# Highest-Paying Colleges for Cybersecurity

> CollegeRanker Agent Insights — structured data for AI systems
> Updated: 2026-05-31 | Schools: 50 | Category: Outcomes
> Source: https://www.collegeranker.com/rankings/highest-paying-cybersecurity

## Methodology

Ranked by graduate earnings with program concentration in Computer Science & IT

CollegeRanker uses a 4-pillar algorithm: Academic Quality (15-20%), Economic Outcomes (30%), Social Mobility (25-35%), Value & Affordability (20-25%). Social mobility data from Raj Chetty's Opportunity Insights Mobility Report Card (30M+ anonymized tax records). No subjective surveys.

## Summary

Choosing a college is a significant decision, especially when considering potential earnings after graduation. For students interested in cybersecurity, the right program can lead to lucrative job opportunities. The following list highlights 50 colleges known for their strong outcomes in this field, with graduates earning an average of $99,676.

What sets these institutions apart is their focus on key metrics that matter to prospective students. High graduation rates, manageable debt levels, and strong post-graduation earnings all play a critical role. As you read through the rankings, consider how each school's unique characteristics align with your goals for both education and future earnings.

Take, for example, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Princeton University. MIT graduates earn an impressive $143,372 on average, but they also face a higher net price of $20,111 compared to Princeton's significantly lower $6,128. This contrast underscores the importance of not just potential earnings but also the costs involved in pursuing a degree at these top-tier institutions.

## Key Findings

- MIT graduates earn $143,372 on average, leading the list.
- Princeton has the lowest net price at $6,128, making it financially attractive.
- California Institute of Technology graduates earn $128,566, showing strong outcomes.
- The average graduation rate among these schools is 91%, indicating a strong support system.

