Admin December 18, 2024
Decided on a career in tech? Now it’s time to pick the perfect college.
Computer and information technology jobs are expected to grow faster than average for all occupations from 2023 to 2033, with more than 356,000 openings projected each year, according to information from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Choosing the right college can come down to many factors, including programs offered, student population, the area and cost. Learn more about some of the top tech schools in the United States, keeping their unique attributes in mind when making a decision.
California Institute of Technology
Location: Pasadena, Calif.
Date opened: 1891
Tuition and fees: undergraduate — $65,898; graduate — $65,706
California Institute of Technology — also referred to as Caltech — is a private university with just over 2,400 students. Approximately 59% of students are studying at a graduate level, according to Caltech enrollment statistics. The student-to-faculty ratio is 3-to-1 — a good fit for students who are looking for a more personalized experience.
Currently, Caltech offers 28 majors for undergraduate students and 30 for graduate students, all listed on its website for bachelor degree options. Additionally, Caltech offers doctor of philosophy and part-time degree options.
Some of the degree programs Caltech offers include the following:
- Computer science.
- Electrical and electronics engineering.
- Bioengineering and biomedical engineering.
- Computational mathematics.
- Materials engineering.
Carnegie Mellon University
Location: Pittsburgh
Date opened: 1900
Tuition and fees: undergraduate — $65,636; graduate — varies depending on program
Carnegie Mellon University, according to its website, is a private university that has more than 14,500 students from over 100 countries. The student-to-faculty ratio is 6-to-1, with 67.8% of classes containing fewer than 20 students, according to information from U.S. News and World Report.
Currently, Carnegie Mellon hosts multiple different programs with various bachelor’s and master’s degrees, as well as Master of Science and doctorate programs. Degree programs include the following:
- Artificial intelligence.
- Computer science.
- Robotics.
- Electrical and computer engineering.
- Mechanical engineering.
- Information systems.
Cornell University
Location: Ithaca, N.Y.
Date opened: 1865
Tuition and fees: undergraduate — in-state: $46,990/out-of-state: $69,314; graduate — varies depending on program
Cornell University is a private institution with 16,128 undergraduate students and 10,665 graduate students, according to its website. The student-faculty ratio is 9-to-1 despite being a larger university.
Cornell offers more than 80 formal major fields, along with dual-degree options. Additionally, it offers 100 graduate and professional programs focusing on course-based and research-based degrees.
Some of the top tech-related degree programs Cornell offers include the following:
- Computer science.
- Information science, systems and technology.
- Electrical and computer engineering.
- Mechanical engineering.
- Science and technology studies.
Georgia Institute of Technology
Location: Atlanta
Date opened: 1885
Tuition and fees: undergraduate — in-state: $12,024/out-of-state: $34,484; graduate — varies depending on program
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public university with about 50,000 students at multiple campuses in Atlanta, at Georgia Tech-Europe in France, Georgia Tech-Shenzhen in China and online. The student-faculty ratio is 22-to-1, with 30.8% of classes holding fewer than 20 students, according to statistics from U.S. News and World Report.
Georgia Tech offers many undergraduate and graduate degree programs, including the following:
- Computer science.
- Computer engineering.
- Electrical and computer engineering.
- Mechanical engineering.
- Supply chain engineering.
Harvard University
Location: Cambridge, Mass.
Date opened: 1636
Tuition and fees: undergraduate — $58,317; graduate — varies depending on program
Harvard University is a private institution that hosts about 24,596 graduate and undergraduate students, according to its website. The student-faculty ratio is 7-to-1.
Some of the tech-related programs Harvard offers include the following:
- Bioengineering.
- Computer science.
- Electrical engineering.
- Mechanical engineering.
- Quantum science and engineering.
Illinois Institute of Technology
Location: Chicago
Date opened: 1940
Tuition and fees: undergraduate — $52,386; graduate — $34,090
Illinois Institute of Technology is a private, technology-focused university with 8,838 students as of fall 2024. The student-faculty ratio is 17-to-1, with 49% of classes containing fewer than 20 students, according to statistics from U.S. News and World Report.
Illinois Tech offers many graduate, undergraduate and certificate options. Some of the tech-related degree programs Illinois Tech offers include the following:
- Artificial intelligence.
- Computer and cybersecurity engineering.
- Computer engineering in internet of things.
- Computer science.
- Data science.
