The term “safety school” is used in the college admissions process to refer to a college you feel reasonably sure you can get into in case you’re not accepted to your first-choice school. If you’re interested in studying computer science, there are a number of safety schools that are worth considering.
Some of the top safety schools for computer science include Colorado School of Mines, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, and Rochester Institute of Technology. All of these schools have acceptance rates over 50%, and their CS graduates earn over $80,000 a year on average right out of college.
Table of Contents
- The Top 9 Safety Schools for Computer Science
- Colorado School of Mines
- Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
- Rochester Institute of Technology
- Missouri University of Science & Technology
- Milwaukee School of Engineering
- University of Arizona
- Michigan Technological University
- New Mexico School of Mining and Technology
- South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
- The Best Safety Schools for Computer Science: The Bottom Line
The Top 9 Safety Schools for Computer Science
We used several factors to come up with what we believe are the top nine computer science safety schools.
First, for obvious reasons, we focused on schools that aren’t too brutally difficult to get accepted to. Every school on our list has an acceptance rate of over 50%. Most are over 75%.
Second, we wanted to include only schools with nationally reputable computer science programs that regularly draw recruiters from top companies.
Note that “nationally reputable” doesn’t necessarily mean that every person on the street knows how good these schools are — or has even heard of them. Many of them aren’t household names. But tech recruiters definitely know about all of them, and that’s what matters when you’re looking for a college to study CS.
Finally, we looked at each school’s starting salary for new graduates in computer science. We picked schools where not only do graduating seniors get recruited heavily by top companies but get paid well out of the gate too. Every school on our list has an average starting salary in CS of at least $70,000.
Colorado School of Mines
- Location: Golden, CO
- Acceptance rate: 58%
- Middle 50% SAT range: 1,330-1,490
- Middle 50% ACT range: 30-33
- Top 10% of high school class: 57%
- Graduation rate: 83%
- Average starting salary for graduates: $80,300
- U.S. News ranking: #76 in National Universities
The Colorado School of Mines has a stellar reputation in the tech community and an idyllic location in Golden, CO, just outside Denver. If you like to ski and want to live the “out west” lifestyle, the Colorado School of Mines might be for you.
New graduates in computer science make over $80,000 per year on average, and many of them get recruited out to Silicon Valley. Others love the Denver area so much that they decide to stay and work for tech firms there.
There are only two real downsides to Mines. One, even though we consider it a safety school for applicants to places like Carnegie Mellon and CalTech, it still isn’t a piece of cake to get into. The acceptance rate is 58%, but the average SAT score is over 1,400, and the average ACT score is 31.
Two, the school is expensive. Not just for tuition, but for housing, food, and other living expenses. The Denver area has become highly sought after, and as a result, you’ll pay a premium for the privilege of living there.
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
- Location: Terre Haute, IN
- Acceptance rate: 73%
- Middle 50% SAT range: 1,270-1,480
- Middle 50% ACT range: 28-33
- Top 10% of high school class: 66%
- Graduation rate: 85%
- Average starting salary for graduates: $107,800
- U.S. News ranking: #1 in Engineering Programs (no doctorate)
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology is just what it sounds like: a school strictly for STEM majors. You won’t see anyone at this school walking across the stage and accepting a sociology or art history degree. It’s nothing but engineers and computer nerds!
Recruiters love Rose-Hulman. The curriculum is known to be rigorous, bordering on brutal. Expect to log plenty of hours studying. The school’s location in Terre Haute might not be super exciting, but there’s a much larger state school, Indiana State, just a few miles away, which can expand your social options.
Rose-Hulman grads draw the highest average starting salaries of any school on our list.
Rochester Institute of Technology
- Location: Rochester, NY
- Acceptance rate: 67%
- Middle 50% SAT range: 1,270-1,450
- Middle 50% ACT range: 29-33
- Top 10% of high school class: 43%
- Graduation rate: 72%
- Average starting salary for graduates: $85,300
- U.S. News ranking: #98 in National Universities
Rochester Institute of Technology is another school that focuses purely on STEM majors. It is located just a few miles away from another prestigious school, the University of Rochester. However, RIT is much easier to get into, and its students benefit from the same local connections and job opportunities.
RIT has an acceptance rate of over 70 percent, but based on its average SAT and ACT scores, its applicant pool is self-selective, meaning most students don’t apply unless they believe they have the stats to get in.
That said, if you have scores in these ranges, there’s a very good chance you’ll be accepted, whereas at a school like CMU you’ll have to hold your breath and hope for the best.
Missouri University of Science & Technology
- Location: Rolla, MO
- Acceptance rate: 81%
- Middle 50% SAT range: 1,173-1,370
- Middle 50% ACT range: 25-31
- Top 10% of high school class: 44%
- Graduation rate: 65%
- Average starting salary for graduates: $72,600
- U.S. News ranking: #185 in National Universities
The Missouri University of Science & Technology (formerly the University of Missouri—Rolla) is known as one of the top engineering and computer science schools in the Midwest. It draws many recruiters from firms in cities such as Dallas, Houston, Austin, Kansas City, St. Louis, and Oklahoma City.
But that doesn’t mean you’re limited to those cities with a degree from MUST. You’ll find graduates at top tech companies from coast to coast, as well as abroad.
