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College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
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2026 Best Software Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania

5 Colleges in the United States
474 Software Engineering Degrees Awarded
$80,796 Avg Early-Career Salary

Software Engineering is a field worth a close look when choosing where to study. The schools below stand out for the quality of their software engineering programs.

To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 13 schools to find the best for software engineering students.

What’s on this page:

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Best Schools for Software Engineering in Pennsylvania

Below are the schools that deliver the strongest overall software engineering education in Pennsylvania.

Top Schools in Software Engineering

1

No school ranked higher than Carnegie Mellon University this year for software engineering. Located in the city of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University is a large private not-for-profit university. About 94% of students finish within six years. There were roughly 237 software engineering students who graduated with this degree at Carnegie Mellon University in the most recent data year. Graduates of the software engineering program make about $89,327 in their early career. Carnegie Mellon University graduates carry a median of $23,529 in student loans. See the full software engineering program report for Carnegie Mellon University

2
Villanova University crest
Villanova University
Villanova, PA

A rank of #2 makes Villanova University one of the top schools for software engineering. Located in the suburb of Villanova, Villanova University is a large private not-for-profit university. About 92% of students finish within six years. Villanova University awarded about 16 software engineering degrees in the most recent data year. Students who receive their software engineering degree from Villanova University earn around $108,248 in the first couple years of their career. Villanova University graduates carry a median of $26,000 in student loans. See the full software engineering program report for Villanova University

3

Pennsylvania State University Penn State Erie Behrend College is one of the finest schools in the country for a degree in software engineering, ranking #3. Located in the suburb of Erie, Pennsylvania State University Penn State Erie Behrend College is a mid-sized public university. Pennsylvania State University Penn State Erie Behrend College graduates 44% of students within six years. Pennsylvania State University Penn State Erie Behrend College awarded about 24 software engineering degrees in the most recent data year. More information about a degree in software engineering from Pennsylvania State University Penn State Erie Behrend College

4

University Of Scranton is one of the finest schools in the country for a degree in software engineering, ranking #4. Located in the city of Scranton, University Of Scranton is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university. Roughly 80% of students complete a degree within six years here. There were roughly 10 software engineering students who graduated with this degree at University Of Scranton in the most recent data year. Graduates of the software engineering program make about $56,861 in their early career. Typical student debt for the program is $26,500. Get the full software engineering details for University Of Scranton

5

Students looking for a strong software engineering program will find one at Pennsylvania State University World Campus, which ranked #5. Pennsylvania State University World Campus is a large public school located in the city of University Park. About 34% of students finish within six years. There were roughly 50 software engineering students who graduated with this degree at Pennsylvania State University World Campus in the most recent data year. Get the full software engineering details for Pennsylvania State University World Campus

6
Drexel University crest
Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA

Drexel University placed #6 among the best software engineering schools. Drexel University is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Philadelphia. Drexel University graduates 78% of students within six years. About 86 software engineering degrees were awarded at Drexel University in the most recent year. Soon after graduation, software engineering degree recipients from Drexel University generally make around $101,510. Drexel University graduates carry a median of $28,166 in student loans. See the full software engineering program report for Drexel University

7

Thaddeus Stevens College Of Technology came in at #7 for software engineering this year. Thaddeus Stevens College Of Technology is a small public school located in the city of Lancaster. About 31 software engineering degrees were awarded at Thaddeus Stevens College Of Technology in the most recent year. Graduates of the software engineering program make about $48,257 in their early career. Students borrow a median of $9,915 to complete this degree. See the full software engineering program report for Thaddeus Stevens College Of Technology

8

Shippensburg University Of Pennsylvania earned the #8 position for software engineering this year. Set in the town of Shippensburg, Shippensburg University Of Pennsylvania is a moderately-sized public institution. Shippensburg University Of Pennsylvania graduates 56% of students within six years. There were roughly 20 software engineering students who graduated with this degree at Shippensburg University Of Pennsylvania in the most recent data year. Software Engineering graduates of Shippensburg University Of Pennsylvania earn a median of $80,574 early in their careers. Typical student debt for the program is $27,000. Get the full software engineering details for Shippensburg University Of Pennsylvania

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Notes and References

This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on a blend of student outcomes (graduation rate, post-graduation earnings), affordability, and program focus, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 13 schools evaluated.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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