Top 10 universities for computer science degrees 2025
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Insights into the top 10 universities in the world for computer science degrees 2025
| Computer science rank 2025 | Computer science rank 2024 | University | Country/region |
| 1 | 1 | University of Oxford | United Kingdom |
| 2 | 7 | University of Cambridge | United Kingdom |
| 3 | 3 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | United States |
| 4 | 5 | ETH Zurich | Switzerland |
| 5 | 2 | Stanford University | United States |
| =6 | 4 | Carnegie Mellon University | United States |
| =6 | 9 | Princeton University | United States |
| =8 | 8 | Imperial College London | United Kingdom |
| =8 | 10 | University of California, Berkeley | United States |
| 10 | 6 | Harvard University | United States |
Explore the full table for best universities in computer science here.
Studying computer science is a smart bet in today’s world because the career opportunities for tech-savvy graduates are expanding every year.
There is also an extensive choice of universities when it comes to deciding where to study the subject.
A toal of 1,122 schools feature in the Times Higher Education ranking of computer science courses for this year.
Some 130 of the featured universities are American, and 63 institutions are based in the UK. Canada and Australia are also well represented, with 28 and 31 institutions respectively.
Computer science degrees vary in focus. Some courses are very theoretical, while others are more focused on programming.
This ranking uses the same methodology as the World University Rankings, but with slightly higher weighting given to the innovation metric and lower weighting for citations. The full methodology can be found here.
Top 10 universities for computer science
1. University of Oxford
Although computer science is a relatively modern discipline, the University of Oxford has one of the UK’s oldest departments, formerly known as the Oxford University Computing Laboratory.
Since its inception, the department has provided lectures for undergraduates and trained research students at postgraduate level.
In addition to core computer science topics, students can take courses in computational biology, quantum computing, information systems, software verification, software engineering and computational linguistics.
The department offers three undergraduate degrees: single honours computer science, mathematics and computer science, and computer science and philosophy.
Like other students, computer science students – whether undergraduate or postgraduate – belong to one of Oxford’s colleges, where they live, eat, socialise and study.
2. University of Cambridge
The undergraduate computer science course at the University of Cambridge teaches a core selection of modules that provide students with the foundations of the subject in the first year.
In the second and third years, students are able to specialise in their own choice of modules.
All aspects of modern computer science are covered in the comprehensive programme, along with the underlying theory and foundations in economics, law and business.
Students will also develop practical skills, such as programming in various languages including OCaml, Java, C/C++ and Prolog.
There are more than 1,000 specialist computing and advanced technology companies in the area where students are often able to gain work experience.
3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Many of MIT’s graduates feature on lists of influential entrepreneurs making an impact at home and abroad.
Students are encouraged to develop start-ups, and research projects have explored problems such as calculating the financial risks of renewable energy and developing faster parallel computing.
Undergraduates are enrolled on a flexible curriculum that allows them to focus on both abstract theory and practical problems in computer science. Students can major in computer science or in both computer science and molecular biology.
Graduates go on to design video games, work on supercomputers or research robotics, and often join big companies such as Google and Microsoft.
4. ETH Zurich
ETH Zurich has a history of developing software and designing computer systems. Eventually, these projects called for a dedicated computer science department, which was created in 1981.
The department covers many areas of computer science, including computational intelligence, networks and distributed systems, algorithms and theory, and information security. Different programming languages are also taught on software engineering courses.
There are close relationships with other departments within the university and with partners in business and industry, such as IBM, Microsoft, Google, SAP and Disney, with which the university collaborates on research projects.
5. Stanford University
The Stanford University computer science department was established in 1965.
The department offers Bachelor’s of Science, Master’s of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees.
The department undertakes research in many areas, including artificial intelligence, robotics, foundations of computer science, scientific computing and programming systems. There is also a strong emphasis on interdisciplinary research across chemistry, genetics, linguistics, construction and medicine, among other fields.
The home of the computer science department is the Gates Computer Science Building, named after Bill Gates, who donated $6 million (£4.9 million) to the project.
=6. Carnegie Mellon University
The Carnegie Mellon University School of Computer Science was established more than 25 years ago.
The university introduced the US’ first bachelor’s degree in AI in 2018, and it added a bachelor’s programme in human-computer interaction in 2020.
The university offers a wide range of undergraduate programmes, majors and minors including robotics and human-computer interaction.
There are also several master’s and doctoral programmes within the field of computer science.
=6. Princeton University
The computer science department at Princeton University offers both a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science in computer science. Topics covered in both programmes include computer systems, AI and machine learning, theoretical computer science, and breadth. Students can also choose from a range of electives within each degree course.
In addition, undergraduate students will undertake a semester of independent work.
The university also offers doctoral and master’s programmes. There is a range of fellowship opportunities to help postgraduate students with the cost of studying.
=8. Imperial College London
Imperial College London offers a wide range of undergraduate programmes in computer science. These include courses in economics, finance and data science, software engineering, and electronic and information engineering.
Postgraduate taught courses cover areas including AI, applied machine learning and biomedical engineering.
There are a range of student clubs and societies related to computer science, such as the coding club and the data science club.
=8. University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley combines electrical engineering and computer science in one department, which is home to a range of student clubs and organisations, such as the machine learning club, the neurotech club, women in computer science, and the electrical engineering society.
The university’s proximity to Silicon Valley provides research and summer job opportunities for students.
10. Harvard University
The computer science department at Harvard University offers courses in a range of topics, including theoretical computer science, AI, economics and computer science, operating systems and programming languages.
The university offers undergraduate and master’s degrees and a PhD programme.
The department regularly hosts a lecture series where experts in the field present on their areas of expertise and research.
