The Seven Leading Universities in Computer Science! A Must-Read for Aspiring Computer Science Majors!

With the development of computer science and technology, “Internet Plus” is profoundly changing people’s lives and work styles. Computer science majors are highly favored due to their excellent employment prospects and high salaries, making them a popular choice for many candidates. However, many candidates may wonder which universities have outstanding computer science programs.

Overview of Computer Science MajorsComputer Science and Technology, Software Engineering are core disciplines in the field of computer science, providing students with comprehensive foundational knowledge and practical application and development skills. Related majors such as Network Engineering, Information Security, Internet of Things Engineering, Intelligent Science and Technology, Artificial Intelligence, and Big Data are also widely popular.These majors require students to have a solid foundation in mathematics, physics, and English, as these are core courses in university studies. Under the new college entrance examination model, students applying for computer science majors need to choose physics, and after 2024, they will need to select both physics and chemistry. Therefore, parents and students need to understand and prepare in advance when planning their major selections.Regarding the ranking of universities with computer science programs, evaluations can be made from multiple perspectives, such as Double First-Class programs, discipline assessment results, and rankings of national and provincial first-class undergraduate programs in computer science. Based on these criteria, institutions have categorized universities with computer science programs into seven tiers for reference. The Seven Leading Universities in Computer Science! A Must-Read for Aspiring Computer Science Majors!

First Tier Universities

Peking University, Tsinghua University, and Zhejiang University are the three universities whose computer science programs have achieved an A+ rating, indicating that being admitted to the computer science programs of these universities places one at the top of domestic higher education.

Tsinghua University

Tsinghua University is one of the top universities in China, and its computer science program enjoys a high reputation both domestically and internationally. Since establishing its computer science program in 1956, Tsinghua University has consistently prioritized the development of its Computer Science and Technology program.In the 2018 rankings published by U.S. News & World Report, Tsinghua University’s computer science program surpassed MIT to become the number one in the world, marking the first time a Chinese university achieved this position in the field. Additionally, Tsinghua University’s computer science program received an A+ rating in the Ministry of Education’s discipline assessment, indicating its leading position in the country.Tsinghua University’s computer science program boasts top-notch faculty and research capabilities, with professors who are prominent figures in the field of computer science, and their research achievements and academic standards are widely recognized. In such an environment, students can benefit from better learning conditions and resources, greatly aiding their future academic and career development.

Peking University

Peking University has unique geographical, disciplinary, faculty, and financial advantages that provide strong support for the development of its Computer Science and Technology program. This program is included in the list of world-class disciplines, demonstrating Peking University’s outstanding strength and international influence in this field.

Peking University’s computer science program has a strong faculty team, leading in the country, with abundant resources and first-class hardware facilities. The university invests heavily, establishing multiple key laboratories to provide students with superior research and learning conditions.

Peking University’s computer science program was established early and is a pioneer and leader in the field. As a “Double First-Class” discipline at Peking University, this program has close collaborative relationships with many renowned universities both domestically and internationally, such as Harvard University and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, engaging in in-depth cooperation and exchanges in research and talent development, cultivating a large number of high-quality talents in the field of computer science.

Zhejiang University

Zhejiang University has the CAD & CG National Key Laboratory, and its computer science discipline ranks in the top 0.1% globally in ESI, ranking 22nd worldwide, and 9th in the U.S. News computer science discipline ranking, making it the third among national universities. These achievements fully demonstrate Zhejiang University’s strength and influence in the field of computer science and technology.The College of Computer Science and Technology at Zhejiang University has trained a large number of outstanding talents, including academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences such as Wu Chaohui and academicians of the Chinese Academy of Engineering such as Pan Yunhe, Chen Zuoning, and Chen Chun.In the past three years, the college’s research funding has exceeded 750 million yuan, surpassing the total funding of many ordinary universities. This figure fully proves the college’s strength and influence in research, providing students with better learning conditions and resources.In the Ministry of Education’s discipline assessment, the College of Computer Science and Technology at Zhejiang University received an A+ rating. The Seven Leading Universities in Computer Science! A Must-Read for Aspiring Computer Science Majors! Second Tier Universities

Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Beihang University, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Nanjing University, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China have also achieved an A rating for their computer science programs, demonstrating strong capabilities.

