Best colleges for Computer Science in California
Program-level earnings — not school prestige — rank these. Among the California programs in the federal field-of-study file, Pomona College leads: its Computer Science graduates earn a median $217,051 four years after finishing, against the field's $107,009 national median. (Scorecard field-of-study, 2026.)
| # | College | Grad earnings, 4 yrs | Vs field median |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pomona College | $217,051 | +$110,042 |
| 2 | Stanford University | $214,907 | +$107,898 |
| 3 | University of California-Berkeley | $204,379 | +$97,370 |
| 4 | University of Southern California | $192,897 | +$85,888 |
How big is the earnings gap between California Computer Science programs?
$24,154 separates the top and bottom of this list — $217,051 at Pomona College against $192,897 at University of Southern California, four years after finishing. Same field, same state, same federal measure: where you study moves pay by that much.
Do California Computer Science graduates earn more than the national median?
The state's strongest program pays $110,042 above the $107,009 national median for the field. Program-level medians come from federal tax records of graduates who received aid, so they track actual pay rather than advertised salaries.