The school’s location in Rolla, Missouri, isn’t the most exciting, and its student body is known to be rather introverted and “nerdy.” But there is a thriving fraternity scene in which about 25% of students participate. If you want to balance your school work with an active social life, the Greek scene at MUST is worth checking out.
With an acceptance rate of 81%, MUST is one of the “safest” of the safety schools on our list.
Milwaukee School of Engineering
- Location: Milwaukee, WI
- Acceptance rate: 63%
- Middle 50% SAT range: 1,170-1,390
- Middle 50% ACT range: 25-31
- Top 10% of high school class: Not reported
- Graduation rate: 68%
- Average starting salary for graduates: $72,500
- U.S. News ranking: #2 in Regional Universities Midwest
Milwaukee School of Engineering offers small class sizes, a rigorous STEM education, and an urban campus in the middle of one of America’s most underrated cities.
MSOE students work hand-in-hand with professors and advisors on research and engineering projects, and the career services department is great about lining up paid internships. Just about everyone who wants one gets one, and most students are able to choose between several. For CS majors, the same is true of full-time jobs when they graduate.
With an acceptance rate of 63% and a median ACT score of 28, MSOE is a true safety school for students looking at schools like Georgia Tech, UIUC, Michigan, and the like. But if you end up here, you’ll still be surrounded by high-achieving, competitive students who will challenge you, just as you would at those higher-ranked schools. And like the graduates of those schools, you’ll have recruiters lining up to offer you a highly paid job if you excel in your classes at MSOE.
University of Arizona
- Location: Tucson, AZ
- Acceptance rate: 87%
- Middle 50% SAT range: 1,140-1,370
- Middle 50% ACT range: 21-29
- Top 10% of high school class: 39%
- Graduation rate: 66%
- Average starting salary for graduates: $74,000
- U.S. News ranking: #115 in National Universities
The University of Arizona might be known more to the average person for basketball and parties. But in the CS world, it’s known as a top incubator of talent.
Unlike at other huge state schools with elite computer science programs (we’re looking at you, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), you don’t have to apply directly to CS at the University of Arizona. You can declare CS as your major after you’ve been accepted, and you don’t have to compete for a spot.
With an acceptance rate of 87%, the University of Arizona is a true safety school. And with an average starting salary in CS of $74,000, its graduates certainly don’t struggle when they get into the real world.
Michigan Technological University
- Location: Houghton County, MI
- Acceptance rate: 86%
- Middle 50% SAT range: 1,130-1,350
- Middle 50% ACT range: 25-31
- Top 10% of high school class: 27%
- Graduation rate: 70%
- Average starting salary for graduates: $71,600
- U.S. News ranking: #151 in National Universities
Michigan Tech would be much more well-known around the country if it weren’t in such an out-of-the-way location. The campus is in Houghton County, way up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The school suffers from a “you can’t get there from here” problem, which is why it doesn’t get as many applicants as it otherwise would.
But if you’re willing to make the trip — and once you get there, the campus and surrounding areas are absolutely stunning — you’ll receive a top-notch education in computer science and have plenty of job opportunities when you graduate.
You’ll also have a degree that is instantly recognized and highly respected in the tech world.
New Mexico School of Mining and Technology
- Location: Socorro, NM
- Acceptance rate: 97%
- Middle 50% SAT range: 1,110-1,320
- Middle 50% ACT range: 23-29
- Top 10% of high school class: 30%
- Graduation rate: 54%
- Average starting salary for graduates: $71,391
- U.S. News ranking: #121 in Best Engineering Schools
When it comes to schools in out-of-the-way locations, none on this list hold a candle to New Mexico Tech. Socorro, New Mexico is, to put it nicely, in the middle of nowhere. And it feels even farther out of the way than it is. But the weather is great, the sun is almost always shining, and the scenery is breathtaking.
Best of all, the education you’ll get at New Mexico Tech is second to none. That’s why hordes of Silicon Valley recruiters make the trek to tiny Socorro every spring to scoop up soon-to-be graduates.
New Mexico Tech’s acceptance rate, at 97%, is the highest of any school on our list. If you want a “sure thing,” this is as close as you’ll get to finding one.
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
- Location: Rapid City, SD
- Acceptance rate: 83%
- Middle 50% SAT range: 1,150-1,370
- Middle 50% ACT range: 24-30
- Top 10% of high school class: Not reported
- Graduation rate: 51%
- Average starting salary for graduates: $75,843
- U.S. News ranking: #26 in Regional Universities Midwest
South Dakota Mines is comparable to New Mexico Tech. They have similar entrance standards and similarly sized student bodies. They’re both in locations most Americans don’t travel to very often, although Rapid City, South Dakota is much more of a “real city” than Socorro, New Mexico.
Most importantly, both schools are highly revered in the tech world, and their graduates and soon-to-be graduates draw plenty of interest from tech recruiters, both in and out of Silicon Valley.
The Best Safety Schools for Computer Science: The Bottom Line
As the technological landscape rapidly changes, students preparing for a career in computer science need to find a school that will keep them ahead of the curve and funnel them into the most promising career opportunities.
But the most elite computer science schools are brutally difficult to get into, many having acceptance rates of 10% or less. That’s why you need good safety schools on your list. And the nine schools above are a great place to start. All of them will give you a world-class education and provide you with a respected and marketable degree that you can leverage into your dream career!