Beihang University

Established in 1958, Beihang University created the “Computational Device Research Room,” making it one of the earliest universities in China to establish a computer science program.In the Ministry of Education’s discipline assessment, the assessment result for Computer Science and Technology is A, and for Software Engineering is A+. In 2017, Computer Science and Technology and Software Engineering were approved as national “Double First-Class” construction disciplines.

When comparing the computer science programs of Beihang University and BUPT, both universities are quite similar in strength. However, the only difference is that Beihang is a 985 university, which may provide some advantages in various aspects, especially in terms of studying abroad and graduate school applications. However, in terms of research direction, the Internet research direction at BUPT is more civilian-oriented, while Beihang relies on strong national investment, resulting in higher research levels.

Harbin Institute of Technology

Harbin Institute of Technology is one of the earliest universities to offer computer science programs, with a deep foundation in the field of computer science. Many of the experts and professors mentioned above graduated from HIT. It has a national first-level key discipline in Computer Science and Technology, with 7 doctoral programs, 7 master’s programs, and 1 postdoctoral research station.

Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s computer science program is housed within the School of Electronic Information and Electrical Engineering, holding a high status within the university. It has ample research funding and strong faculty. The university has established the Joint Laboratory for Intelligent Computing and Intelligent Systems, the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission’s Key Laboratory for Intelligent Interaction and Cognitive Engineering, and the Key Laboratory for Scalable Computing and Systems. Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s Computer Science and Technology program ranks highly, being a first-level key discipline, and combined with the strong position of the School of Electronics at SJTU and the emphasis on the ACM class at Zhiyuan College, only Zhejiang University’s computer science program can compete with it among southern universities.

Nanjing University

Nanjing University has strong capabilities in the fields of computer science and software, Nanjing University has the only key laboratory in software in East China, the “National Key Laboratory of New Technologies for Computer Software”, which is the only national key laboratory in the software field rated as “excellent” in our country. At the same time, Nanjing University is also the only university in East China with full-time academicians, a national key laboratory, and a national first-level key discipline in this field.

Huazhong University of Science and Technology

The Computer Science and Technology program is the top program at Huazhong University of Science and Technology, with the college housing the Ministry of Education’s Key Laboratory for Information Storage Systems, the Key Laboratory for Service Computing Technology and Systems, the Engineering Center for Data Storage Systems and Technology, the Hubei Provincial Engineering Research Center for Network Storage Technology, the Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory for Cluster and Grid Computing, the Hubei Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Databases, and the National Key Laboratory for Next-Generation Internet Access Systems. It also has the IBM Technology Center and the National High-Performance Computing Center (Wuhan).

Huazhong University of Science and Technology is also one of the most favored universities by Internet companies for recruitment, with Zhang Xiaolong, the father of WeChat, being a graduate of the computer science program at Huazhong University of Science and Technology.

University of Electronic Science and Technology of China

Established in 1956, the computer science program at the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China is also one of the first universities in China to establish a computer science program.The University of Electronic Science and Technology has strong capabilities in the field of information security, with well-known professors such as Wu Yue, Dai Yuanshun, Duan Lixin, Ge Shuzhi, Zhang Dongxiang, and Zhou Tao.

While the University of Electronic Science and Technology’s primary field is electronic information, its computer science program has made significant strides in recent years, with the Computer Science and Technology first-level discipline rated A in the fourth round of national discipline assessments in 2017; it ranked 26th in the 2020 U.S. News global computer science discipline ranking; and its computer science discipline is in the top 0.379‰ of ESI, ranking 22nd globally.

Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications

The strongest field of Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications is communication, but in recent years, computer science has developed rapidly, becoming a new flagship program for the university. The College of Computer Science is one of the largest and strongest colleges in the university, with an employment rate close to 100%, and has a number of well-known scholars in the field of computer science, including Professor Fang Binxing, who is best known for building the national Internet security protection system, commonly known as the “Internet Firewall.”

