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Research report · Workforce pipeline · Updated October 2026

Computer Science Graduates Hit a Record 122,747 Bachelor’s in 2023-24, Then Enrollment Turned Down

U.S. colleges produced a record 122,747 computer science graduates at the bachelor’s level in 2023-24, counting the whole computer and information sciences family, 2.8 times the 43,610 of 2010-11. That is 6.2% of all bachelor’s degrees. They also awarded 91,322 master’s degrees, 65% of them to international students. Enrollment is now falling.

122,747CIP 11 bachelor’s degrees, 2023-24, up from 43,610 in 2010-11
6.2%of all U.S. bachelor’s degrees, up from 2.5%
91,322master’s degrees; 65.1% went to nonresidents
23.5%of CS bachelor’s earned by women (all fields: 58.3%)
11,574cybersecurity bachelor’s (11.1003), 2.4x 2018-19
−8.4%undergraduate CIS enrollment at four-year colleges, spring 2026 (Clearinghouse)

We downloaded every IPEDS Completions file from the National Center for Education Statistics for 2010-11 to 2023-24 (the latest released, provisional) and counted first-major degrees in CIP family 11, Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services, by award level, sex, residency, institution and state. Computer engineering, data science and the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2025 to 2035 projections are added for comparison.

How many computer science graduates per year?

Degrees awarded per academic year, first majors, CIP 110K20K40K60K80K100K120K140K2011-122013-142015-162017-182019-202021-222023-24Bachelor’s degrees, 2010-11: 43,610Bachelor’s degrees, 2011-12: 48,094Bachelor’s degrees, 2012-13: 51,654Bachelor’s degrees, 2013-14: 56,092Bachelor’s degrees, 2014-15: 60,343Bachelor’s degrees, 2015-16: 65,293Bachelor’s degrees, 2016-17: 72,355Bachelor’s degrees, 2017-18: 80,798Bachelor’s degrees, 2018-19: 89,529Bachelor’s degrees, 2019-20: 97,930Bachelor’s degrees, 2020-21: 105,814Bachelor’s degrees, 2021-22: 109,597Bachelor’s degrees, 2022-23: 114,773Bachelor’s degrees, 2023-24: 122,747Master’s degrees, 2010-11: 19,862Master’s degrees, 2011-12: 21,417Master’s degrees, 2012-13: 23,043Master’s degrees, 2013-14: 24,829Master’s degrees, 2014-15: 31,760Master’s degrees, 2015-16: 40,412Master’s degrees, 2016-17: 46,825Master’s degrees, 2017-18: 46,890Master’s degrees, 2018-19: 45,957Master’s degrees, 2019-20: 51,772Master’s degrees, 2020-21: 54,456Master’s degrees, 2021-22: 51,748Master’s degrees, 2022-23: 77,725Master’s degrees, 2023-24: 91,322Associate’s degrees, 2010-11: 38,970Associate’s degrees, 2011-12: 41,557Associate’s degrees, 2012-13: 39,209Associate’s degrees, 2013-14: 37,920Associate’s degrees, 2014-15: 36,746Associate’s degrees, 2015-16: 30,845Associate’s degrees, 2016-17: 31,521Associate’s degrees, 2017-18: 32,162Associate’s degrees, 2018-19: 32,224Associate’s degrees, 2019-20: 32,395Associate’s degrees, 2020-21: 34,435Associate’s degrees, 2021-22: 35,242Associate’s degrees, 2022-23: 35,898Associate’s degrees, 2023-24: 40,733Doctoral degrees, 2010-11: 1,595Doctoral degrees, 2011-12: 1,704Doctoral degrees, 2012-13: 1,852Doctoral degrees, 2013-14: 1,989Doctoral degrees, 2014-15: 2,004Doctoral degrees, 2015-16: 1,994Doctoral degrees, 2016-17: 1,998Doctoral degrees, 2017-18: 2,032Doctoral degrees, 2018-19: 2,236Doctoral degrees, 2019-20: 2,420Doctoral degrees, 2020-21: 2,585Doctoral degrees, 2021-22: 2,800Doctoral degrees, 2022-23: 2,885Doctoral degrees, 2023-24: 3,243Bachelor’s122,747Master’s91,322Associate’s40,733Doctoral3,243

Source: NCES IPEDS Completions, first majors, CIP 11. Doctoral includes research, professional practice and other doctorates. 2023-24 is a provisional release. Hover a point for its value.

Computer science bachelor’s degrees grew every year in the series, from 43,610 in 2010-11 to 122,747 in 2023-24. The growth kept going after the number of bachelor’s degrees in all fields peaked at 2,089,542 in 2020-21: since then, CIP 11 bachelor’s are up 16% while all bachelor’s are down 5.5%. NCES’s own Digest series, which starts in 1964-65, never shows a year above 108,503 (2021-22), so 2023-24 is the highest on record by a wide margin.

