Top Universities to Study Computer Science – University Rankings for 2026
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Studying for a degree in computer science at University has been always a compelling and alluring opportunity. This is mainly due to the profound impact that information systems inculcated on our modern life. As computer science has become a vital tool for all facets of science, business and engineering, getting a bachelor or postgraduate degree from a prestigious and well-ranked university can have a major impact on the learning outcomes and career prospects. For exploring which is which to choose from to study computer science and conduct research, there are mainly four major rankings for universities. The ranking criteria are shaped by various combinations of various contributing factors which differ considerably depending on the organization performing the ranking including number of graduates, research and industry outcomes.
1. QS Top University Ranking
QS released their ranking for Computer Science and Information Systems which is based on academic reputation, employer reputation and research impact. A summary for the top 10 universities is shown below: The top 4 universities are based in the United States with MIT at the first spot. Meanwhile, The University of Cambridge ranked at 5th position followed by Harvard University. From Asia, the National University of Singapore is considered the top place to learn computer science with a worldwide ranking of 10.
| Traditional Online Course: Delivery | MOOC: Delivery |
| Often includes scheduled live lectures | Pre-recorded lectures |
| Next content is locked until the student finishes the current one | All lectures are available from the beginning |
| Groups/classes typically learn at the same pace | Self-paced learning |
| Teacher/instructor provides feedback | Feedback may be dependent on other course learners |
| Course is closed-ended with specified due dates | Course is open-ended and may be completed any time |
2. Times Higher Education (THE)
THE compiled the list of top universities across the globe to study computer science which assesses academic institutions for their core missions which includes teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook. As the Times Higher Education ranking covers all fields, the overall methodology is carefully recalibrated for each subject, with the weightings changed to suit the individual fields. Strangely, the University of Cambridge didn't make it within the top ten whilst ETH Zurich seized the first spot followed by California Institute of Technology and the University of Oxford. Again, if you want to go to Asia, the National University of Singapore is considered the best place ranking at position 10 worldwide.
| Topic | Quantitative Research Questions | Qualitative Research Questions |
| Mental health diagnoses | How does race affect rates of mental health diagnosis among teens in foster care? | What is the experience of African-American teens seeking help for mental health concerns? |
| Career choice | What is the relationship between household income and career choice among American university students? | How do American university students from low-income households experience making a career choice? |
| Social media use | What proportion of Australians aged 55 to 75 use popular social media sites? | How do Australians aged 55 to 75 use social media? |
| Early-stage dementia | What are the differences in the perceptions towards people with early-dementia before and after diagnosis? | How do people with early-stage dementia experience other people's reactions to their changed condition? |
3. ARWU Shanghai Ranking
The Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) is being compiled by Shanghai Jiao Tong University. ARWU uses six objective indicators to rank world universities, including the number of alumni and staff winning Nobel Prizes and Fields Medals, number of highly cited researchers selected by Thomson Reuters in addition to other research impact metrics. The top ten universities for computer science is shown in the table below. Strangely, The National University of Singapore is not within the top ten whilst it actually ranked at position 20 meanwhile the university of Cambridge ranked at position 44.
| Primary Research | Secondary Research |
| Data is collected by the researcher themselves | Data is collected by other researchers |
| Based on raw data | Based on data that has been previously analyzed |
| High level of involvement from the researcher | Low level of involvement from the researcher |
| Data collected fits the researcher’s needs | Existing data may or may not fit the researcher’s requirements |
| Expensive, time-consuming | Fast, low-cost |
4. USnews Ranking of USA universities
For the ranking of USA universities, the USnews published their annual list for 2017. CMU is ranked at position 1 meanwhile MIT seized the second place followed by Stanford University.
| Reference type | Source components | Examples |
| Journal article | Periodical title, volume, issue, page range, and DOI or URL | Axiomathes, 12(3-4), 261-283. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1015845217681 |
| Journal article with article number | Periodical title, volume, issue, article number, and DOI or URL | PLOS ONE 14(9): e0221287. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0221287 |
| Authored book or whole edited book | Publisher name and DOI or URL | Routledge. https://doi.org/xx.xxx/x.xxxxxx |
| Edited book chapter | Information about the whole book (including editor name, book title, edition and/or volume number, page range, and publisher name) and DOI or URL | In L. M. Sotto-Caras (Ed.), How to turn water into wine: magic or not (pp. 10-15). Mad Books. https://doi.org/xx.xxxx/x.xxxxxx |
| Webpage on a website (when authors are different from the site name) | Website name and URL | Bikhram News. https://www.bikhramnews.com/xxx-xxx/xxx |
| Webpage on a website (when authors are the same as the site name) | URL | https://www.hamscholar.com/xx/x |