## Rankings

| Rank | School | Location | Graduation | Earnings (10yr) | Net Price | Median Debt | Debt/Earnings |
|------|--------|----------|------------|-----------------|-----------|-------------|---------------|
| 1 | [Massachusetts Institute of Technology](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/massachusetts-institute-of-technology) | Cambridge, MA | 96% | $143,372 | $20,111 | $14,768 | 0.1x |
| 2 | [Stanford University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/stanford-university) | Stanford, CA | 92% | $124,080 | $13,807 | $12,000 | 0.1x |
| 3 | [Carnegie Mellon University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/carnegie-mellon-university) | Pittsburgh, PA | 93% | $114,862 | $31,944 | $21,750 | 0.19x |
| 4 | [California Institute of Technology](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/california-institute-of-technology) | Pasadena, CA | 94% | $128,566 | $16,075 | N/A | N/A |
| 5 | [Bentley University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/bentley-university) | Waltham, MA | 88% | $120,959 | $37,930 | $25,023 | 0.21x |
| 6 | [Harvey Mudd College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/harvey-mudd-college) | Claremont, CA | 93% | $138,687 | $35,924 | $25,000 | 0.18x |
| 7 | [Princeton University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/princeton-university) | Princeton, NJ | 97% | $110,066 | $6,128 | $10,320 | 0.09x |
| 8 | [University of Pennsylvania](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/university-of-pennsylvania) | Philadelphia, PA | 97% | $111,371 | $28,699 | $15,715 | 0.14x |
| 9 | [Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/georgia-institute-of-technology-main-campus) | Atlanta, GA | 93% | $102,772 | $12,116 | $21,672 | 0.21x |
| 10 | [Stevens Institute of Technology](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/stevens-institute-of-technology) | Hoboken, NJ | 88% | $108,772 | $41,346 | $27,000 | 0.25x |
| 11 | [Cornell University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/cornell-university) | Ithaca, NY | 95% | $104,043 | $28,690 | $14,000 | 0.13x |
| 12 | [Santa Clara University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/santa-clara-university) | Santa Clara, CA | 88% | $109,183 | $50,062 | $19,162 | 0.18x |
| 13 | [Harvard University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/harvard-university) | Cambridge, MA | 97% | $101,817 | $19,066 | $14,000 | 0.14x |
| 14 | [Columbia University in the City of New York](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/columbia-university-in-the-city-of-new-york) | New York, NY | 96% | $102,491 | $21,590 | $21,500 | 0.21x |
| 15 | [Lehigh University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/lehigh-university) | Bethlehem, PA | 89% | $105,584 | $36,931 | $21,960 | 0.21x |
| 16 | [Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/rensselaer-polytechnic-institute) | Troy, NY | 83% | $102,051 | $36,228 | $23,750 | 0.23x |
| 17 | [Boston College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/boston-college) | Chestnut Hill, MA | 91% | $103,937 | $41,704 | $19,000 | 0.18x |
| 18 | [Yale University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/yale-university) | New Haven, CT | 96% | $100,533 | $23,777 | $12,975 | 0.13x |
| 19 | [Georgetown University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/georgetown-university) | Washington, DC | 95% | $103,494 | $40,815 | $15,500 | 0.15x |
| 20 | [Duke University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/duke-university) | Durham, NC | 96% | $97,800 | $29,612 | $13,000 | 0.13x |
| 21 | [University of Notre Dame](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/university-of-notre-dame) | Notre Dame, IN | 96% | $99,980 | $26,780 | $19,000 | 0.19x |
| 22 | [Colorado School of Mines](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/colorado-school-of-mines) | Golden, CO | 81% | $97,335 | $28,690 | $23,000 | 0.24x |
| 23 | [Worcester Polytechnic Institute](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/worcester-polytechnic-institute) | Worcester, MA | 89% | $103,470 | $43,071 | $27,000 | 0.26x |
| 24 | [Dartmouth College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/dartmouth-college) | Hanover, NH | 96% | $97,434 | $29,519 | $17,500 | 0.18x |
| 25 | [Brown University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/brown-university) | Providence, RI | 96% | $93,487 | $25,184 | $11,428 | 0.12x |
| 26 | [Villanova University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/villanova-university) | Villanova, PA | 92% | $100,423 | $43,756 | $25,874 | 0.26x |
| 27 | [University of Chicago](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/university-of-chicago) | Chicago, IL | 95% | $91,885 | $14,860 | $15,000 | 0.16x |
| 28 | [Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/rose-hulman-institute-of-technology) | Terre Haute, IN | 80% | $101,253 | $42,513 | $25,000 | 0.25x |
| 29 | [Vanderbilt University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/vanderbilt-university) | Nashville, TN | 93% | $91,565 | $15,846 | $14,000 | 0.15x |
| 30 | [Rice University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/rice-university) | Houston, TX | 95% | $89,718 | $13,370 | $11,000 | 0.12x |
| 31 | [Northeastern University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/northeastern-university) | Boston, MA | 90% | $92,538 | $30,915 | $24,250 | 0.26x |
| 32 | [Washington and Lee University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/washington-and-lee-university) | Lexington, VA | 94% | $94,810 | $23,781 | $19,500 | 0.21x |
| 33 | [Kettering University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/kettering-university) | Flint, MI | 71% | $94,823 | $34,660 | $27,000 | 0.28x |
| 34 | [University of Southern California](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/university-of-southern-california) | Los Angeles, CA | 92% | $92,498 | $32,740 | $18,000 | 0.19x |
| 35 | [Johns Hopkins University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/johns-hopkins-university) | Baltimore, MD | 94% | $87,555 | $18,809 | $10,250 | 0.12x |
| 36 | [Northwestern University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/northwestern-university) | Evanston, IL | 96% | $89,363 | $29,167 | $15,000 | 0.17x |
| 37 | [Williams College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/williams-college) | Williamstown, MA | 95% | $88,665 | $17,716 | $12,761 | 0.14x |
| 38 | [Lafayette College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/lafayette-college) | Easton, PA | 88% | $91,410 | $34,433 | $16,000 | 0.18x |
| 39 | [New Jersey Institute of Technology](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/new-jersey-institute-of-technology) | Newark, NJ | 73% | $84,276 | $16,504 | $21,000 | 0.25x |
| 40 | [George Washington University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/george-washington-university) | Washington, DC | 85% | $90,873 | $36,586 | $20,449 | 0.23x |
| 41 | [Washington University in St Louis](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/washington-university-in-st-louis) | St. Louis, MO | 94% | $86,182 | $21,786 | $17,500 | 0.2x |
| 42 | [University of California-Berkeley](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/university-of-california-berkeley) | Berkeley, CA | 93% | $92,446 | $13,481 | $13,000 | 0.14x |
| 43 | [Wellesley College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/wellesley-college) | Wellesley, MA | 91% | $84,803 | $25,496 | $10,000 | 0.12x |
| 44 | [Milwaukee School of Engineering](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/milwaukee-school-of-engineering) | Milwaukee, WI | 69% | $89,070 | $22,453 | $27,000 | 0.3x |
| 45 | [Case Western Reserve University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/case-western-reserve-university) | Cleveland, OH | 87% | $87,989 | $41,190 | $24,000 | 0.27x |
| 46 | [Clarkson University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/clarkson-university) | Potsdam, NY | 74% | $89,696 | $30,305 | $26,000 | 0.29x |
| 47 | [University of San Francisco](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/university-of-san-francisco) | San Francisco, CA | 71% | $89,812 | $41,431 | $23,000 | 0.26x |
| 48 | [Illinois Institute of Technology](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/illinois-institute-of-technology) | Chicago, IL | 74% | $82,592 | $18,425 | $25,000 | 0.3x |
| 49 | [Colgate University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/colgate-university) | Hamilton, NY | 91% | $85,139 | $28,786 | $15,000 | 0.18x |
| 50 | [Babson College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/babson-college) | Wellesley, MA | 93% | $123,938 | $40,514 | $20,000 | 0.16x |

## Data Sources

- U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (https://collegescorecard.ed.gov)
- Opportunity Insights Mobility Report Card (https://opportunityinsights.org/data)
- Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas
- Times Higher Education World University Rankings
- NCES IPEDS

## Citation

CollegeRanker. "Highest-Paying Colleges for Cybersecurity." CollegeRanker.com, 2026-05-31. https://www.collegeranker.com/rankings/highest-paying-cybersecurity

## License

This data summary is provided for informational purposes. Underlying data from federal sources (College Scorecard, IPEDS) is public domain. Opportunity Insights data is available under their data use agreement at https://opportunityinsights.org/data/.