Master’s degrees took a different path. They jumped in the mid-2010s, dipped to 51,748 in 2021-22, when degrees to nonresidents fell from 28,866 to 22,928, then rose 76% in two years to 91,322. Doctorates roughly doubled from 1,595 to 3,243.

Academic year Associate’s Bachelor’s Master’s Doctoral CS share of all bachelor’s Women, bachelor’s Nonresident, master’s
2023-24* 40,733 122,747 91,322 3,243 6.22% 23.5% 65.1%
2022-23 35,898 114,773 77,725 2,885 5.78% 23.0% 59.6%
2021-22 35,242 109,597 51,748 2,800 5.38% 22.6% 44.3%
2020-21 34,435 105,814 54,456 2,585 5.06% 21.9% 53.0%
2019-20 32,395 97,930 51,772 2,420 4.75% 21.3% 56.5%
2018-19 32,224 89,529 45,957 2,236 4.40% 20.6% 56.6%
2017-18 32,162 80,798 46,890 2,032 4.02% 20.0% 61.9%
2016-17 31,521 72,355 46,825 1,998 3.65% 19.2% 64.2%
2015-16 30,845 65,293 40,412 1,994 3.36% 18.7% 62.7%
2014-15 36,746 60,343 31,760 2,004 3.15% 18.0% 54.7%
2013-14 37,920 56,092 24,829 1,989 2.96% 18.1% 45.5%
2012-13 39,209 51,654 23,043 1,852 2.77% 17.9% 43.9%
2011-12 41,557 48,094 21,417 1,704 2.65% 18.2% 44.3%
2010-11 38,970 43,610 19,862 1,595 2.51% 17.6% 44.5%

*Provisional IPEDS release. First majors only; second majors are excluded (see Methodology).

What counts as a computer science graduate?

Most published counts use the whole CIP 11 family, which includes information technology, cybersecurity, networking and other applied programs as well as computer science itself. The narrow computer science code (11.0701) produced 44,627 bachelor’s degrees in 2023-24, 36% of the family. The largest codes in 2023-24:

CIP Program Bachelor’s 2023-24 Bachelor’s 2018-19 Change Master’s 2023-24
11.0701 Computer Science 44,627 30,422 +47% 25,543
11.0101 Computer and Information Sciences, General 28,151 22,738 +24% 21,230
11.0103 Information Technology 13,548 11,050 +23% 10,345
11.1003 Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance 11,574 4,830 +140% 8,510
11.0401 Information Science/Studies 9,290 8,843 +5% 10,359
11.0201 Computer Programming/Programmer, General 1,752 1,099 +59% 352
11.0199 Computer and Information Sciences, Other 1,557 576 +170% 680
11.0104 Informatics 1,437 1,276 +13% 1,358
11.0803 Computer Graphics 1,389 908 +53% 259
11.0801 Web Page, Digital/Multimedia and Information Resources Design 959 1,190 -19% 488

Cybersecurity and data science are where the growth is

Cybersecurity bachelor’s degrees (CIP 11.1003, computer and information systems security, auditing and information assurance) rose from 4,830 in 2018-19 to 11,574 in 2023-24, 2.4 times as many, against 1.37 times for the CIP 11 family and the fastest growth of any CIP 11 code with more than 5,000 bachelor’s graduates. Cybersecurity master’s degrees reached 8,510. Data science got its own code (30.70) in the 2020 edition of the CIP, first used in 2019-20; it produced 2,023 bachelor’s and 4,292 master’s degrees in 2023-24. Computer engineering, by contrast, has been flat at about 12,000 bachelor’s a year since 2020-21.

Field (bachelor’s) 2010-11 2014-15 2018-19 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 Master’s 2023-24
Computer and information sciences (CIP 11), all 43,610 60,343 89,529 105,814 109,597 114,773 122,747 91,322
Computer science (11.0701) 8,771 15,810 30,422 37,734 40,354 42,083 44,627 25,543
Cybersecurity and information assurance (11.1003) 2,870 4,557 4,830 6,313 7,145 8,732 11,574 8,510
Computer engineering (14.09) 4,634 6,439 10,555 12,035 12,065 11,989 12,024 6,723
Data science (30.70, from CIP 2020) · · · 137 732 1,269 2,023 4,292
Mathematics and computer science (30.08) 119 281 870 928 1,020 1,097 1,100 375

A dot means the code did not exist or had no completions. Cybersecurity counts dipped in 2015-16 before resuming growth; the series reflects how institutions classify programs, not only student demand. Related cyber codes outside CIP 11 (43.0116 in CIP 2010; 43.0403 and 43.0404 in CIP 2020) added 941 bachelor’s in 2023-24 and are not included above.