The Seven Leading Universities in Computer Science! A Must-Read for Aspiring Computer Science Majors! Third Tier Universities

Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing Institute of Technology, Northeastern University, Jilin University, Tongji University, University of Science and Technology of China, Wuhan University, Central South University, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an University of Electronic Science and Technology. These universities are also mostly 985 universities, and their computer science programs are also quite strong.

The Seven Leading Universities in Computer Science! A Must-Read for Aspiring Computer Science Majors! Fourth Tier Universities

The fourth tier has many schools, with representative universities including Nankai University, Tianjin University, Dalian University of Technology, Fudan University, East China Normal University, Southeast University, Sun Yat-sen University, South China University of Technology, etc. The computer science programs at these schools are not the main focus of the university, but due to their high reputation, they still possess considerable strength.

The Seven Leading Universities in Computer Science! A Must-Read for Aspiring Computer Science Majors! Fifth Tier UniversitiesBeijing Normal University, Shanxi University, Ocean University of China, Hohai University, Shanghai University and others. This group of universities is also relatively numerous, with computer science programs that have certain strengths, but their characteristics are not very prominent. Some non-211 universities have also been included, such as Shenzhen University and Changchun University of Science and Technology, which also have good computer science programs. The Seven Leading Universities in Computer Science! A Must-Read for Aspiring Computer Science Majors! Sixth Tier UniversitiesNorth China University of Technology, Capital Normal University, Tianjin University of Technology, Guangxi University, Fuzhou University and others. This group of universities mainly consists of ordinary 211 universities and some engineering-focused universities, where computer science can still be considered as an alternative.

Appendix: Fourth Round of Computer Science and Technology Discipline Assessment Results

