKinsey, and Microsoft. Those moving on to graduate/professional school were welcomed in large numbers into other universities of Columbia’s ilk. In addition to remaining at Columbia (the most popular choice), the top ten institutions attended were Stanford, Harvard, NYU, Yale, Carnegie Mellon, UChicago, Oxford, Princeton, and MIT.

Academic Highlights: Impressively, particularly for a school with more graduate students than undergrads, CMU boasts a 6:1 student-to-faculty ratio and small class sizes, with roughly one-third containing single digits and 68% having an enrollment of nineteen or fewer. In a given school year, 800+ undergraduates conduct research through the University Research Office, and many others participated through various outside arrangements. Between 500-600 students study abroad for a semester each year in such countries as Japan, China, and Germany.

Professional Outcomes: By the end of the calendar year in which they received their diplomas, 74% of recent grads were employed, and 17% were continuing to graduate school. The companies that have routinely scooped up CMU grads include Google, Meta, Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, TikTok, and NVIDIA. With an average starting salary of $124,107, CMU grads outpace the average starting salary for a college grad nationally.

Academic Highlights: There are 280+ undergraduate degree programs across fourteen schools and colleges. Michigan sports a 15:1 student-to-faculty ratio, and 18% of classes contain 50 or more students, but a solid 53% of classes offer a more intimate experience with fewer than 20 students. The Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program draws in 1,300 participants each year who partner with 800+ research mentors. For students in all academic programs at Michigan, study abroad opportunities are taken advantage of at high rates. In fact, the university is second in the nation in the number of students it sends to study in foreign lands.

Professional Outcomes: Within three months of graduating, 89% of LSA grads are employed full-time or in graduate school. The median salary across all majors is approximately 70k. Top employers include PwC, EY, JPMorgan Chase, Deloitte, Citi, Bank of America, and Capital One.  Within six months, 93% of engineering grads are employed (average salary of $99k) or in grad school. General Motors, Ford, Google, Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft employ the greatest number of alumni.

Academic Highlights: Class sizes are on the small side—74% are nineteen or fewer, and almost one-quarter are less than ten. A stellar 5:1 student-to-faculty ratio helps keep classes so reasonable even while catering to five figures worth of graduate students. The Undergraduate Research Support Office does great work connecting students with opportunities to conduct research, either over the summer or during the regular school year. All told, more than half of undergraduates conduct research. More Duke students pursue a semester abroad than students at any other top ten research institution—roughly half elect to venture off to one of the school’s 300 partner programs scattered around the world.

Professional Outcomes: At graduation, approximately 76% of Duke diploma-earners enter the world of work, 17% continue into graduate schools, and 7% start their own businesses. Companies employing multiple Duke grads per year include Google, Capital One, Amazon, Microsoft, Oracle, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Accenture, and a host of other top-shelf corporations in the areas of technology, finance, and consulting. Eventually, 84% of Duke undergraduates will go on to earn an advanced degree One-third of Duke alumni elect to stay in North Carolina. New York, California, DC, and Massachusetts follow in popularity.

Academic Highlights: Class sizes are not always as tiny as the school itself. While 60% of courses have an enrollment under 20, another 33% enroll between 20 and 39 students. Regardless, Mudd prides itself on offering graduate-level research opportunities and experiential learning to all undergrads. The college backs up its philosophical stance with cold, hard cash, allocating three million dollars annually to facilitate student-faculty research. Students can participate during the school year or during the Summer Undergraduate Research Program that entails 10 weeks of full-time laboratory work. It is not uncommon for participants to end up with their names on a patent.

Professional Outcomes: Fifty-three percent of the Class of 2023 planned on entering a job right after receiving their bachelor’s degree. The highest number of recent Harvey Mudd graduates are scooped up by the following companies (in order of representation): Microsoft, Amazon, Caltech, Ellison Institute of Technology, Google, Second Order Effects, and SpaceX. Graduates average an impressive $117,500 starting salary, a phenomenal number even when accounting for the preponderance of STEM majors. Many Harvey Mudd grads—28% in 2023—go directly into graduate school programs.

Academic Highlights: Being a large research university, the student-to-faculty ratio is a less-than-ideal 18:1, leading to some larger undergraduate class sections. In fact, 51% of courses had enrollments of more than thirty students in 2023. On the other end of the spectrum, 9% of sections had single-digit enrollments. While not all of your professors will know you by name, there are plenty of ways that motivated students can strike up meaningful faculty-student relationships, with nearly 50% collaborating on research with professors at some point during their undergraduate career. Fifty-two percent of Tech students have gone abroad by the time they graduate, with a growing number electing to complete internships in a foreign land rather than academic coursework. In a given year, 130+ undergraduate students participate in a global internship.

Professional Outcomes: More than three-quarters of recent grads had already procured employment by the time they were handed their diplomas. You will find graduates at every major technology company in the world. Recent employers include Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Capital One, and Apple. The median salary of the Class of 2023 was $84,000, with recent grads settling mostly in the Atlanta metro area. The next three most popular destinations are San Francisco, New York City, and Washington, DC.

Academic Highlights: An absurdly low 5:1 student-to-faculty ratio does, as you might expect, translate to tiny class sizes for undergraduates. Just under three-quarters of class sections have an enrollment of 19 or fewer students, and 32% have fewer than ten students. Princeton is known for its commitment to undergraduate teaching, and students consistently rate professors as accessible and helpful. The Office of Undergraduate Research assists Tigers in locating faculty members with whom they can jointly conduct research in the summer or during a regular term. More than four hundred study abroad programs, internships, and experiences are available in over 140 countries; 61% of students ultimately engage in at least one international experience.