Women and international students

Women’s share0%20%40%60%2010-112017-182023-24Master’s, 2010-11: 28.1%Master’s, 2011-12: 27.7%Master’s, 2012-13: 27.4%Master’s, 2013-14: 28.6%Master’s, 2014-15: 30.4%Master’s, 2015-16: 30.7%Master’s, 2016-17: 30.9%Master’s, 2017-18: 32.4%Master’s, 2018-19: 32.8%Master’s, 2019-20: 33.2%Master’s, 2020-21: 33.7%Master’s, 2021-22: 34.0%Master’s, 2022-23: 34.0%Master’s, 2023-24: 34.2%Doctoral, 2010-11: 20.1%Doctoral, 2011-12: 21.5%Doctoral, 2012-13: 19.2%Doctoral, 2013-14: 20.9%Doctoral, 2014-15: 22.5%Doctoral, 2015-16: 20.0%Doctoral, 2016-17: 22.3%Doctoral, 2017-18: 21.6%Doctoral, 2018-19: 22.7%Doctoral, 2019-20: 22.6%Doctoral, 2020-21: 25.1%Doctoral, 2021-22: 25.6%Doctoral, 2022-23: 26.3%Doctoral, 2023-24: 26.4%Bachelor’s, 2010-11: 17.6%Bachelor’s, 2011-12: 18.2%Bachelor’s, 2012-13: 17.9%Bachelor’s, 2013-14: 18.1%Bachelor’s, 2014-15: 18.0%Bachelor’s, 2015-16: 18.7%Bachelor’s, 2016-17: 19.2%Bachelor’s, 2017-18: 20.0%Bachelor’s, 2018-19: 20.6%Bachelor’s, 2019-20: 21.3%Bachelor’s, 2020-21: 21.9%Bachelor’s, 2021-22: 22.6%Bachelor’s, 2022-23: 23.0%Bachelor’s, 2023-24: 23.5%Master’s34.2%Doctoral26.4%Bachelor’s23.5%
Nonresident (international) share0%20%40%60%80%2010-112017-182023-24Master’s, 2010-11: 44.5%Master’s, 2011-12: 44.3%Master’s, 2012-13: 43.9%Master’s, 2013-14: 45.5%Master’s, 2014-15: 54.7%Master’s, 2015-16: 62.7%Master’s, 2016-17: 64.2%Master’s, 2017-18: 61.9%Master’s, 2018-19: 56.6%Master’s, 2019-20: 56.5%Master’s, 2020-21: 53.0%Master’s, 2021-22: 44.3%Master’s, 2022-23: 59.6%Master’s, 2023-24: 65.1%Doctoral, 2010-11: 49.8%Doctoral, 2011-12: 51.2%Doctoral, 2012-13: 51.9%Doctoral, 2013-14: 53.4%Doctoral, 2014-15: 54.3%Doctoral, 2015-16: 56.3%Doctoral, 2016-17: 54.7%Doctoral, 2017-18: 57.3%Doctoral, 2018-19: 57.5%Doctoral, 2019-20: 57.9%Doctoral, 2020-21: 57.4%Doctoral, 2021-22: 58.5%Doctoral, 2022-23: 56.2%Doctoral, 2023-24: 56.6%Bachelor’s, 2010-11: 4.6%Bachelor’s, 2011-12: 4.9%Bachelor’s, 2012-13: 4.6%Bachelor’s, 2013-14: 5.0%Bachelor’s, 2014-15: 5.6%Bachelor’s, 2015-16: 6.3%Bachelor’s, 2016-17: 7.1%Bachelor’s, 2017-18: 8.4%Bachelor’s, 2018-19: 9.0%Bachelor’s, 2019-20: 9.8%Bachelor’s, 2020-21: 10.2%Bachelor’s, 2021-22: 9.8%Bachelor’s, 2022-23: 9.1%Bachelor’s, 2023-24: 8.2%Master’s65.1%Doctoral56.6%Bachelor’s8.2%

Source: NCES IPEDS Completions, CIP 11, first majors. “Nonresident” is IPEDS’s U.S. nonresident category: students on temporary visas.

Women earned 23.5% of CIP 11 bachelor’s degrees in 2023-24, up 5.8 points since 2010-11, while they earned 58.3% of bachelor’s degrees in every field combined. How that gap carries into jobs is tracked in our women in tech statistics report, which uses Census workforce data.

At the master’s level the field depends on international students. U.S. nonresidents earned 65.1% of CIP 11 master’s degrees in 2023-24, against 20.5% of master’s degrees in all fields. The share fell to 44.3% in 2021-22 and then rebounded, so almost all of the recent master’s growth came from nonresidents: their degrees rose from 22,928 to 59,455 between 2021-22 and 2023-24, while degrees to U.S. residents went from 28,820 to 31,867. Several of the largest master’s producers award almost all of their computing master’s to nonresidents (17 institutions with 500 or more had a nonresident share of 90% or higher). For graduates who want to stay, the route into U.S. jobs runs through student work authorization and the lottery covered in our H-1B statistics report.

