by our College Data Analytics Team
[Computer Science](/majors/computer-information-sciences/computer-science/) programs reward a close look at where graduates go on to earn the most. The highest-paying schools turn a computer science degree into the strongest early-career earnings.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 24 schools on the early-career earnings of their computer science graduates.
What’s on this page:
If you want to know which schools send computer science graduates into the highest-paying careers, see the list below.
Leading the list is Cornell University, our #1 for computer science graduate salaries in New York. Set in the city of Ithaca, Cornell University is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the computer science program here go on to a median salary of roughly $221,888.
A rank of #2 makes Columbia University In The City Of New York one of the highest-paying schools for computer science. Set in the city of New York, Columbia University In The City Of New York is a private not-for-profit institution. Computer Science graduates of Columbia University In The City Of New York earn a median of about $230,310 a year early in their careers.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute produces some of the highest-paid graduates in computer science, landing the #3 spot this year. Located in the city of Troy, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is a private not-for-profit institution. Computer Science graduates of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute earn a median of about $149,240 a year early in their careers.
Students chasing top earnings in computer science will find them at Rochester Institute Of Technology, which ranked #4. Located in the suburb of Rochester, Rochester Institute Of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career computer science graduates from Rochester Institute Of Technology make a median of around $150,609 per year.
Strong graduate earnings at Suny College At Potsdam earned it the #5 place for computer science. Located in the town of Potsdam, Suny College At Potsdam is a public institution. Students who complete the computer science program here go on to a median salary of roughly $104,292.
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Suny At Binghamton ranked #6 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying computer science schools. Set in the suburb of Vestal, Suny At Binghamton is a public institution. Students who complete the computer science program here go on to a median salary of roughly $136,941.
University Of Rochester came in at #7 for computer science graduate earnings this year. Set in the city of Rochester, University Of Rochester is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, computer science degree recipients from University Of Rochester typically earn about $99,878 annually.
Ithaca College earned the #8 position for computer science graduate earnings this year. Ithaca College is a private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Ithaca. Students who complete the computer science program here go on to a median salary of roughly $138,391.
Clarkson University ranked #9 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying computer science schools. Located in the town of Potsdam, Clarkson University is a private not-for-profit institution. Computer Science graduates of Clarkson University earn a median of about $121,821 a year early in their careers.
Cuny City College landed the #10 spot for computer science salaries this year. Set in the city of New York, Cuny City College is a public institution. After graduating, computer science degree recipients from Cuny City College typically earn about $105,797 annually.
Cuny Hunter College came in at #11 for computer science graduate earnings this year. Set in the city of New York, Cuny Hunter College is a public institution. Students who complete the computer science program here go on to a median salary of roughly $110,465.
Marist College landed the #12 spot for computer science salaries this year. Marist College is a private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Poughkeepsie. After graduating, computer science degree recipients from Marist College typically earn about $120,803 annually.
Cuny Borough Of Manhattan Community College earned the #13 position for computer science graduate earnings this year. Set in the city of New York, Cuny Borough Of Manhattan Community College is a public institution. Computer Science graduates of Cuny Borough Of Manhattan Community College earn a median of about $58,967 a year early in their careers.
University At Buffalo placed #14 among the highest-paying schools for computer science. Located in the suburb of Buffalo, University At Buffalo is a public institution. Students who complete the computer science program here go on to a median salary of roughly $110,541.
Canisius College earned the #15 position for computer science graduate earnings this year. Set in the city of Buffalo, Canisius College is a private not-for-profit institution. Computer Science graduates of Canisius College earn a median of about $86,969 a year early in their careers.
Cuny Queens College came in at #16 for computer science graduate earnings this year. Located in the city of Queens, Cuny Queens College is a public institution. Early-career computer science graduates from Cuny Queens College make a median of around $113,582 per year.
Colgate University placed #17 among the highest-paying schools for computer science. Located in the rural area of Hamilton, Colgate University is a private not-for-profit institution. Computer Science graduates of Colgate University earn a median of about $79,929 a year early in their careers.
Cuny Lehman College ranked #18 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying computer science schools. Cuny Lehman College is a public school located in the city of Bronx. Students who complete the computer science program here go on to a median salary of roughly $89,305.
Pace University New York ranked #19 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying computer science schools. Pace University New York is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York. Early-career computer science graduates from Pace University New York make a median of around $112,384 per year.
Hofstra University earned the #20 position for computer science graduate earnings this year. Set in the suburb of Hempstead, Hofstra University is a private not-for-profit institution. Computer Science graduates of Hofstra University earn a median of about $107,135 a year early in their careers.
Cuny College Of Staten Island landed the #21 spot for computer science salaries this year. Set in the city of Staten Island, Cuny College Of Staten Island is a public institution. Early-career computer science graduates from Cuny College Of Staten Island make a median of around $99,880 per year.
Cuny Laguardia Community College earned the #22 position for computer science graduate earnings this year. Cuny Laguardia Community College is a public school located in the city of Long Island City. After graduating, computer science degree recipients from Cuny Laguardia Community College typically earn about $62,633 annually.
Touro College came in at #23 for computer science graduate earnings this year. Set in the city of New York, Touro College is a private not-for-profit institution. Computer Science graduates of Touro College earn a median of about $61,001 a year early in their careers.
Cuny York College ranked #24 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying computer science schools. Located in the city of Jamaica, Cuny York College is a public institution. Students who complete the computer science program here go on to a median salary of roughly $55,731.
This ranking is produced by College Factual, 2026 edition. Schools are ranked on the median early-career earnings of their computer science graduates, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).
Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 24 schools evaluated.
*Salary figures reflect median early-career earnings (about 5 years after graduation) and may vary by how long a person takes to complete their degree.
More about our data sources and methodologies.