Acceptance Rate and Application Statistics
The following table compares the admission related statistics including number of applicants, admitted, and enrolled between best Computer Science schools. The average acceptance rate of best Computer Science schools is 16.93% and the average admission yield (enrollment rate) is 37.80%.
California Institute of Technology has the tighest (lowest) acceptance rate of 2.57% and Massachusetts Institute of Technology has the highest yield (enrollment rate) of 85.83% among best Computer Science schools. The numbers in parenthesis() in below table represent the number and rate by gender (men/women). The statistics is based on the latest data from IPEDS, U.S. Department of Education for academic year 2024-2025.
| Rank | Name | Applicants | Admitted | Enrolled | Acceptance Rate | Enrollment Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 28,232 (17,210/8,975) | 1,284 (606/612) | 1,102 (542/497) | 5% (4%/7%) | 86% (89%/6%) |
| 1 | Carnegie Mellon University | 33,941 (20,143/12,734) | 3,959 (1,973/1,870) | 1,808 (974/780) | 12% (10%/15%) | 46% (49%/6%) |
| 1 | Stanford University | 57,326 (29,602/27,724) | 2,067 (1,015/1,052) | 1,693 (835/858) | 4% (3%/4%) | 82% (82%/3%) |
| 1 | University of California-Berkeley | 124,242 (60,612/63,630) | 13,639 (5,473/8,166) | 6,272 (2,705/3,567) | 11% (9%/13%) | 46% (49%/6%) |
| 5 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 73,742 (41,597/32,124) | 31,247 (15,134/16,102) | 9,008 (4,538/4,469) | 42% (36%/50%) | 29% (30%/14%) |
| 6 | California Institute of Technology | 13,856 (9,401/4,446) | 356 (166/190) | 218 (107/111) | 3% (2%/4%) | 61% (64%/2%) |
| 6 | Cornell University | 62,993 (32,321/30,643) | 5,516 (2,529/2,987) | 3,525 (1,648/1,877) | 9% (8%/10%) | 64% (65%/6%) |
| 8 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus | 59,789 (40,022/19,765) | 8,413 (4,634/3,779) | 3,836 (2,160/1,676) | 14% (12%/19%) | 46% (47%/8%) |
| 9 | Princeton University | 40,468 (20,563/19,883) | 1,868 (903/965) | 1,410 (693/717) | 5% (4%/5%) | 75% (77%/4%) |
| 9 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus | 69,166 (31,651/37,515) | 27,076 (11,110/15,966) | 7,196 (3,147/4,049) | 39% (35%/43%) | 27% (28%/11%) |
| Average | 56,376 (30,312/30,312) | 9,543 (4,354/5,169) | 3,607 (1,735/1,860) | 16.93% (14.4%/17.1%) | 37.80% (39.8%/36.0%) | |
SAT Scores Comparison
The average SAT score of best Computer Science schools is 1523. By subject, the average score of the SAT EBRW(Evidence-based Reading and Writing) is 743 and the average SAT Math score is 780.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology has the highest SAT scores of 1,560 and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has the lowest SAT scores of 1,440 among best Computer Science schools. The following table compares SAT Scores between best Computer Science schools for the academic year 2024-2025.
| Rank | Name | Submit%* (Submit#**) | SAT Total | Evidence-Based Reading and Writing | Math |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 83% (911) | 1560 | 760 | 800 |
| 1 | Carnegie Mellon University | 53% (951) | 1540 | 750 | 790 |
| 1 | Stanford University | 51% (857) | 1550 | 760 | 790 |
| 1 | University of California-Berkeley | Test Score is NOT considered for University of California-Berkeley admission. | |||
| 5 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 48% (4,310) | 1440 | 700 | 740 |
| 6 | California Institute of Technology | Test Score is NOT considered for California Institute of Technology admission. | |||
| 6 | Cornell University | 40% (1,424) | 1540 | 750 | 790 |
| 8 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus | 77% (2,966) | 1480 | 720 | 760 |
| 9 | Princeton University | 56% (783) | 1550 | 760 | 790 |
| 9 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus | Test Score is NOT considered for University of Washington-Seattle Campus admission. | |||
| Average | 58.29% | 1523 | 743 | 780 | |
ACT Scores Comparison
The average ACT score of best Computer Science schools is 34. By subject, the average ACT English score is 35 and the ACT math score is 34.
The following table compares ACT Scores between best Computer Science schools for academic year 2024-2025.
| Rank | Name | Submit%* (Submit#**) | Composite | English | Math |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 29% (322) | 35 | 35 | 35 |
| 1 | Carnegie Mellon University | 22% (405) | 35 | 35 | 35 |
| 1 | Stanford University | 19% (324) | 35 | 35 | 35 |
| 1 | University of California-Berkeley | Test Score is NOT considered for University of California-Berkeley admission. | |||
| 5 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 16% (1,408) | 32 | 34 | 32 |
| 6 | California Institute of Technology | Test Score is NOT considered for California Institute of Technology admission. | |||
| 6 | Cornell University | 13% (455) | 34 | 35 | 35 |
| 8 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus | 35% (1,354) | 33 | 34 | 32 |
| 9 | Princeton University | 21% (303) | 35 | 35 | 35 |
| 9 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus | Test Score is NOT considered for University of Washington-Seattle Campus admission. | |||
| Average | 22.14% | 34 | 35 | 34 | |
*Number of first-time degree/certificate-seeking students submitting SAT scores.
**Percent of first-time degree/certificate-seeking students submitting SAT scores.
Application Requirements
The following table list and compare the requirements when applying best Computer Science schools based on academic year 2024-2025 data.
| Rank | Name | HS GPA | HS Rank | HS Record | Prep. Program | Rec. | Compe. | SAT/ACT | TOEFL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✗ | ✔ | ✓ |
| 1 | Carnegie Mellon University | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 1 | Stanford University | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 1 | University of California-Berkeley | ✔ | ✗ | ✔ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✔ |
| 5 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | ✗ | ✗ | ✔ | ✔ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 6 | California Institute of Technology | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✗ | ✔ |
| 6 | Cornell University | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 8 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus | ✔ | ✗ | ✔ | ✔ | ✓ | ✗ | ✔ | ✔ |
| 9 | Princeton University | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 9 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus | ✔ | ✗ | ✔ | ✔ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✔ |
✔: Required △: Considered but not Required ✔: Recommended ✗: Neither Required nor Recommended
- HS GPA: High School or Secondary School GPA
- HS Rank: High School or Secondary School Rank
- HS Record: High School or Secondary School Record
- Prep. Program: Completion of College Preparatory Program
- Rec.: Recommendations
- Comp.: Formal demonstration of competencies (e.g., portfolios, certificates of mastery, assessment instruments)
The ranking data is provided by CollegeEvaluator.
Top Colleges By Subject
- Tightest Schools To Admit (Lowest Acceptance Rate)
- Affordable Schools To Admit (Highest Acceptance Rate)
- Most Favored Schools (Highest Yield)
- Colleges with Low Yield
- Expensive Colleges (Highest Tuition & Fees)
- Inexpensive Colleges (Lowest Tuition & Fees)
- Colleges with Most Students
- Colleges with Least Students
- Colleges with Most Online Students
- Colleges with Least Online Students
- Colleges with Highest Graduation Rates
- Colleges with Lowest Graduation Rates
- Low Student to Faculty Ratio
- High Student to Faculty Ratio
*Number of first-time degree/certificate-seeking students submitting SAT scores.
**Percent of first-time degree/certificate-seeking students submitting SAT scores.