Institution, CIP 11 master’s 2023-24 State Master’s Nonresident share
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus GA 3,504 41%
Western Governors University UT 2,629 0%
University of North Texas TX 1,749 95%
University of Southern California CA 1,623 78%
University of Central Missouri MO 1,476 99%
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign IL 1,462 46%
Northeastern University MA 1,427 74%
New York University NY 1,414 63%
Trine University-Regional/Non-Traditional Campuses IN 1,377 100%
The University of Texas at Dallas TX 1,364 86%
University of the Cumberlands KY 1,313 78%
Campbellsville University KY 1,272 99%

Computer science graduates by state

AK: 6.1 campus-based computer science bachelor’s per 100,000 residents (45 degrees); 6.1 per 100,000 including mostly online schools (45)AK6ME: 15.3 campus-based computer science bachelor’s per 100,000 residents (215 degrees); 15.3 per 100,000 including mostly online schools (215)ME15VT: 73.9 campus-based computer science bachelor’s per 100,000 residents (478 degrees); 73.9 per 100,000 including mostly online schools (478)VT74NH: 17.6 campus-based computer science bachelor’s per 100,000 residents (248 degrees); 187.9 per 100,000 including mostly online schools (2,646)NH18WA: 40.4 campus-based computer science bachelor’s per 100,000 residents (3,206 degrees); 40.7 per 100,000 including mostly online schools (3,224)WA40ID: 43.2 campus-based computer science bachelor’s per 100,000 residents (864 degrees); 43.2 per 100,000 including mostly online schools (864)ID43MT: 17.9 campus-based computer science bachelor’s per 100,000 residents (204 degrees); 17.9 per 100,000 including mostly online schools (204)MT18ND: 19.2 campus-based computer science bachelor’s per 100,000 residents (152 degrees); 19.2 per 100,000 including mostly online schools (152)ND19MN: 31.0 campus-based computer science bachelor’s per 100,000 residents (1,797 degrees); 34.9 per 100,000 including mostly online schools (2,026)MN31IL: 28.7 campus-based computer science bachelor’s per 100,000 residents (3,647 degrees); 31.8 per 100,000 including mostly online schools (4,034)IL29WI: 28.3 campus-based computer science bachelor’s per 100,000 residents (1,687 degrees); 28.8 per 100,000 including mostly online schools (1,718)WI28MI: 34.2 campus-based computer science bachelor’s per 100,000 residents (3,452 degrees); 34.2 per 100,000 including mostly online schools (3,452)MI34NY: 43.9 campus-based computer science bachelor’s per 100,000 residents (8,783 degrees); 44.2 per 100,000 including mostly online schools (8,847)NY44RI: 59.9 campus-based computer science bachelor’s per 100,000 residents (665 degrees); 60.6 per 100,000 including mostly online schools (673)RI60MA: 66.1 campus-based computer science bachelor’s per 100,000 residents (4,718 degrees); 66.1 per 100,000 including mostly online schools (4,718)MA66OR: 34.8 campus-based computer science bachelor’s per 100,000 residents (1,484 degrees); 34.8 per 100,000 including mostly online schools (1,484)OR35NV: 14.6 campus-based computer science bachelor’s per 100,000 residents (475 degrees); 14.6 per 100,000 including mostly online schools (476)NV15WY: 5.8 campus-based computer science bachelor’s per 100,000 residents (34 degrees); 5.8 per 100,000 including mostly online schools (34)WY6SD: 32.6 campus-based computer science bachelor’s per 100,000 residents (302 degrees); 34.4 per 100,000 including mostly online schools (319)SD33IA: 20.3 campus-based computer science bachelor’s per 100,000 residents (656 degrees); 20.5 per 100,000 including mostly online schools (661)IA20IN: 35.5 campus-based computer science bachelor’s per 100,000 residents (2,459 degrees); 47.3 per 100,000 including mostly online schools (3,281)IN35OH: 17.7 campus-based computer science bachelor’s per 100,000 residents (2,105 degrees); 19.3 per 100,000 including mostly online schools (2,291)OH18PA: 39.1 campus-based computer science bachelor’s per 100,000 residents (5,103 degrees); 40.9 per 100,000 including mostly online schools (5,336)PA39NJ: 34.8 campus-based computer science bachelor’s per 