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Top Schools for Computer Science

One of the most popular and lucrative majors for international students is computer science. Ranking in at the third most popular major for international students, many people choose the US for studying computer science due to the many internationally-recognized schools. The top computer science schools in the US are ranked highly due to a number of factors, including: 1) quality of education, 2) number of active publications and research projects, 3) job placement rate of graduates, 4) level of funding available. Studying at these top schools for computer science allow international students to pursue highly-regarded degrees that will be valued in the workforce whether in the United States, or back home.

Computer science programs in the US are so well-regarded that, according to US News and World Report, seven out of the ten best schools for computer science in the world are located in the United States. Ranked number one and two in the world are MIT (in Cambridge, Massachusetts) and Stanford University (in Stanford, California), respectively. Coming in at the number four and five slots in the study are University of California, Berkeley, and Harvard University (Cambridge, Massachusetts). The final three of the international 10 best schools for computer science on US News and World Report's that are located in the US are #7 California Institute of Technology (Pasadena, California), #8 University of California, Los Angeles, and #9 Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. These are, not surprisingly, also the institutions topping the list of the best schools for computer science within the US:

Top 10 Schools for Computer Science in the US

1. MIT
2. Stanford University
3. University of California—Berkeley
4. Harvard University
5. California Institute of Technology
6. Carnegie Mellon University
7. Cornell University
8. University of Illinois—Urbana-Champaign
9. University ofWashington
10. Princeton University

The number of highly-funded and highly-regarded schools for computer science provides an amazing set of opportunities and benefits for international students looking to make the most of their educational experiences. Not only are degrees from US computer science schools esteemed by employers all over the globe, students will also have the opportunity to reap the rewards of studying in a thriving sector of one of the world's most robust economies. These benefits include increased funding, high post-graduation job placement rates, and the availability of specialized expertise.

Especially important is that last benefit: the well-funded and highly-regarded nature of computer science programs in the US allows for the development and funding of specialization within any number of the many sub-fields of computer science. The result is that not only is the United States home to some of the best schools for computer science in general, but also when measured by sub-field specialization:

Top 10 Schools for Artificial Intelligence

1. MIT
2. Carnegie Mellon University
3. Stanford University
4. University of California—Berkeley
5. University of Texas—Austin
6. University of Washington
7. Georgia Institute of Technology
8. University of Illinois—Urbana-Champaign
9. University of Massachusetts—Amherst
10. University of Pennsylvania

Top 10 Schools for Programming

1. Carnegie Mellon University
2. Stanford University
3. University of California—Berkeley
4. MIT
5. University of Texas—Austin
6. Cornell University
7. Princeton University
8. University of Pennsylvania
9. University of Illinois—Urbana-Champaign
10. University of Wisconsin—Madison

Top 10 Schools for Computing Theory

1. MIT
2. University of California—Berkeley
3. Cornell University
4. Princeton University
5. Carnegie Mellon University
6. Stanford University
7. Georgia Institute of Technology
8. University of Washington
9. Harvard University
10. University of Texas—Austin

Given the number of top schools for computer science, it is no surprise that the decision to pursue an opportunity-rich field of study has proven so popular among international students.