4 Best Colleges for Computer Science in New York

The best colleges for computer science in New York are among the best in the nation. From esteemed private colleges to the state’s strong public university system, there are many great options for studying computer science in New York.

Computer science prepares you for a job as a software developer—named the best job in America by U.S. News and World Report. Software developers code the systems, programs and apps that we couldn’t live without, and they get paid well to do so. The Occupational Outlook Handbook reports a median annual salary of $105,590, and these jobs aren’t going away. The OOH predicts 21% job growth over the next ten years.

If you’re interested in computer science, you can also check out College Guidepost’s rankings for the best value colleges in computer science, as well as the best overall. In this article, we’ll look at the best colleges for computer science in New York.

Let’s start with our very honorable mentions.

Honorable Mention: 7 New York universities were ranked in or around the top 100 in computer science nationally, and still didn’t make our top four. While these programs didn’t make our list, they’re still among the best colleges for computer science in New York and the nation: Binghamton University – SUNY, City University of New York, University at Albany – SUNY, University at Buffalo – SUNY, University of Rochester, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Rochester Institute of Technology, and Syracuse University.

Other New York universities with ABET-accredited computer science programs include Hofstra University, Iona College, SUNY Brockport, New York Institute of Technology, CUNY – College of Staten Island, Pace University, and the United States Military Academy.

Whew! As you’re probably beginning to realize, New York has plenty of great colleges to choose from. Let’s get on to our prestigious top four.

4. Stony Brook University

Stony Brook University is a public research university in the SUNY system. Offering over 200 undergraduate programs and enrolling over 25,000 students, Stony Brook has quickly earned a reputation for academic excellence since its founding in 1957. Ranked among the top 50 universities in the country by Money Magazine and the 13th best value public university in America by Forbes, Stony Brook’s star continues to rise.

Student outcomes are one reason for their strong reputation, with 94% of recent graduates employed or enrolled in grad school. As you might expect, admissions are competitive, with over half of applicants turned away. The middle 50% of admitted students scored between 26-32 on the ACT. Another reason for Stony Brook’s popularity is their great in-state value—tuition and fees cost just over $10,000 a year for New York residents.

Stony Brook’s reputation in computer science is even stronger, ranked 27th in the nation by CSRankings. The department‘s alumni include the founder of Shutterstock, a Stanford president, and Dr. Ben Shneiderman, the guy who created the hyperlink. Thank you Dr. Shneiderman (we do like our hyperlinks here at College Guidepost).

Their undergraduate programs include opportunities for accelerated graduate degrees, as well as specializations including Information Assurance, Game Programming, Data Science, and Human-Computer Interaction. If you’re still not convinced Stony Brook’s computer science department is for you, here are a few more rankings.

Despite their #4 ranking on this list, Stony Brook University bows before no one when it comes to computer science. For New York residents, Stony Brook is by far the best value in the state for computer science—and one of the best values in the country.

3. New York University

The famed NYU was founded in 1831 and has grown to enroll over 58,000 students, making it the largest private university in the United States. Among the faculty are 5 Nobel Prize winners, 5 Pulitzer Prize winners, and 4 Abel Prize winners. The university’s academic reputation explains why students keep flocking to NYU, even with the annual tuition of over $53,000.

New York University’s computer science department offers double major opportunities along with their computer science B.A. Whatever track you choose, you can be sure of a great education: CSRankings places NYU 18th in the nation in computer science.

Despite having one of the world’s best computer science programs, New York University ranks a lowly 3rd on our list. New York’s competition is just too tough.

2. Columbia University

Columbia was founded in 1754 by good old King George II of England. Today, the prestigious private Ivy League university is still going strong, ranked 3rd in the nation behind Princeton and Harvard by U.S. News. As you can guess, admission is very selective, with only 5% of applicants accepted, with an average ACT score of 33-35 (middle 50%).

The computer science faculty have racked up too many awards to list here, and CSRankings puts Columbia 13th in the nation for computer science. Columbia’s undergraduate offerings include both a B.A. and B.S. in computer science, with a mathematics focus available.

We could say more, but Columbia’s reputation speaks for itself. If you can get accepted and afford the tuition (almost $59,000 a year), Columbia University is one of the most storied universities in the world. As with every other major it offers, Columbia is an excellent choice for computer science.

1. Cornell University

Cornell is another prestigious private school, though it is unique as the only land-grant university in the Ivy League, partnering closely with the state of New York. Cornell enrolls 15,000 undergraduate students and boasts an impressive 50 Nobel laureates. Ranked as high as 14th in the world (QS), Cornell continues to uphold its formidable reputation.

In no field is that more true than computer science, where Cornell placed 8th in the nation (CSRankings), outranking all of its Ivy League counterparts. With award-winning computer science faculty, a B.A. and B.S. in computer science, and undergraduate research opportunities, Cornell offers the best computer science degree in New York, and one of the top ten in the nation.

Cornell’s annual tuition runs over $58,000 a year, as you might expect from such a prestigious institution. If you do have an opportunity to study there, congratulations. We rank Cornell University 1st in New York for computer science majors.

Final Thoughts

As you’ve seen, the best colleges for computer science in New York include some of the most respected programs in the country. While the Ivy League schools still reign, you can’t go wrong with some of the other options like Stony Brook University (and the other SUNY schools), which offer incredible quality of education at a bargain price for New York residents.

If you’d like to see the best colleges for computer science in another state, you can find the index here.