100,000 residents (3,312 degrees); 35.1 per 100,000 including mostly online schools (3,338)NJ35CT: 25.7 campus-based computer science bachelor’s per 100,000 residents (944 degrees); 27.2 per 100,000 including mostly online schools (999)CT26CA: 29.5 campus-based computer science bachelor’s per 100,000 residents (11,631 degrees); 31.7 per 100,000 including mostly online schools (12,469)CA30UT: 53.7 campus-based computer science bachelor’s per 100,000 residents (1,881 degrees); 221.0 per 100,000 including mostly online schools (7,742)UT54CO: 26.0 campus-based computer science bachelor’s per 100,000 residents (1,555 degrees); 42.2 per 100,000 including mostly online schools (2,525)CO26NE: 20.7 campus-based computer science bachelor’s per 100,000 residents (416 degrees); 41.4 per 100,000 including mostly online schools (831)NE21MO: 30.2 campus-based computer science bachelor’s per 100,000 residents (1,888 degrees); 30.2 per 100,000 including mostly online schools (1,888)MO30KY: 17.0 campus-based computer science bachelor’s per 100,000 residents (777 degrees); 17.0 per 100,000 including mostly online schools (777)KY17WV: 14.0 campus-based computer science bachelor’s per 100,000 residents (248 degrees); 56.2 per 100,000 including mostly online schools (994)WV14VA: 42.0 campus-based computer science bachelor’s per 100,000 residents (3,706 degrees); 46.6 per 100,000 including mostly online schools (4,110)VA42MD: 57.0 campus-based computer science bachelor’s per 100,000 residents (3,562 degrees); 109.0 per 100,000 including mostly online schools (6,806)MD57DE: 47.6 campus-based computer science bachelor’s per 100,000 residents (500 degrees); 48.3 per 100,000 including mostly online schools (507)DE48AZ: 21.2 campus-based computer science bachelor’s per 100,000 residents (1,599 degrees); 45.9 per 100,000 including mostly online schools (3,469)AZ21NM: 11.9 campus-based computer science bachelor’s per 100,000 residents (254 degrees); 11.9 per 100,000 including mostly online schools (254)NM12KS: 23.2 campus-based computer science bachelor’s per 100,000 residents (689 degrees); 23.3 per 100,000 including mostly online schools (691)KS23AR: 14.8 campus-based computer science bachelor’s per 100,000 residents (459 degrees); 16.2 per 100,000 including mostly online schools (501)AR15TN: 16.3 campus-based computer science bachelor’s per 100,000 residents (1,181 degrees); 16.5 per 100,000 including mostly online schools (1,195)TN16NC: 27.7 campus-based computer science bachelor’s per 100,000 residents (3,057 degrees); 27.8 per 100,000 including mostly online schools (3,074)NC28SC: 17.5 campus-based computer science bachelor’s per 100,000 residents (960 degrees); 17.9 per 100,000 including mostly online schools (983)SC17DC: 48.9 campus-based computer science bachelor’s per 100,000 residents (338 degrees); 64.7 per 100,000 including mostly online schools (447)DC49OK: 19.2 campus-based computer science bachelor’s per 100,000 residents (788 degrees); 19.2 per 100,000 including mostly online schools (788)OK19LA: 13.7 campus-based computer science bachelor’s per 100,000 residents (634 degrees); 13.7 per 100,000 including mostly online schools (634)LA14MS: 11.2 campus-based computer science bachelor’s per 100,000 residents (329 degrees); 11.2 per 100,000 including mostly online schools (331)MS11AL: 18.4 campus-based computer science bachelor’s per 100,000 residents (948 degrees); 22.2 per 100,000 including mostly online schools (1,147)AL18GA: 37.8 campus-based computer science bachelor’s per 100,000 residents (4,240 degrees); 39.0 per 100,000 including mostly online schools (4,373)GA38HI: 10.6 campus-based computer science bachelor’s per 100,000 residents (152 degrees); 10.6 per 100,000 including mostly online schools (152)HI11TX: 24.8 campus-based computer science bachelor’s per 100,000 residents (7,778 degrees); 24.9 per 100,000 including mostly online schools (7,805)TX25FL: 23.5 campus-based computer science bachelor’s per 100,000 residents (5,478 degrees); 25.8 per 100,000 including mostly online schools (6,002)FL24under 1616 to 2121 to 3030 to 4040 plus