Professional Highlights: Over 93% of a typical Tiger class has found their next destination within six months of graduating. Companies presently employing hundreds of Tiger alumni include Google, Goldman Sachs, Microsoft, McKinsey & Company, Morgan Stanley, IBM, and Meta. The average salary reported by 2023 graduates was $89k across all majors. Between 15-20% of graduating Tigers head directly to graduate/professional school. Tigers typically choose equally prestigious graduate schools to attend. Members of one recent class flocked in the largest numbers to Stanford, Penn, Princeton, Harvard, Cambridge, Columbia, and Oxford in that order.

Academic Highlights: There are 140+ undergraduate majors offered at UCSD, and all students join one of eight undergraduate colleges meant to forge flourishing communities within the larger university. While 26% of course sections are held in larger lecture halls and contain 50+ students, 42% of undergraduate courses sport an enrollment under 20. Twenty percent of undergrads assist faculty with at least one research project during their time at the university; Roughly one-third of undergraduate study abroad per year, and over 400 opportunities in 40+ countries are available for those who desire a semester of study outside of the United States.

Professional Outcomes: Employers of recent graduates included Amazon, Boeing, EY, KPMG, Morgan Stanley, Oracle, Qualcomm, and Tesla. More than 1,000 current Google employees are UC San Diego alumni, and Apple, Meta, and Microsoft all employ 500+ each. The median early career salary is $70,000 across all majors, placing the university in the top 10 public universities in the country. UCSD also fares well in measures of its return-on-investment potential.

Academic Highlights: Close to half of classrooms contain fewer than twenty Bruins, but those taking introductory courses will find themselves in a fair number of lecture halls with a hundred or more students. Professors are given impressively high marks for a research university of UCLA’s size. 93% of College of Letters and Science seniors rate their professors as being intellectually challenging. By the time they graduate, 45% of undergraduates have participated in a research experience. Every year, roughly one-quarter of the undergraduate population elects to study abroad, a sharp increase from only a few years ago. UCLA has 115 partner universities in 40+ countries around the globe.

Professional Outcomes: Thousands of alumni can be found working at Google, Amazon, and Apple. Companies that employ over 100 Bruins each include Meta, Microsoft, Netflix, TikTok, NVIDIA, and LinkedIn. Ultimately, one-third of UCLA grads go on to enroll in graduate/professional school, with many choosing to stay at their alma mater. Otherwise, the most attended grad schools are primarily other excellent California-based institutions including Stanford, USC, and Berkeley. For graduates early in their careers, the median salary is $78,600, with mid-career median earnings reaching over $149k. Many alumni remain in the Los Angeles Metropolitan area after graduating; other popular destinations include the San Francisco Bay area and New York City.

Academic Highlights: There are 50 undergraduate fields of study referred to as concentrations; many are interdisciplinary. Even with a graduate population close to 14,000 to cater to, undergraduate class sizes still tend to be breathtakingly intimate, with 43% of sections having single-digit enrollments and 73% being capped at nineteen. Graduates report an almost 90% satisfaction rate with the experience within their academic concentration. Summer research experiences are taken advantage of by over one-third of the student body. Approximately 55-60% of students study abroad at a number of locations in South America, Africa, Europe, or Asia.

Professional Outcomes: Harvard’s most recent graduating class saw 15% of students head directly into graduate/professional school, with nearly everyone else entering the world of work. Over 1,000 Harvard alumni presently work for Google and over 500 for Microsoft, McKinsey & Company, and Goldman Sachs. More than 250 are employed at Amazon, Meta, and Bain & Company. Post-graduation, Harvard students tend to cluster in three main states—New York, California, and Massachusetts. Those three states collectively reel in 60% of newly minted alumni. Remuneration is excellent with over two-thirds of graduates reporting starting salaries over $70k and 30% taking home $110k+ in base pay. By mid-career, grads have the second-highest median salaries in the Ivy League.

Academic Highlights: Classes are a bit larger at Cornell than at many other elite institutions. Still, 54% of sections have fewer than 20 students. Introductory courses sometimes take place in larger lecture halls, so 24% of courses have an enrollment of more than forty students. Undergraduates do give their professors generally high marks: 88% report being satisfied with the instruction they have received, 48% report completing a thesis/research project, and 53% conducted research with a faculty member. Members of Big Red can choose from study abroad opportunities in more than forty countries, and roughly one-third participate.

Professional Outcomes: Breaking down the graduates of the College of Arts and Sciences, the largest school at Cornell, 63% entered the workforce, 26% entered graduate school, 2% pursued other endeavors such as travel or volunteer work, and the remaining 4% were still seeking employment six months after receiving their diplomas. Graduates earned a median salary of $85,000. Of the students from A&S going on to graduate school, 13% pursued JDs, 4% MDs, and 25% PhDs. Popular destinations included staying at Cornell, other Ivies, Stanford, MIT, universities in the UC system, or abroad at Oxford, Cambridge, the University of Toronto, or the University of St. Andrews

Academic Highlights: Aided by a favorable 9:1 student-to-faculty ratio, the school does an excellent job facilitating undergraduate research opportunities. Each school/college has a course entitled Directed Research 490 in which students work closely with a faculty supervisor and earn between two and eight credits, countless other opportunities exist to get one’s hands dirty in academic research. Each department has its own slate of study abroad offerings and Maymester programs, which are short-term intensive courses held stateside and abroad.

