The University of Maryland’s undergraduate computer science program ranks 19th overall in the 2025 edition of U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges.”

UMD also ranks in the top 20 in three undergraduate computer science specialties:

• Artificial Intelligence: 12th
• Cybersecurity: 13th
• Computer Systems: 18th

Undergraduate computer science programs have been ranked by U.S. News & World Report for the past five years and UMD has ranked in the top 20 every year. UMD’s graduate computer science program ranks 17th overall according to U.S. News & World Report. 

“We are proud of these rankings that reflect our commitment to world-class education and research yet again. The University of Maryland is firmly established as a destination for the nation’s best computer science students,” said Matthias Zwicker, chair of UMD’s Department of Computer Science. Zwicker also holds the Elizabeth Iribe Chair for Innovation and the Phillip H. and Catherine C. Horvitz Professorship.

UMD boasts one of the largest computer science programs in the country, with more than 4,300 undergraduates who can pursue a specialization in cybersecurity, data science, machine learning and quantum information. Nearly 1,000 of them are women, making it one of the largest female computer science populations in the country. 

UMD ranks No. 1 among non-online U.S. universities for conferring the most undergraduate degrees in computer and information science according to The Chronicle of Higher Education and No. 3 for conferring the most undergraduate degrees in computer and information science to African Americans among non-online U.S. universities according to Diverse: Issues In Higher Education.

The 2023 Graduation Survey administered by the University Career Center reported a 96% placement rate of UMD’s computer science graduates with a median starting salary of $110,000 with a range of notable employers, including Accenture, Amazon, Booz Allen Hamilton, Capital One, Freddie Mac, Geico, IBM, J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., Leidos, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and others. Of the survey respondents, 85% reported full-time employment and 11% are continuing their education.

“This ranking reflects our strength as an established leader in computer science education,” said Amitabh Varshney, dean of UMD’s College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences and a professor of computer science. “We are dedicated to preparing our computer science graduates to tackle the world’s grand challenges with technology.”

Graduates of UMD’s undergraduate computer science program include: Michael Antonov ’03, Oculus co-founder; David Baggett ’92, Inky founder; Sergey Brin ’93, Google co-founder; Katherine Calvin ’03, NASA chief scientist and senior climate advisor; Anthony Casalena ’05, Squarespace founder; Judith Dotson ’85, Booz Allen Hamilton president of the global defense sector; Ruvi Kitov ’97, Tufin co-founder; Kristin Looney ’88, Looney Labs founder; Idris Mokhtarzada ’10 and Zeki Mokhtarzada ’01, Truebill co-founders; Sujal Patel ’96, Nautilus Biotechnology co-founder; Andrew Reisse ’01, Oculus co-founder; and Jagdeep Singh ’86, QuantumScape founder.