CIP 11 bachelor’s degrees in 2023-24 per 100,000 residents (Census Bureau July 1, 2024 estimates), excluding institutions where 75% or more of undergraduates studied exclusively online in 2023-24. Hover a state for both measures.

IPEDS credits each degree to the state where the institution is based, which matters a great deal in this field: mostly online institutions awarded 16% of CIP 11 bachelor’s degrees in 2023-24, up from 13% in 2018-19. Western Governors University alone puts Utah at 221 degrees per 100,000 residents, and online programs lift Maryland and New Hampshire too. Excluding mostly online institutions, the U.S. rate is 30.0 per 100,000 (or 35.9 with them), and the top states are VT (73.9), MA (66.1), RI (59.9), MD (57.0), UT (53.7). Institutions with large but minority online enrollment stay in the campus-based count, for example Brigham Young University-Idaho (57% of undergraduates exclusively online, 612 degrees) and Wilmington University (71% of undergraduates exclusively online, 356 degrees).

State Bachelor’s 2023-24 Per 100K residents From mostly online schools Per 100K, campus-based Rank, campus-based
CA 12,469 31.7 7% 29.5 21
NY 8,847 44.2 1% 43.9 8
TX 7,805 24.9 0% 24.8 27
UT 7,742 221.0 76% 53.7 5
MD 6,806 109.0 48% 57.0 4
FL 6,002 25.8 9% 23.5 28
PA 5,336 40.9 4% 39.1 12
MA 4,718 66.1 0% 66.1 2
GA 4,373 39.0 3% 37.8 13
VA 4,110 46.6 10% 42.0 10
IL 4,034 31.8 10% 28.7 22
AZ 3,469 45.9 54% 21.2 30
MI 3,452 34.2 0% 34.2 17
NJ 3,338 35.1 1% 34.8 15
IN 3,281 47.3 25% 35.5 14
WA 3,224 40.7 1% 40.4 11
NC 3,074 27.8 1% 27.7 24
NH 2,646 187.9 91% 17.6 38
CO 2,525 42.2 38% 26.0 25
OH 2,291 19.3 8% 17.7 37
MN 2,026 34.9 11% 31.0 19
MO 1,888 30.2 0% 30.2 20
WI 1,718 28.8 2% 28.3 23
OR 1,484 34.8 0% 34.8 16
TN 1,195 16.5 1% 16.3 41
AL 1,147 22.2 17% 18.4 35
CT 999 27.2 6% 25.7 26
WV 994 56.2 75% 14.0 45
SC 983 17.9 2% 17.5 39
ID 864 43.2 0% 43.2 9
NE 831 41.4 50% 20.7 31
OK 788 19.2 0% 19.2 33
KY 777 17.0 0% 17.0 40
KS 691 23.3 0% 23.2 29
RI 673 60.6 1% 59.9 3
IA 661 20.5 1% 20.3 32
LA 634 13.7 0% 13.7 46
DE 507 48.3 1% 47.6 7
AR 501 16.2 8% 14.8 43
VT 478 73.9 0% 73.9 1
NV 476 14.6 0% 14.6 44
DC 447 64.7 24% 48.9 6
MS 331 11.2 1% 11.2 48
SD 319 34.4 5% 32.6 18
NM 254 11.9 0% 11.9 47
ME 215 15.3 0% 15.3 42
MT 204 17.9 0% 17.9 36
HI 152 10.6 0% 10.6 49
ND 152 19.2 0% 19.2 34
AK 45 6.1 0% 6.1 50
WY 34 5.8 0% 5.8 51

Which colleges produce the most computer science graduates?

1,386 institutions awarded at least one CIP 11 bachelor’s degree in 2023-24; the top 10 accounted for 17%. Online universities lead the list, followed by large public research universities, several of which roughly doubled their output since 2018-19.

# Institution State Bachelor’s 2023-24 2018-19 Change Women
1 Western Governors University online UT 5,845 2,016 +190% 12%
2 University of Maryland Global Campus online MD 3,193 2,233 +43% 24%
3 Southern New Hampshire University online NH 2,390 640 +273% 25%
4 University of Maryland-College Park MD 1,678 993 +69% 28%
5 University of California-Berkeley CA 1,567 637 +146% 36%
6 University of Michigan-Ann Arbor MI 1,354 858 +58% 30%
7 Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus GA 1,297 621 +109% 27%
8 Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus PA 1,219 1,044 +17% 26%
9 The University of Texas at Dallas TX 1,215 601 +102% 24%
10 Rutgers University-New Brunswick NJ 1,131 833 +36% 23%
11 University of Washington-Seattle Campus WA 1,061 762 +39% 43%
12 Arizona State University Campus Immersion AZ 1,007 603 +67% 18%
13 Oregon State University OR 977 681 +43% 20%
14 University of Phoenix-Arizona online AZ 968 983 -2% 27%
15 Purdue University-Main Campus IN 926 712 +30% 24%
16 Florida International University FL 875 397 +120% 21%
17 University of Central Florida FL 850 518 +64% 18%
18 University of Houston TX 802 458 +75% 26%
19 George Mason University VA 794 585 +36% 24%
20 Purdue University Global online IN 789 151 +423% 22%
21 University of California-Irvine CA 773 742 +4% 24%
22 Northeastern University MA 762 262 +191% 30%
23 University of California-Santa Cruz CA 758 656 +16% 20%
24 University of North Carolina at Charlotte NC 755 546 +38% 20%
25 University of Minnesota-Twin Cities MN 751 542 +39% 25%

“Online” marks institutions where 75% or more of undergraduates were enrolled exclusively in distance education in 2023-24 (IPEDS 12-month enrollment). Counts are CIP 11 first majors at each IPEDS reporting unit; multi-campus systems that report campuses separately appear separately.

Supply versus demand: graduates and projected openings

People per year, one scaleBLS openings a year, 2025 to 2035Software developers: 95,300 a yearComputer support specialists: 48,700 a yearComputer and information analysts: 47,000 a yearDatabase and network admins: 30,300 a yearComputer occupations, all other: 27,000 a yearQA analysts and testers: 10,700 a yearProgrammers, web devs and designers: 18,000 a yearResearch scientists: 2,900 a year280,000Software developers 95.3KComputer support specialists 48.7KComputer and information analysts 47.0KDatabase and network admins 30.3KComputer occupations, all other 27.0KQA analysts and testers 10.7KProgrammers, web devs and designers 18.0KResearch scientists 2.9KCIP 11 degrees awarded, 2023-24Bachelor’s: 122,747 a yearAssociate’s: 40,733 a yearMaster’s, U.S. residents: 31,867 a yearMaster’s, nonresidents: 59,455 a yearDoctoral: 3,243 a year258,045Bachelor’s 122.7KAssociate’s 40.7KMaster’s, U.S. residents 31.9KMaster’s, nonresidents 59.5KDoctoral 3.2K