Professional Outcomes: 93% of undergrads experience positive postgraduation outcomes within six months of earning their degree. The median salary across all majors is an astounding $85k. Presently, between 500 and 2,500 alumni are employed at each of Google, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Meta, NVIDIA, and Oracle. Graduate/professional schools enrolling the greatest number of 2023 USC grads include Columbia, UCLA, Pepperdine, and Harvard, with most remaining at USC for their advanced studies.

Academic Highlights: Students must choose one of 80+ “concentration programs,” but there are no required courses. In essence, the guiding philosophy is that students should take control of their learning, pursue knowledge in areas that they are truly passionate about, and learn to integrate and synthesize information across disciplines. Class sizes tend to be small—67% have fewer than twenty students—and 32% are comprised of nine or fewer students. Student surveys reveal an unsurpassed level of satisfaction with the quality of instruction and professor availability. Undergraduates give favorable reviews in those areas at an overwhelming 92-97% clip.

Professional Outcomes: Soon after receiving their Brown diplomas, 63% of graduates enter the world of employment. Companies employing the greatest number of Brown alums include Google, Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, Amazon, Morgan Stanley, Apple, McKinsey & Company, and Meta. 33% of recent graduates go directly into graduate/professional school. Alums tend to settle in major American cities, with most living in New York (44%) and Boston (18%).

Academic Highlights: Small, seminar-style courses are the norm at Swat—an outstanding 33% of sections enroll fewer than ten students, and 73% contain a maximum of nineteen students. Overall, the average class size is 17. Thanks to an 8:1 student-to-faculty ratio and zero grad students, professors are extremely available in and outside the classroom. As a result, two-thirds of graduates complete at least one undergraduate research or independent creative project, and the college sets aside $800,000 in funding for that express purpose. Forty percent of students elect to study abroad for a semester in one of 300 programs in 60 countries.

Professional Outcomes: 58% of Class of 2023 grads entered the workforce shortly after graduation. Google is a leading employer of Swarthmore grads followed by Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, and a number of top universities.  23% of 2023 grads pursued advanced degrees, with 42% pursuing a PhD and 42% entering master’s programs. Swatties can also be found at Columbia, Stanford, UPenn, Harvard, and UCBerkeley. The cities attracting the highest percentage of Swat alumni were Philadelphia, NYC, Boston, and Chicago. The average starting salary was $81,000, an excellent figure for any liberal arts school.

Academic Highlights: UT Austin offers over 170 majors. Sn encouraging 36% of course sections enroll nineteen or fewer students. Opportunities for undergraduate research vary by school, and many student must compete for slots in programs such as Summer Research Scholars or use the Eureka database to find individual professors offering research assistantships. A robust study abroad program boasts 400 offerings in 100+ foreign countries; 4,600+ students participate each year, the third-largest number in the country.

Professional Outcomes:  Over 1000 alumni work in the offices of Dell, Google, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, and Deloitte; IBM, Meta, Oracle, and AMD employ over 500 each. Graduates early in their careers earn a median salary of $77,400, with median mid-career pay reaching $141,100. Roughly one-quarter of University of Texas at Austin undergraduates go on to pursue advanced degrees after completing their bachelor’s. Many pursue advanced study at UT Austin itself, which offers more than one hundred graduate programs. Many alumni stay in Texas after graduation, settling in Austin, Houston, and Dallas-Fort Worth.

Academic Highlights: UCI offers over eighty undergrad programs as well as many opportunities for personal connection; 54% of all sections enroll 19 or fewer students and over 70% of students participate in undergraduate research. The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program helps students with proposal writing, developing research plans, and presenting their results at the annual spring UCI Undergraduate Research Symposium and/or publishing their results in the UCI Undergraduate Research Journal.

Professional Outcomes: Companies employing large numbers of recent grads include Amazon, Deloitte, Northrop Grumman, Ernst & Young, and PwC. Hundreds of alumni are also found at Google, Microsoft, and Meta. The median salary is $70,000, with School of Information and Computer Sciences grads earning $117k right off the bat. 38% of graduates enroll in graduate school, with many choosing to remain at UC Irvine. The majority pursue master’s degrees (89%), with the remainder enrolling in doctorate programs.

Academic Highlights: The school’s 26 academic departments offer 37 majors and a number of concentrations rather than minors. An unparalleled 40% of courses have fewer than ten students enrolled. Many formal opportunities to engage in undergraduate research exist in the summer, during a semester, or as part of one’s senior honors thesis; 40% of students participate in faculty-mentored projects. Over 50% of the junior class connects with the International Education and Study Away program to pinpoint the study abroad opportunity that is right for them. Included on that menu is the opportunity to study at Oxford for an entire year.

Professional Outcomes: Among the Class of 2023, 93% were employed or continuing their educational journey within six months of graduating. Top professional destinations include Google, Goldman Sachs, Bain & Co., Harvard Medical School, Morgan Stanley, and Microsoft. The median annual income for grads early in their career was $85,800. 14% pursue an advanced degree, with alumni attending graduate programs at Brown, Columbia, and Harvard.

Academic Highlights: Yale offers 80+ majors, most of which require a one- to two-semester senior capstone experience. Undergraduate research is a staple, and over 70% of classes—of which there are over 2,000 to choose from—have an enrollment of fewer than 20 students, making Yale a perfect environment for teaching and learning. Undergraduate research is a staple of the Yale academic experience; university-wide, undergraduate research fellowships are awarded to over 100 freshmen each year. The number of Bulldogs electing to study abroad is typically around 70%.

