Research · Majors and pay · October 2026
Computer science in California, where the admit rate runs 4% to 95.7%
As of October 2026: Thirty of the 49 California colleges with a computer science program report an admit rate into the major, from 4% at UC Berkeley to 95.7% at Cal State Monterey Bay. Pay four years out runs from $71,490 at Cal State Fresno to $216,722 at UCLA.
The table holds every California college with a computer science program in the federal data, the admit rate into the major where a system reports one, and the pay and average net price; 19 report no rate.
Analysis: Test Prep Gurus (High School Reach, highschoolreach.com), October 2026. Figures and the table may be quoted with attribution to Test Prep Gurus.
The findings, in plain English
At the UC campuses the major is far harder than the campus. UC Berkeley admits 10% of applicants to the campus and 4% to computer science, 283 of 7,215. UCLA admits 11% to the campus and 7% to the major. UC San Diego admits 27% and 10%. Berkeley's 4% for this one major is the same as Stanford's rate for its whole campus.
The Cal State doors are far wider. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo admitted 26.5% to computer science, 1,085 of 4,090. San Jose State admitted 51.3%. Every other Cal State here admitted more than half of its first-year applicants to the major. Eleven of the 30 programs with a rate admitted 90% or more.
The highest pay sits at colleges that publish no admit rate. Pomona College reports a median of $217,051 four years out. Stanford reports $214,907 and Caltech $200,511. None of them publishes a rate for the major. Among the campuses that do, UCLA is highest at $216,722 and UC Berkeley next at $204,379.
Computer science at every California college in the federal data
Sorted by the admit rate into the major, lowest first; colleges with no reported rate follow, by pay.
| College | Program reported | Admit rate into the major | Applied | Admitted | Campus admit rate | What the system reports | Median pay, 4 years out | Average net price, per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of California-Berkeley | Computer Science | 4.0% | 7,215 | 283 | 10% | Admits by major reported (UC) | $204,379 | $13,481 |
| University of California-Los Angeles | Computer Science | 7.0% | 6,803 | 498 | 11% | Admits by major reported (UC) | $216,722 | $12,548 |
| University of California-San Diego | Computer Science | 10.0% | 6,464 | 672 | 27% | Admits by major reported (UC) | $159,487 | $12,470 |
| University of California-Davis | Computer Science | 19.0% | 4,893 | 946 | 46% | Admits by major reported (UC) | $138,673 | $14,741 |
| California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | Computer Science | 26.5% | 4,090 | 1,085 | 30% | First-year admission reported | $154,784 | $16,665 |
| University of California-Irvine | Computer Science | 30.0% | 5,418 | 1,608 | 30% | Admits by major reported (UC) | $127,404 | $14,251 |
| University of California-Santa Barbara | Computer Science | 34.0% | 5,793 | 1,972 | 44% | Admits by major reported (UC) | $149,190 | $16,109 |
| San Jose State University | Computer Science | 51.3% | 1,866 | 957 | 80% | First-year admission reported | — | $13,760 |
| California State University-Long Beach | Computer Science | 54.5% | 2,614 | 1,425 | 47% | First-year admission reported | $101,428 | $10,440 |
| San Diego State University | Computer Science | 71.4% | 3,107 | 2,219 | 34% | First-year admission reported | $100,586 | $15,364 |
| California State Polytechnic University-Pomona | Computer Science | 74.9% | 2,917 | 2,186 | 74% | First-year admission reported | $103,494 | $11,531 |
| University of California-Riverside | Computer Science | 78.0% | 2,712 | 2,104 | 88% | Admits by major reported (UC) | $117,705 | $14,304 |
| University of California-Santa Cruz | Computer Science | 81.0% | 4,616 | 3,744 | 82% | Admits by major reported (UC) | $123,422 | $17,890 |
| California State University-Bakersfield | Computer Science | 83.0% | 229 | 190 | 88% | First-year admission reported | $80,432 | $5,652 |
| California State University-San Marcos | Computer Science | 84.6% | 662 | 560 | 96% | First-year admission reported | $97,827 | $10,229 |
| California State University-East Bay | Computer Science | 85.2% | 608 | 518 | 97% | First-year admission reported | $119,900 | $9,320 |
| California State University-Chico | Computer Science | 89.0% | 435 | 387 | 94% | First-year admission reported | $127,498 | $14,480 |
| Sonoma State University | Computer Science | 89.9% | 326 | 293 | 95% | First-year admission reported | $106,181 | $12,885 |
| California State University-Los Angeles | Computer Science | 89.9% | 1,315 | 1,182 | 92% | First-year admission reported | $87,525 | $3,967 |
| California State University-Fullerton | Computer Science | 90.0% | 2,282 | 2,054 | 87% | First-year admission reported | $87,460 | $6,555 |
| San Francisco State University | Computer Science | 90.2% | 1,156 | 1,043 | 96% | First-year admission reported | $105,166 | $12,278 |
| California State University-Channel Islands | Computer Science | 90.3% | 288 | 260 | 93% | First-year admission reported | $100,887 | $9,849 |
| California State University-Stanislaus | Computer Science | 91.6% | 250 | 229 | 98% | First-year admission reported | $71,601 | $6,067 |
| California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt | Computer Science | 92.1% | 508 | 468 | 99% | First-year admission reported | $74,620 | $13,171 |
| California State University-Sacramento | Computer Science | 92.7% | 1,026 | 951 | 94% | First-year admission reported | $92,519 | $9,338 |
| California State University-Northridge | Computer Science | 92.9% | 1,136 | 1,055 | 93% | First-year admission reported | $101,348 | $7,021 |
| California State University-Fresno | Computer Science | 93.0% | 599 | 557 | 96% | First-year admission reported | $71,490 | $7,000 |
| California State University-Dominguez Hills | Computer Science | 94.9% | 646 | 613 | 91% | First-year admission reported | $74,788 | $8,615 |
| California State University-San Bernardino | Computer Science | 95.4% | 497 | 474 | 98% | First-year admission reported | $74,845 | $4,564 |