- Information technology and management.
MIT
Location: Cambridge, Mass.
Date opened: 1861
Tuition and fees: undergraduate — $62,396; graduate — $62,396 for nine months/$83,811 for 12 months
MIT is a private research university that hosts about 11,920 students, according to its website. According to a report by Crimson Education, the student-faculty ratio is 3-to-1.
Each MIT degree option has a residency requirement — except for summer students. Some tech-related degree programs offered at MIT include the following:
- Computer science and engineering.
- Electrical engineering and computer science.
- Artificial intelligence and decision-making.
- Social and engineering systems.
Michigan Technological University
Location: Houghton, Mich.
Date opened: 1885
Tuition and fees: undergraduate — in-state: $19,122/out-of-state: $42,988; graduate — varies depending on program
Michigan Technological University is a public research university that hosts about 7,324 students as of the 2023-2024 school year, according to its website. The student-faculty ratio is 13-to-1.
Some tech-related degree programs offered at Michigan Tech include the following:
- Biomedical engineering.
- Chemical engineering.
- Computer engineering.
- Computer science.
- Cybersecurity.
- Data science.
- Information technology.
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Location: Newark, N.J.
Date opened: 1885
Tuition and fees: undergraduate — in-state: $19,974/out-of-state: $37,664; graduate — in-state: $27,810/out-of-state: $37,872
New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) is a public, polytechnic university that has an enrollment of more than 13,000 undergraduate and graduate students with a student-to-faculty ratio of 15-to-1, according to its website.
Some tech-related degree programs offered at NJIT include the following:
- Business and information systems.
- Business data science.
- Computer engineering.
- Computer science.
- Computer technology.
- Cybersecurity and privacy.
- Data science.
- Electrical and computer engineering technology.
- Information technology.
- Information systems.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Location: Troy, N.Y.
Date opened: 1824
Tuition and fees: undergraduate — $64,081; graduate — $64,054
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) is a private research university with 6,972 total undergraduate and graduate students, according to its website. The student-to-faculty ratio is 12-to-1.
RPI encourages students to pursue interdisciplinary studies and conduct research — even at an undergraduate level. Some tech-related degree programs offered include the following:
- Computer and systems engineering.
- Decision sciences and engineering systems.
- Semiconductor technology.
- Systems engineering and technology management.
- Business analytics.
- Supply chain management.
- Computer science.
- Information technology.
Rochester Institute of Technology
Location: Rochester, N.Y.
Date opened: 1829
Tuition and fees: undergraduate — $58,724; graduate — $59,502
Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) is a private university that hosts more than 21,000 students from its campuses in New York, China, Croatia, Dubai and Kosovo, according to its website. The student-to-faculty ratio is 13-to-1, with 46.2% of classes containing less than 20 students, according to a report by U.S. News and World Report.
Some tech-related degree programs offered at RIT include the following:
- Artificial intelligence.
- Computer engineering.
- Computer science.
- Cybersecurity.
- Electrical and computer engineering.
- Global supply chain management.
- Health systems administration.
- Information technology and analytics.
- Software engineering.
Stanford University
Location: Stanford, Calif.
Date opened: 1891
Tuition and fees: undergraduate — $58,416; graduate — varies depending on program
Stanford University is a private institution that hosts 7,841 undergraduate and 9,688 graduate students, according to its website. The student-faculty ratio is 6-to-1.
Some tech-related degree programs offered at Stanford include the following:
- Aeronautics and astronautics.
- Computational and mathematical engineering.
- Computer science.
- Data science.
- Mathematical and computational science.
University of California, Berkeley
Location: Berkeley, Calif.
Date opened: 1869
Tuition and fees: undergraduate — in-state: $21,101/out-of-state: $55,301; graduate — varies depending on program
UC-Berkeley is a public land-grant university that hosts more than 45,000 students. The student-to-faculty ratio is 19.4-to-1, with 71% of undergraduate classes containing fewer than 30 students, according to its website.
Some tech-related degree programs offered include the following:
- Computer science.
- Data science.
- Electrical engineering and computer sciences.
- Information and cybersecurity.
- Information management and systems.
Samantha Poutre is a former editorial assistant at TechTarget and a student at Roger Williams University. She studies creative writing at Roger Williams with a minor in global communications. She has served as an editor for two of her university’s newspapers and enjoys participating in clubs involving writing and the arts.