Professional Outcomes: Shortly after graduating, 58% of the Yale Class of 2023 had entered the world of employment and 19% matriculated into graduate programs. Hundreds of Yale alums can be found at each of the world’s top companies including Google, McKinsey & Co., Goldman Sachs, Meta, and Microsoft. The mean starting salary for last year’s grads was $89,622 ($141k for CS majors). The University of Oxford, Yale, and Stanford were the top three graduate school destinations for the Class of 2023.

Academic Highlights: Boasting an enviable 6:1 student-to-faculty ratio and with close to 80% of course sections possessing an enrollment under 20, face time with professors is a reality. That presents a phenomenal opportunity to learn directly from a group that includes four Nobel Laureates, four Medal of Science winners, and two recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Fitting for America’s first research university, 70% of JHU undergraduates complete a research experience while working closely with a faculty member. Each year, hundreds of students receive significant funding for independent projects through the Hopkins Office for Undergraduate Research.

Professional Outcomes: Ninety-four percent of recent graduates successfully land at their next destination within six months of exiting the university; 69% of graduates entered the world of employment and a robust 20% went directly to graduate/professional school. The median starting salary across all majors was $80,000 with top employers including Amazon, DCPS, Deloitte, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Raytheon. Blue Jays pursue further education at Brown, Columbia, Cornell, NYU, Northwestern, Stanford, and JHU.

Academic Highlights: Eight of UIUC’s fifteen schools cater to undergraduate students. Illinois’ student-to-faculty ratio of 20:1 is high even for a public institution, but the school still manages to keep 39% of sections capped at 19 students. Further, 40% of undergraduates participate in research; over 800 students each year present at the annual Undergraduate Research Symposium. Unique opportunities for experiential learning abound at Research Park, an on-campus technology hub and business incubator that hosts more than 120 major corporations and 800 student interns.

Professional Outcomes: 91% of recent UIUC grads landed at their next destination within six months of graduation, with 35% matriculating directly into an advanced degree program. 56% were employed full-time. Corporations landing the most recent Illinois grads were Amazon, Deloitte, Epic, KPMG, and PwC. The average salary across all majors was an extremely solid $76,000. Two-thirds of graduates remained in the Land of Lincoln; California and New York commandeer the next greatest percentages of migrating alumni.

Academic Highlights: 90 distinct degrees are available across four schools. The university boasts an exceptional 27% of courses with an enrollment under ten and 58% with an enrollment under twenty—quite an achievement for a school of Penn’s massive size. It also offers multiple ways for undergrads to conduct research, whether through independent studies or working side-by-side with faculty members. The university publishes 12 distinct journals featuring original undergraduate research. Penn ranks first among Ivies in study abroad participation rate; each year, over 1,400 students head off to earn a semester’s credit in one of 50 countries.

Professional Outcomes: 76% of Class of 2023 grads were employed within six months of graduating, and 16% were in graduate school. Employers hiring the greatest number of 2023 grads included McKinsey & Company, Penn Medicine, Boston Consulting Group, Bain & Company, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and Goldman Sachs. The median starting salary for all graduates is $100,000. For those continuing their educational journeys, the most popular move is to remain at Penn, followed by Harvard and Columbia.

Academic Highlights: 180+ undergraduate majors are offered across twelve colleges/schools. Twenty-six percent of sections contain 50 or more students compared to 29% of sections that contain fewer than 20. Still, there are opportunities for personal connections with professors as evidenced by the fact that 80% of graduates complete research during their four years at UW. The study abroad rate of participation has climbed steadily since the turn of the millennium; 3,000 students each year spend a semester in a foreign locale.

Professional Outcomes: Within months of graduation, 62% of Class of 2023 grads were employed and 24% were continuing their education. The most popular employers of the Class of 2023 included Amazon, Microsoft, Boeing, Seattle Children’s, and Deloitte. Across all living alumni, 6,000+ work for Microsoft, and 4000+ work for each of Boeing and Amazon. Of those headed to graduate/professional school, most remain at UW itself. Large numbers of 2023 grads also headed to Columbia, UPenn, USC, and Johns Hopkins.

Academic Highlights: Undergraduates can select from 100+ majors across twelve colleges and schools. 47% of class sections enroll fewer than twenty students. Undergraduate research opportunities are within reach as 21% of recent graduates completed one. The Office of Undergraduate Research facilitates numerous opportunities throughout the year, and hosts an annual Undergraduate Research Day and Summer Undergraduate Research Conference at which 550+ students make presentations. Fourteen percent of students also pursue a study abroad experience at one of 300+ destinations in 60 countries.

Professional Outcomes: Within six months of graduating, 94% of Class of 2023 grads had positive outcomes. 71% found employment; the companies/organizations that hired the greatest number of grads included Northrop Grumman, Deloitte, Capital One, and Montgomery County Public Schools. Amazon, Google, and Microsoft employ more than 900 alumni each.  The salary range for 2023 grads was between $60k and $86k. 21% of the Class of 2023 headed directly to graduate and professional school.

Academic Highlights: A 5:1 student-to-faculty ratio means that classrooms remain very intimate, and face time with the renowned faculty is a reality. More than three-quarters of UChicago undergraduate sections have an enrollment of nineteen or fewer students. Undergraduate research opportunities are ubiquitous as 80% of students end up working in a research capacity alongside a faculty member. A solid 60% of undergrads study abroad at one of the 77 programs offered in 31 cities around the world.

Professional Outcomes: On commencement day, 99% of the Class of 2023 were employed or continuing their education. The most popular employers for UChicago grads include Google, Amazon, Goldman Sachs, Meta, JPMorgan Chase, Deloitte, Morgan Stanley, and Microsoft. University of Chicago grads are highly sought after by elite graduate universities. The top destinations for recent graduates are Yale, Columbia, MIT, Stanford, and Harvard A fairly substantial 50% of graduates remain in the Midwest after finishing their degrees, 29% migrate to the Northeast, and 10% make the journey west.

