Best Small Colleges for Computer Science
Many of the best computer science schools are housed within large universities. Among these institutions, undergraduate populations vary greatly from MIT (4,500) to Carnegie Mellon (7,000) to Cornell’s (15,000), but they are all still much larger than your average liberal arts school. Teens looking to study computer science at a top program while simultaneously enjoying the intimate and supportive environment of a liberal arts college often have trouble locating a list of best CS schools meeting this unique criteria. Fortunately, that will no longer be the case. The schools making College Transitions’ list of Best Small Colleges for Computer Science Majors all have expert faculty, top-notch facilities, and strong graduate outcomes.
Click the links below (links coming soon) for more information about each college's computer science program. We also included the undergraduate enrollment of each school, the percentage of overall degrees conferred in computer science, and the number of alumni employed at top tech companies (Microsoft, Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, Twitter, LinkedIn, Adobe, Airbnb, and Lyft). We recognize that not every alum employed at these companies was necessarily a CS major but we believe this will give prospective CS students a good idea about industry and alumni connections in the field. Lastly, you will find the most current admissions-related data for each institution.
List of institutions last updated August 19, 2020
| Institution | Percent of Total Degrees (CS) | Number of Alumni at Top Tech Companies | Undergraduate Enrollment | Admission Rate | SAT Math (middle 50%) | SAT R/W (middle 50%) | ACT (middle 50%) | Rank (Top 10%) | Rank (Top 25%) | Rank (Top 50%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amherst College | 7% | 146 | 1,839 | 11% | 720-790 | 690-760 | 31-34 | 88% | 98% | 100% |
| Bowdoin College | 5% | 144 | 1,835 | 9% | 670-780 | 660-740 | 31-34 | 85% | 97% | 100% |
| California Institute of Technology | 27% | 932 | 938 | 6% | 790-800 | 740-760 | 35-36 | 99% | 100% | 100% |
| Carleton College | 10% | 243 | 2,119 | 19% | 690-790 | 670-750 | 31-34 | 71% | 93% | 100% |
| Colby College | 6% | 151 | 2,003 | 10% | 700-780 | 680-740 | 31-34 | 68% | 89% | 99% |
| Colgate University | 5% | 221 | 2,980 | 22% | 670-770 | 660-730 | 31-34 | 69% | 92% | 100% |
| Connecticut College | 4% | 94 | 1,861 | 37% | 660-740 | 650-710 | 30-33 | 45% | 81% | 96% |
| DePauw University | 9% | 145 | 1,972 | 64% | 570-700 | 560-660 | 23-30 | 43% | 77% | 98% |
| Grinnell College | 12% | 148 | 1,733 | 23% | 700-790 | 670-740 | 31-34 | 62% | 87% | 98% |
| Grove City College | 4% | 51 | 2,338 | 79% | 495-635 | 590-640 | 24-30 | 33% | 81% | 90% |
| Harvey Mudd | 20% | 503 | 895 | 13% | 780-800 | 710-770 | 33-35 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Hendrix College | 4% | 40 | 1,202 | 72% | 540-700 | 560-710 | 24-29 | 60% | 81% | 96% |
| Knox College | 6% | 52 | 1,258 | 68% | 540-680 | 550-670 | 24-31 | 35% | 69% | 97% |
| Middlebury College | 5% | 344 | 2,580 | 15% | 690-780 | 670-750 | 32-34 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Mount Holyoke College | 8% | 209 | 2,190 | 36% | 640-770 | 630-720 | 27-32 | 52% | 82% | 97% |
| Pomona College | 8% | 304 | 1,717 | 7% | 700-790 | 690-750 | 32-35 | 93% | 100% | 100% |
| Smith College | 5% | 211 | 2,531 | 32% | 660-780 | 670-740 | 30-33 | 75% | 96% | 100% |
| Swarthmore College | 9% | 222 | 1,667 | 9% | 700-790 | 680-750 | 31-35 | 87% | 100% | 100% |
| Wesleyan University | 3% | 310 | 3,018 | 16% | 670-770 | 650-740 | 31-34 | 67% | N/A | 94% |
| Williams College | 6% | 274 | 2,078 | 12% | 710-790 | 700-760 | 32-35 | 85% | 98% | 99% |
| Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | 14% | 277 | 2,000 | 74% | 620-750 | 590-680 | 25-32 | 38% | 73% | 94% |
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