| California State University-Monterey Bay | Computer Science | 95.7% | 677 | 648 | 95% | First-year admission reported | $101,787 | $13,663 |
| Pomona College | — | — | — | — | 7% | Not reported by the college system | $217,051 | $19,285 |
| Stanford University | — | — | — | — | 4% | Not reported by the college system | $214,907 | $13,807 |
| California Institute of Technology | — | — | — | — | 3% | Not reported by the college system | $200,511 | $16,075 |
| Harvey Mudd College | — | — | — | — | 13% | Not reported by the college system | $198,257 | $35,924 |
| University of Southern California | — | — | — | — | 10% | Not reported by the college system | $192,897 | $32,740 |
| Northeastern University Oakland | — | — | — | — | 16% | Not reported by the college system | $163,708 | $25,181 |
| University of San Francisco | — | — | — | — | 51% | Not reported by the college system | $150,341 | $41,431 |
| University of San Diego | — | — | — | — | 47% | Not reported by the college system | $149,847 | $30,365 |
| University of the Pacific | — | — | — | — | 95% | Not reported by the college system | $147,511 | $25,447 |
| Loyola Marymount University | — | — | — | — | 40% | Not reported by the college system | $127,011 | $48,381 |
| Chapman University | — | — | — | — | 56% | Not reported by the college system | $112,780 | $46,555 |
| California Baptist University | — | — | — | — | 74% | Not reported by the college system | $93,038 | $26,285 |
| University of La Verne | — | — | — | — | 48% | Not reported by the college system | $90,694 | $20,161 |
| Biola University | — | — | — | — | 60% | Not reported by the college system | $78,943 | $31,495 |
| California Lutheran University | — | — | — | — | 89% | Not reported by the college system | $77,030 | $30,109 |
| Azusa Pacific University | — | — | — | — | 80% | Not reported by the college system | — | $22,212 |
| Occidental College | — | — | — | — | 40% | Not reported by the college system | — | $38,263 |
| Point Loma Nazarene University | — | — | — | — | 82% | Not reported by the college system | — | $38,729 |
| Westmont College | — | — | — | — | 80% | Not reported by the college system | — | $29,053 |
Admit rates are Fall 2025, from the UC Information Center's first-year admissions by major and the CSU Chancellor's Office's admissions by major. The Cal State dashboard suppresses small groups. UC admits to the campus, not the major, at most programs, so a UC rate describes the students who applied under that major rather than a separate decision by the department. Pay is the College Scorecard median four years after the degree for computer science graduates who received federal student aid, and net price is the average for aid recipients, both from the latest federal file. A blank cell means the college or system reports no figure.
What a UC rate does and does not mean
UC admits to the campus, not the major, at most programs. Where UC publishes a rate for computer science, it covers the students who applied under that major. The decision at most campuses is still made by the campus. UC presents these figures as a general guide to selectivity, not as a predictor.
The rate says more about demand than about difficulty. Berkeley turned away most of the 7,215 students who applied to computer science. The program has far fewer seats than applicants. The coursework is not harder than it is at a campus admitting 90%.
Nineteen of these colleges report no rate
Nineteen of the 49 colleges here publish no admit rate for computer science. Stanford, Caltech, Pomona College, Harvey Mudd and USC are all in that group. Their campus rates are 4%, 3%, 7%, 13% and 10%. A blank is not an easier door. It means the college or system reports no figure for the major.
Five colleges here report no pay figure either. Where a cell is blank, the college does not report it, and we leave it blank.
What a family should do with this
Pick the campuses where the major itself is reachable. Apply to more than one. A student aiming only at the top three UC campuses here is aiming at 4%, 7% and 10% doors.
Read the pay column against the cost column. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo reports $154,784 four years out against an average net price of $16,665 a year. UC Berkeley reports $204,379 against $13,481. USC reports $192,897 against $32,740.
Treat the wide-open Cal State programs as real options. Cal State East Bay admitted 85.2% to computer science and its graduates report $119,900. That is above San Diego State's $100,586 and Cal Poly Pomona's $103,494, which both admitted a smaller share. Earnings travel with the students a college admits and the majors they choose, so read a high median as partly a statement about who got in.
Questions parents ask
What is the hardest computer science program to get into in California?
UC Berkeley admits 10% of applicants to the campus and 4% to computer science, 283 of 7,215.
Do the UCs admit students into the computer science major?
UC admits to the campus, not the major, at most programs.
Why do Stanford and Caltech show no admit rate for the major?
A blank is not an easier door. It means the college or system reports no figure for the major.
Method & sources: The admit rates are Fall 2025, from the UC Information Center and the CSU Chancellor's Office, for the campuses that publish a computer science figure. Pay is the College Scorecard median four years after the degree, counting only graduates who got federal student aid. Net price is the average for aid recipients, from the same federal file. Rows are sorted by the admit rate into the major, lowest first, then by pay, and every California college with the major in the federal data is kept.
- UC Information Center, first-year applicants and admits by major
- CSU Chancellor's Office, applications and admissions by major
- College Scorecard, field-of-study data
This brief as data: /research/computer-science-california-admit-and-pay.json. Free for editorial use with attribution to Test Prep Gurus (High School Reach).
Related: Computer science: admit rates, cost and pay by college · The hardest majors to get into at each UC campus · What the 25 most common majors pay four years out · College outcomes: earnings and payoff by college and major