.

Academic Highlights: There are 152 degree plans across seven schools at UT Dallas which sports a 27:1 student-to-faculty ratio. Classes are on the large side – 29% of course sections contain 50 or more students. The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) and the Short-Term Working Group (SWG) provide hands-on research experiences and professional development. Students can also explore available research positions through the university’s Undergraduate Research Portal.

Professional Outcomes: The most commonly entered industries are internet/software, healthcare, accounting, IT, and higher education. Recent employers include Accenture, Amazon, American Airlines, Citi, JPMorgan Chase, Microsoft, and Raytheon Technologies. Graduates early in their career earn a median salary of $74,400, with median income increasing to $120,700 mid-career. Most Comets remain in Texas after graduation, settling in Dallas, Richardson, and Plano.

Academic Highlights: Dartmouth sports 60+ majors and a stunning breadth of course selections for an institution of its size. The learning environment at Dartmouth is extraordinarily intimate. Not only do 62% of course sections have under twenty students, but 20% have single-digit enrollments. The student-to-faculty ratio is an outstanding 7:1. Undergraduate research opportunities abound with roughly 60% of students participating at some point. Further, close to 90% of those participants report having a satisfying experience working with a faculty member in that capacity. The rate of satisfaction is hardly surprising as Dartmouth’s faculty consistently rates at the top of rankings/surveys regarding quality of instruction. An extensive study abroad program offers 40+ Dartmouth faculty-led academic experiences around the world, and over 50% of all students partake.

Professional Outcomes: A great reputation, along with a passionate alumni network that is 80,000 strong, leads Dartmouth grads to successful transitions into graduate school and the world of work. Recent Dartmouth grads work for Amazon, Apple, Bain & Company, Deloitte, Epic, Google, the NIH, and the Smithsonian Institute. Right off the bat, 56% of graduates earn $90,000 or more in salary. Those pursuing graduate degrees often flock to the likes of Harvard, Columbia, and Princeton, with 32% of Big Green grads choosing to continue their education at Dartmouth.

Academic Highlights: Amherst offers a “New Curriculum” that requires no specific courses or distribution of credits. Students have the flexibility to pursue their areas of passion and interest from the very start of their collegiate experience. With no burdensome requirements, double majoring is commonplace with over 30-40% of the student body electing to study at least one additional discipline. The college encourages students to “take full responsibility for their intellectual growth, in the same way they will take responsibility for important choices later in life.”

Professional Outcomes: Six months after graduation, 78% of the Class of 2023 were employed full-time, working for employers such as Bain & Company, Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and The Fulbright Program. The average starting salary for Amherst graduates is among the highest-paid liberal arts grads in the country. The schools where the highest number of Amherst grads can be found pursuing advanced degrees include Columbia University, Yale University, and Tufts University.

Academic Highlights: NYU is divided into a number of smaller (but still quite large) colleges organized by discipline; in sum, there are 270 areas of undergraduate study across nine schools and colleges. For its size, a commendable 59% of classes have an enrollment under 20 students. The school puts a great deal of money into undergraduate research, and it has been running an Undergraduate Research Conference for over forty years. Summer research opportunities are plentiful, including through the School of Engineering’s ten-week summer research program for rising juniors and seniors. With more than 4,000 students studying in foreign countries each year, NYU sends more undergrads abroad than any other US university.

Professional Outcomes: Within six months of exiting, 94% of Class of 2023 grads had landed at their next destination, with 71% employed and 26% in graduate school. Large numbers of alumni can be found at Google, Amazon, JP Morgan Chase, Citi, Meta, Microsoft, and Goldman Sachs. The mean starting salary is $76,011. New York is (by more than ten times) the most popular destination over number two choice California. New Jersey, Texas, and Massachusetts were next in attracting the highest numbers of recent alumni.

Academic Highlights: The student-to-faculty ratio at UC Santa Barbara is a decent 17:1, and the school does an excellent job of keeping undergraduate class sizes on the small side. In fact, more than half of sections contain fewer than 20 students, and 72% enroll 29 or fewer. Undergraduate research opportunities definitely exist for those willing to forge relationships with faculty outside the classroom. A solid 63% of graduates report engaging in some type of faculty-guided research. It’s not as easy to inspire Gauchos to leave their campus paradise for a semester in a foreign land—only around 20% of students participate in study abroad.

Professional Outcomes:  Over 500 UC Santa Barbara alumni currently work at Google, Apple, and Amazon, while Meta, Microsoft, Salesforce, AppFolio, and NVIDIA each employ 100+. Early in their career, UCSB alumni make a median salary of $75k; by mid-career, they earn a median income of $152k. Most graduates settle in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, followed by the San Francisco Bay area, and the San Diego metropolitan area.

Academic Highlights: WashU admits students into four schools, many of which offer nationally recognized programs.The university has a 7:1 student-to-faculty ratio, and 66% of classes have fewer than 20 students; over one-quarter have single-digit enrollments. The Office of Undergraduate Research helps students land opportunities to research alongside faculty, primarily in the summers. A solid 60% of undergraduates report participating in a research endeavor and one-third study abroad.

Professional Outcomes: The Class of 2023 sent 65% of grads into the workforce and 23% into graduate and professional schools. Companies employing the highest number of WashU grads feature sought-after employers such as Boeing, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Mastercard, Capital One, and Bayer. Of the employed members of the Class of 2023 who reported their starting salaries, the median salary was $85k. The universities welcoming the largest number of Bears included the prestigious institutions of Columbia, Carnegie Mellon, UPenn, University of Michigan, Vanderbilt, and Yale.