Sources: BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035, Table 1.2 (annual average occupational openings); NCES IPEDS Completions 2023-24. Master’s graduates usually already hold a bachelor’s degree, so the degree total counts some people twice.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 280,000 openings a year in computer occupations from 2025 to 2035. About 90% of them replace workers who retire or move to other occupations; net employment growth is 287,600 over the whole decade (5.7%). Colleges award about 0.44 CIP 11 bachelor’s degrees per projected opening, and software developers alone are projected to have 95,300 openings a year against 44,627 narrow computer science bachelor’s. Those ratios do not mean there is a shortage: openings are also filled by graduates of other majors, by bootcamp and certificate holders, by experienced workers and by visa holders, and the IT unemployment rate shows how much harder the market has become for new entrants. Pay at the top of the ladder is covered in our software engineer salary report.

Occupation (BLS 2025 to 2035) Openings a year Employment change, 10 years Median wage 2025 Typical entry education
Software developers 95.3K +174,700 $135,980 Bachelor’s degree
Computer user support specialists 39.7K -26,200 $61,860 Some college, no degree
Computer systems analysts 32.9K +42,900 $105,850 Bachelor’s degree
Computer occupations, all other 27.0K +24,200 $116,580 Bachelor’s degree
Data scientists 24.8K +95,400 $120,230 Bachelor’s degree
Information security analysts 14.1K +40,600 $129,180 Bachelor’s degree
Network and computer systems administrators 13.4K -13,200 $99,130 Bachelor’s degree
Software quality assurance analysts and testers 10.7K +10,600 $104,300 Bachelor’s degree
Computer network architects 9.6K +14,100 $134,050 Bachelor’s degree
Computer network support specialists 9.0K +1,900 $76,220 Associate’s degree
Web and digital interface designers 8.3K +8,000 $104,000 Bachelor’s degree
Web developers 5.3K +3,300 $92,650 Bachelor’s degree
Computer programmers 4.4K -8,100 $100,390 Bachelor’s degree
Database architects 3.9K +6,500 $139,500 Bachelor’s degree
Database administrators 3.3K -100 $104,620 Bachelor’s degree
Computer and information research scientists 2.9K +8,400 $140,300 Master’s degree

Highlighted rows are the roles MSPs hire into most often. Openings are annual averages in thousands.

Is computer science enrollment declining?

Yes. Completions lag enrollment by the length of a degree program, so the 2023-24 record says little about today’s students. Enrollment data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center show the turn. In its final spring 2026 report (June 4, 2026), the Research Center wrote:

“By contrast, Computer and Information Sciences enrollment declined sharply compared to the spring of 2025, down 8.4 percent at four-year institutions and -11.2 percent at two-year institutions.”

Its fall 2025 report (January 15, 2026) found declines “across all award and institution types,” from 3.6% at primarily associate-degree-granting baccalaureate institutions to 14.0% at the graduate level. The Clearinghouse also reported that among bachelor’s students who started in fall 2024, those in computer science had the lowest second-fall persistence rate of the ten largest majors, 85.0%. Job postings tell a similar story: our tech job postings tracker shows software postings still well below 2020. If the enrollment drop holds, bachelor’s completions would be expected to flatten or fall later this decade, but IPEDS has not yet published data for 2024-25 to confirm it.

What this means for MSPs

The bachelor’s pipeline is at a record. The 2023-24 class was 122,747 CIP 11 bachelor’s and 40,733 associate graduates. BLS projects 48.7K openings a year for computer user and network support specialists, the usual MSP help desk and NOC entry roles, and employment of computer support specialists is projected to change -2.7% over the decade. For an MSP hiring juniors, degree holders are plentiful; the harder part is screening for the support and communication skills that a degree count does not measure.

Recruit from associate and applied programs, not only computer science. 40,733 associate degrees and most of the non-11.0701 codes (information technology, networking, cybersecurity) teach the systems and support skills MSPs bill for. Community colleges and regional public universities that run these programs are practical places to recruit interns and apprentices.

Cybersecurity programs are a ready source for SOC and compliance work. With 11,574 cybersecurity bachelor’s and 8,510 master’s in 2023-24, up 140% at the bachelor’s level in five years, an MSSP can build a junior analyst bench from graduates instead of competing for experienced analysts.

Online graduates are a growing share. 16% of CIP 11 bachelor’s came from mostly online institutions in 2023-24. Their graduates can live anywhere, since IPEDS records only where the institution is based, so they fit remote technician roles.

Plan for a smaller pipeline later. The Clearinghouse enrollment declines point to fewer graduates after the current cohorts. Internship and apprenticeship pipelines built now will matter more once those smaller cohorts start graduating.

Frequently asked questions

How many computer science graduates are there per year?