Academic Highlights: There are 230+ undergraduate majors offered across eight schools and colleges, Undergrads can expect a mix of large and small classes, with 43% of sections enrolling fewer than 20 students. Undergraduate research opportunities exist, but the onus is on the student to show initiative and procure the placement. Still, 44% of recent grads engaged in research, and the school hosts an annual Undergraduate Symposium where 600 students presented in 2024. Participation is much higher when it comes to study abroad programs; 25% of students take advantage each year and there are 325 programs in 80 countries to choose from.

Professional Outcomes: In 2023, 72% of job-seeking grads graduated with an offer.  Top employers included UW-Madison, Epic, UW Health, the State of Wisconsin, Kohl’s, and Deloitte. Across all graduating years, companies employing 250+ alumni include Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Target, Apple, Meta, and Salesforce. Class of 2023 grads enrolled in graduate/professional programs at a rate of 28%; volunteering is also a popular path post-graduation for UW-Madison alumni as the university is the #1 producer of Peace Corps volunteers.

Academic Highlights: Students work closely with their professors, and the college is routinely rated atop lists of best undergraduate teaching institutions. Small classes are the norm with the average being only 16 students; in 17% of your classes, you will be surrounded by no more than nine of your peers. Faculty-mentored research is embedded into many courses, independent study opportunities abound, and full-time supervised research is available during summer and winter break. Over three-quarters of the student body elect to study abroad in one of 130 programs offered in sixty countries. Furthermore, 70% of students spend a semester studying in another part of the globe.

Professional Outcomes: Target, Epic Systems, Google, Wells Fargo, and Amazon all employ large numbers of graduates. Carleton is a breeding ground for future scholars as a ridiculously high number of graduates go on to earn PhDs. In fact, by percentage, Carleton is one of the top ten producers in the country of future PhDs. Geographically, the greatest number of students remain in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, but many also head to New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, DC, Boston, and Seattle

Academic Highlights: The quarter system allows students to take four courses at a time rather than the typical five. Even so, the academic demands are intense, and Northwestern students work hard for their grades. The university has a phenomenal 6:1 student-faculty ratio, and a spectacular 39% of class sections have nine or fewer students enrolled; 76% have fewer than twenty enrollees. Faculty receive generally favorable reviews from undergraduate students and are rated as being highly accessible outside of the classroom. Fifty-eight percent of recent grads had the chance to conduct research with a faculty member at some point during their undergraduate years.

Professional Outcomes: Six months after graduating, 70% of the Class of 2023 had found employment and 25% were in graduate school. Employers include Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, Deloitte, McKinsey & Co., and Salesforce. Across all majors, the average starting salary was $77k. The vast majority of Northwestern graduates can be found in Illinois, with the next largest concentration of alums living in Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York.

Academic Highlights: Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) offers a hands-on and innovative project-based curriculum; all students complete a minimum of two long-term research projects that are focused on solving real-world problems. A staggering 53% of its classes enroll fewer than ten students. All students complete a minimum of two long-term research projects focused on solving real-world problems. Many undergrads travel to one of 50+ project centers situated on six continents where they can engage in solving real-life problems. Beginning with the Class of 2022, the school began awarding every single student $5,000 in study abroad funding; 84% of students took advantage last year.

Professional Outcomes: Within six months of graduating, 89% of 2023 grads landed jobs or enrolled full-time in graduate school. Recent grads found jobs at top companies including RTX, The MITRE Corporation, Collins Aerospace, and National Grid. Hundreds of WPI alumni are employed at Pratt & Whitney, National Grid, Dell, Google, Microsoft, Boston Scientific, and Fidelity Investments. The average starting salary is over $81k and is one of the highest in the country. Almost one-quarter of grads elect to pursue an advanced degree immediately after graduation, enrolling at institutions that recently included Northeastern University, Boston University, and Brandeis.

Academic Highlights: The school’s 198 full-time professors are dedicated to the task of undergraduate education. Pomona’s 8:1 student-to-teacher ratio leads to an average class size of only 15 students. 71% of classes contain less than 20 students, and only 13 of 440 courses that ran in 2023-24 contained more than 40 students. Small classes also lead to the forging of student-professor bonds that help over 50% of the undergraduate population conduct research alongside a faculty member, and 25% ultimately publish or formally present their work. Each summer, 200 students remain on campus for such an endeavor. Close to 50% of Pomona students travel abroad to one of 69 programs in 39 countries.

Professional Outcomes: 67% of the Class of 2023 were employed within six months of graduating. Overall, the largest number of alumni can be found at Google, Microsoft, Kaiser Permanente, Amazon, and Apple. Recently, degree-earners have landed jobs at Boston Consulting Group, Alphasights, JP Morgan Chase, and Houlihan Lokey. Majors in the hard sciences frequently landed at top research laboratories and hospitals. Of the 23% of 2023 grads who were accepted directly into graduate school, the most frequently attended institutions included Berkeley, UCLA, Columbia, and NYU.

Academic Highlights: Undergrads can study within one of eight colleges/schools, which all offer many small classes; 14% boast single-digit enrollment and 48% contain 19 or fewer students. Undergraduate research opportunities can be challenging to uncover at any large school where graduate students get the prime spots, yet, UVA does offer a multitude of formal opportunities as well as the annual Undergraduate Research Symposium and three undergraduate research journals. The classroom at UVA extends well beyond Charlottesville as one-fifth enjoy a semester abroad through one of fifty programs around the world.

Professional Outcomes: Upon receiving their degree, 86% of the Class of 2023 immediately joined the workforce–with an average starting salary of $82k–or headed directly to graduate school.  Capital One (58), Amazon (45), Deloitte (41), and Accenture (34) scooped up the greatest number of 2023 grads. UVA itself was the most popular grad school destination followed by Columbia, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Duke.

Academic Highlights: Northeastern offers 130 majors and 199 combined majors within nine colleges and programs. Nearly two-thirds of Husky classrooms contain nineteen or fewer students, and 13% have single-digit enrollments. Large lecture hall courses crammed with undergrads are rare at this school—only 7% of sections sport a student enrollment of fifty or more. Since 2006, Northeastern has added an incredible 650+ tenured and tenure-track faculty members. Undergraduate research opportunities exist in all departments, and experiential learning of some type is had by virtually all graduates, thanks to the school’s illustrious and robust co-op program. In a given year, 3,700+ students have a global experience in one of 65+ countries, and 250+ students participate in a co-op program overseas.

Professional Outcomes: Nine months after leaving Northeastern, 97% of students have landed at their next employment or graduate school destination. Huskies entering the job market are quickly rounded up by the likes of Amazon, Fidelity Investments, Google, Microsoft, and Apple, all of whom employ 500+ Northeastern alums. Between 200 and 500 employees at Meta, CVS Health, Goldman Sachs, and Tesla have an NU lineage. Starting salaries are above average (70% make more than $70k), in part due to the stellar co-op program.

Academic Highlights: Purdue offers over 200 majors at ten discipline-specific colleges, and 37% of course sections have an enrollment of 19 or fewer. Undergraduates conduct more than 2,000 research projects per year; they can connect with professors during the academic year or apply to participate in a Summer Research Fellowship. Discipline-specific research programs, a research pitch competition, research conferences & symposiums, and publishing opportunities abound. 1,300 students per year elect to study abroad at one of 400 programs in 50 countries.

Professional Outcomes: Shortly after receiving their diplomas, 65% of 2023 grads headed to the world of employment while 25% headed to graduate/professional school. Companies employing the greatest number of recent alumni were Eli Lilly & Company, Amazon, Deloitte, JP Morgan Chase, PepsiCo, and Cummins, Inc. The average starting salary was $71k across all degree programs. The majority of alumni remain in Indiana with Illinois, California, Texas, New York, and Wisconsin rounding out the five next most common destinations.

Academic Highlights: Rutgers is divided into 19 schools and colleges, collectively offering 120+ undergraduate majors. Forty percent of class sections have an enrollment of nineteen or fewer students compared to only 19% of sections that contain more than 50 undergrads. The Aresty Research Center facilitates several programs that match 300+ undergraduates per year with faculty members conducting research in an area of interest. An annual Undergraduate Research Symposium—one of the largest in the country—has showcased thousands of student projects in its 20 years of existence.

Professional Outcomes: Upon graduation, 89% of Class of 2023 grads had secured a first job or were heading to an advanced degree program. 71% headed directly to the world of employment, where the companies hiring the largest number of grads included RWJBarnabas Health, Amazon, and Lockheed Martin. Investment banks like JP Morgan Chase employ hundreds of alumni, as do companies like Bristol-Meyers Squibb, Merck, Johnson & Johnson, and CVS Pharmacy. The median starting salary across all majors was $70,000.

Academic Highlights: Eight undergraduate colleges that offer 150+ distinct majors are housed within Virginia Tech. 34% of sections contain fewer than 20 students, and the student-to-faculty ratio is 13:1. Overall, 19% of recent graduates report participating in some type of undergraduate research experience, but landing such opportunities is much easier for members of the Honors College. Each year, more than 1,200 students avail themselves of the chance to study abroad in locations such as Switzerland, New Zealand, France, and Scotland.

Professional Outcomes: Within six months of graduating, 37% of the Class of 2023 were employed and 14% were in graduate school. Graduates work at major corporations including Deloitte, EY, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Kimley-Horn, Northrop Grumman, and Accenture. The median salary for 2023 graduates was $70,000. Among recent grads who decided to pursue an advanced degree, the greatest number stayed at VT, while others enrolled at Virginia Commonwealth University, George Mason University, George Washington University, UVA, UNC Chapel Hill, and Johns Hopkins.

Academic Highlights: There are 150 majors available across eight freshman-admitting undergraduate colleges. A 16:1 student-to-faculty ratio is deployed effectively so that 65% of sections enroll 29 or fewer students. No matter your field of study, you can utilize UM’s well-maintained database of upcoming faculty research projects as a way to connect directly with the professor of your choice; more than 2,000 undergraduates participate in a research or creative project every year. An outstanding 30% of UMTC students study abroad during their academic career with the most popular destinations being Spain, Italy, France, the United Kingdom, and Ireland.

Professional Outcomes: Over 1000 alumni work at Target, Medtronic, 3M, and U.S. Bank; Amazon, Google, Cargill, and Microsoft employ 500+ UMN graduates each. The average starting salary across all majors is approximately 60k and recent employers include Boeing, Honeywell, Northrop Grumman, Abbott, IBM, EcoLab, Boston Scientific, Wells Fargo, Google, Apple, and Microsoft and Epic. With 130 graduate programs, the University of Minnesota retains many of its graduates as they pursue their next degrees.