U.S. colleges awarded 122,747 bachelor’s degrees in computer and information sciences (CIP family 11) in 2023-24, the latest IPEDS year, plus 91,322 master’s, 3,243 doctorates and 40,733 associate degrees. The narrow computer science program code (11.0701) accounts for 44,627 of the bachelor’s.

Is computer science enrollment declining?

Yes, but it has not reached graduation counts yet. The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center reported that undergraduate computer and information sciences enrollment fell 8.4% at four-year institutions in spring 2026, and graduate enrollment fell 14.0% in fall 2025. IPEDS completions, which lag enrollment by several years, were still rising in 2023-24.

What percentage of computer science graduates are women?

Women earned 23.5% of computer and information sciences bachelor’s degrees in 2023-24, up from 17.6% in 2010-11. Across all fields, women earned 58.3% of bachelor’s degrees. Women’s share is higher at the master’s level, 34.2%.

How many computer science master’s degrees go to international students?

65.1% of the 91,322 computer and information sciences master’s degrees in 2023-24 went to U.S. nonresidents, up from 44.3% in 2021-22. U.S. residents earned 31,867 master’s degrees in the field.

Which college produces the most computer science graduates?

Western Governors University, an online university based in Utah, awarded 5,845 computer and information sciences bachelor’s degrees in 2023-24. Among institutions that are not mostly online, University of Maryland-College Park led with 1,678.

Are there enough computer science graduates for the jobs?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 280,000 openings a year in computer occupations from 2025 to 2035, including replacements for people who retire or change occupations. Colleges awarded 122,747 computer and information sciences bachelor’s degrees in 2023-24, about 0.44 per projected opening, and many openings are filled by people from other fields.

Download the data. computer-science-graduates-ipeds-2011-2024.csv (CSV). Licensed under CC BY 4.0: free to reuse with attribution to The Uptime Report.

Methodology

Source. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Completions component, complete data files C2011_A to C2024_A, downloaded October 2026. For each year we used the revised file where NCES provides one; 2023-24 (C2024_A) is a provisional release, and the 2024-25 file was not yet published. Institution names and states come from the 2024 Institutional Characteristics header file (HD2024); online status comes from 12-month enrollment by distance education status (EFFY2024_DIST); state population from Census Bureau Vintage 2025 state estimates (July 1, 2024). Projections are from BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035, Table 1.2, released August 27, 2026. IPEDS, Census and BLS data are U.S. government works in the public domain.

Definitions. “Computer science graduates” means degrees awarded in CIP family 11 (Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services), first majors only (MAJORNUM 1), at all institutions reporting to IPEDS, including U.S. territories in national totals; state figures cover the 50 states and DC. Academic year 2023-24 runs July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024. Doctoral counts combine research/scholarship, professional practice and other doctorates. Nonresident means IPEDS’s U.S. nonresident race/ethnicity category. Women’s shares use the IPEDS sex fields. Mostly online means 75% or more of undergraduates enrolled exclusively in distance education in 2023-24.

Cross-check. Our CIP 11 bachelor’s count for 2021-22 is 109,597, within 1.0% of the 108,503 in NCES Digest of Education Statistics Table 325.35, and our women’s share for that year (22.6%) compares with 22.6% in the Digest. The small difference reflects institution coverage in the Digest tables.

Limitations. CIP codes describe programs as institutions classify them, and the 2020 CIP revision added codes such as data science (30.70). Second majors (3,753 CIP 11 bachelor’s second majors in 2023-24) are excluded to avoid counting a student twice. Degrees are not people: a master’s graduate usually also holds a bachelor’s. BLS openings are projections, not vacancies, and include openings filled by people without computing degrees. Clearinghouse enrollment figures are quoted from its published reports; we did not have access to its underlying data.

Not advice. This is an analysis of public education and labor data, not career or hiring advice.

Cite as:The Uptime Report. "Computer Science Graduates Hit a Record 122,747 Bachelor's in 2023-24, Then Enrollment Turned Down." October 2026. https://theuptimereport.com/computer-science-graduates/

References

  1. NCES, IPEDS Complete Data Files (Completions C2011_A to C2024_A, HD2024, EFFY2024_DIST). Accessed October 2026.
  2. NCES, Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP 2020). Accessed October 2026.
  3. NCES, Digest of Education Statistics, Table 325.35: Degrees in computer and information sciences. Accessed October 2026.
  4. BLS, Employment Projections Table 1.2: Occupational projections, 2025 to 2035. Accessed October 2026.
  5. BLS, Employment Projections: 2025 to 2035 Summary (USDL-26-1422). Accessed October 2026.
  6. U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 state population estimates. Accessed October 2026.
  7. National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, Final Spring Enrollment Trends (June 4, 2026). Accessed October 2026.
  8. National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, Final Fall Enrollment Trends (January 15, 2026). Accessed October 2026.
  9. National Student Clearinghouse, “Computer Science Enrollment Is Cooling” (August 11, 2026). Accessed October 2026.

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