Academic Highlights: Penn State offers 275 majors and a number of top-ranked programs in a host of disciplines. Unlike some public research universities that can have student-to-faculty ratios greater than 20:1, PSU boasts a solid 15:1 ratio. That level of support allows 61% of classes to have an enrollment below thirty students.  Even at such a large institution, it is possible to get involved in undergraduate research. Eberly College of Science professors are running upwards of 3,000 research projects per year, and the school has a well-maintained and up-to-date database of undergraduate research positions. All told, 16% of graduates report having engaged in undergraduate research. 22% of a recent graduating class availed themselves of study abroad opportunities in one of 300+ programs in 50+ countries each year.

Professional Outcomes: By graduation, 79% of Nittany Lions have found their next employment or graduate school home. Over a hundred alumni work at Tesla; Deloitte, Amazon, Google, JP Morgan Chase, Microsoft, IBM, Johnson & Johnson, and Accenture each employ over 500 alumni. Three-quarters of recent graduates employed full-time earned starting salaries of greater than $50k. Penn State graduates mostly settle in the Greater Philadelphia area, with New York City and the Washington DC-Baltimore area also proving popular with alumni.

Academic Highlights: Over 100 majors are offered across eight undergraduate colleges. You will encounter a number of smaller sections during your time at UMass as 47% of courses enroll fewer than 20 students; a stunning 96% of graduates report being satisfied with their academic experience. Further, a substantial and encouraging 30% report engaging in some type of undergraduate research. For a large university, UMass also enjoys fairly wide participation in its study abroad program. Every year, 1,200 students spend a semester in one of 56 countries.

Professional Outcomes: Six months after graduating, 62% of newly minted 2023 grads were employed full-time and 24% were attending graduate school part-time. Companies presently employing 100+ Minutemen and Minutewomen include Fidelity, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Oracle, Meta, and Salesforce. Boston is the most popular landing spot for graduates. Boston is the most popular landing spot for graduates; it’s followed by Springfield, Massachusetts, and New York City.

Academic Highlights: Forty percent of classes actually have fewer than 20 students, while 19% of courses enroll 50 or more students. Opportunities to connect with faculty for research opportunities span all majors and fields of study. The school also offers the Discovery Learning Apprenticeship Program, which enables engineering students to conduct paid faculty-mentored research. Over 2,200 students per year participate in the credit- bearing Education Abroad program that offers hundreds of destinations within 60 countries around the world.

Professional Outcomes: Within six months of leaving CU Boulder, 83% of recent grads were working or in graduate school. 47% of graduates earned between $50k and $75k, with the greatest number working at Lockheed Martin, Charles Schwab, Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, and RS&H. More than 100 alumni can also be found at Google, Amazon, Apple, Oracle, and Microsoft. 25% of new grads immediately jumped into an advanced degree program, and 93% were accepted into their first-choice school.

Academic Highlights: With sixteen schools and colleges and 140+ undergraduate degree programs, Texas A&M is a massive operation. Class sizes trend large, but 25% of courses enroll fewer than 20 students and personal connections with professors are entirely possible, particularly through the research-oriented LAUNCH program. A&M excels in facilitating study abroad experiences, sending over 5,600 students to 110+ countries in a typical year, the most of any public university in the United States.

Professional Outcomes: On graduation day, 79% of students had already received at least one job offer or were heading to graduate/professional school. Many Aggies go on to work at major oil, tech, and consulting firms; Amazon, ExxonMobil, Microsoft, Apple, Halliburton, and Google each employ more than 500 alumni. Starting salaries were strong—on average grads netted around $65k. The vast majority of graduates remain in Texas with Houston, Dallas, College Station, Austin, and San Antonio top in popularity.

Academic Highlights: Stony Brook offers 60+ majors and 80+ minors across three undergraduate colleges. A 19:1 student-to-faculty ratio and 8,300 graduate students isn’t exactly a recipe for small classes, but undergrads will find themselves in some first-name basis classes with 37% of all sections containing nineteen or fewer students. More than 2,000 students have the chance to engage in undergraduate research each year. The rate of study abroad participation is low, but exciting opportunities exist for those who choose to take advantage; the school features a winter program that whisks students to Ecuador and the Galapagos.

Professional Outcomes: After graduation, 61% of recent Stony Brook graduates are employed, and 34% have entered graduate/professional school. The organizations and companies employing the greatest number of Seawolves are Northwell Health, Google, Amazon, JPMorgan Chase, Microsoft, Meta, Morgan Stanley, Bloomberg, and Apple. Among those pursuing further education, common choices include Stony Brook itself, other SUNY or CUNY institutions, and NYC-based powerhouses like Columbia, Fordham, and NYU.

Academic Highlights: There are 250+ undergraduate majors and 18 schools and colleges housed within OSU. A 17-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio leads to fairly large classes as only 40% of sections enroll fewer than 20 students, so expect a fair number of courses in a large lecture hall setting. Still, aggressive students can find opportunities to work closely with faculty. The Office of Undergraduate Research & Inquiry helps approximately 600 students per year participate in undergraduate research forums. All told, approximately 20% of students gain research experience. Last year, nearly 1,800 undergraduates elected to study abroad in one of 350+ short- and long-term programs spread across 70 countries; OSU has the third-highest study abroad enrollment numbers in the Big 10.

Professional Outcomes: Upon receiving their diplomas, 64% of Class of 2023 graduates entered the world of employment while 14% were already accepted into graduate or professional school.  Hordes of Buckeyes can be found at many of the nation’s leading companies. More than 2,000 alumni work for JPMorgan Chase, and more than 500 work for Amazon, Google, and Microsoft. Of the grads who directly matriculate into graduate or professional school, many continue in one of OSU’s own programs.