Changzhou University

Serial Number	University Code	University Name	Assessment Result
1	10001	Peking University	A+
2	10003	Tsinghua University	A+
3	10335	Zhejiang University	A+
4	90002	National University of Defense Technology	A+
5	10006	Beihang University	A
6	10013	Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications	A
7	10213	Harbin Institute of Technology	A
8	10248	Shanghai Jiao Tong University	A
9	10284	Nanjing University	A
10	10487	Huazhong University of Science and Technology	A
11	10614	University of Electronic Science and Technology of China	A
12	10004	Beijing Jiaotong University	A-
13	10007	Beijing Institute of Technology	A-
14	10145	Northeastern University	A-
15	10183	Jilin University	A-
16	10247	Tongji University	A-
17	10358	University of Science and Technology of China	A-
18	10486	Wuhan University	A-
19	10533	Central South University	A-
20	10698	Xi’an Jiaotong University	A-
21	10699	Northwestern Polytechnical University	A-
22	10701	Xi’an University of Electronic Science and Technology	A-
23	90005	PLA Information Engineering University	A-
24	10002	Renmin University of China	B+
25	10005	Beijing University of Technology	B+
26	10008	Beijing University of Science and Technology	B+
27	10055	Nankai University	B+
28	10056	Tianjin University	B+
29	10141	Dalian University of Technology	B+
30	10217	Harbin Engineering University	B+
31	10246	Fudan University	B+
32	10269	East China Normal University	B+
33	10286	Southeast University	B+
34	10287	Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics	B+
35	10288	Nanjing University of Science and Technology	B+
36	10336	Hangzhou Dianzi University	B+
37	10359	Hefei University of Technology	B+
38	10384	Xiamen University	B+
39	10422	Shandong University	B+
40	10532	Hunan University	B+
41	10558	Sun Yat-sen University	B+
42	10561	South China University of Technology	B+
43	10610	Sichuan University	B+
44	10611	Chongqing University	B+
45	10613	Southwest Jiaotong University	B+
46	10617	Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications	B+
47	90006	PLA University of Science and Technology	B+
48	10294	Hohai University	B
49	10299	Jiangsu University	B
50	10300	Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology	B
51	10337	Zhejiang University of Technology	B
52	10357	Anhui University	B
53	10423	Ocean University of China	B
54	10491	China University of Geosciences	B
55	10497	Wuhan University of Technology	B
56	10559	Jinan University	B
57	10590	Shenzhen University	B
58	10635	Southwest University	B
59	10730	Lanzhou University	B
60	90059	Rocket Force Engineering University	B
61	10027	Beijing Normal University	B
62	10060	Tianjin University of Technology	B
63	10108	Shanxi University	B
64	10151	Dalian Maritime University	B
65	10186	Changchun University of Science and Technology	B
66	10214	Harbin Institute of Technology	B
67	10216	Yanshan University	B
68	10251	East China University of Science and Technology	B
69	10280	Shanghai University	B
70	10285	Soochow University	B
71	10290	China University of Mining and Technology	B
72	10009	North China University of Technology	B-
73	10019	China Agricultural University	B-
74	10028	Capital Normal University	B-
75	10058	Tianjin University of Technology	B-
76	10079	North China Electric Power University	B-
77	10112	Taiyuan University of Technology	B-
78	10126	Inner Mongolia University	B-
79	10143	Shenyang Aerospace University	B-
80	10255	Donghua University	B-
81	10293	Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications	B-
82	10295	Jiangnan University	B-
83	10353	Zhejiang Gongshang University	B-
84	10386	Fuzhou University	B-
85	10424	Shandong University of Science and Technology	B-
86	10427	Jinan University	B-
87	10511	Central China Normal University	B-
88	10593	Guangxi University	B-
89	10595	Guilin University of Electronic Technology	B-
90	10673	Yunnan University	B-
91	10697	Northwest University	B-
92	10746	Qinghai Normal University	B-
93	10755	Xinjiang University	B-
94	11414	China University of Petroleum	B-
95	90045	Air Force Engineering University	B-
96	10010	Beijing University of Chemical Technology	C+
97	10032	Beijing Language and Culture University	C+
98	10033	Communication University of China	C+
99	10059	China Civil Aviation University	C+
100	10075	Hebei University	C+
101	10080	Hebei University of Technology	C+
102	10153	Shenyang University of Architecture	C+
103	10165	Liaoning Normal University	C+
104	10252	Shanghai University of Engineering Science	C+
105	10264	Shanghai Ocean University	C+
106	10292	C+
107	10338	Zhejiang University of Science and Technology	C+
108	10345	Zhejiang Normal University	C+
109	10351	Wenzhou University	C+
110	10394	Fujian Normal University	C+
111	10403	Nanchang University	C+
112	10459	Zhengzhou University	C+
113	10488	Wuhan University of Science and Technology	C+
114	10534	Hunan University of Science and Technology	C+
115	10602	Guangxi Normal University	C+
116	10621	Chengdu University of Information Technology	C+
117	10657	Guizhou University	C+
118	10674	Kunming University of Technology	C+
119	10710	Chang’an University	C+
120	11065	Qingdao University	C+
121	11664	Xi’an University of Posts and Telecommunications	C+
122	10011	Beijing Technology and Business University	C
123	10076	Hebei University of Engineering	C
124	10107	Shijiazhuang Tiedao University	C
125	10110	North University of China	C
126	10188	Northeast Electric Power University	C
127	10190	Changchun University of Technology	C
128	10270	Shanghai Normal University	C
129	10360	Anhui University of Technology	C
130	10414	Jiangxi Normal University	C
131	10456	Shandong University of Finance and Economics	C
132	10460	Henan Polytechnic University	C
133	10462	Zhengzhou University of Light Industry	C
134	10530	Xiangtan University	C
135	10564	South China Agricultural University	C
136	10700	Xi’an University of Technology	C
137	10702	Xi’an University of Engineering	C
138	10712	Northwest A&F University	C
139	11075	Three Gorges University	C
140	11117	Yangzhou University	C
141	11258	Dalian University	C
142	11845	Guangdong University of Technology	C
143	10421	Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics	C-
144	10463	Henan University	C-
145	10475	Henan Normal University	C-
146	10476	Henan University of Science and Technology	C-
147	10490	Wuhan Textile University	C-
148	10500	Hubei University of Technology	C-
149	10536	Changsha University of Science and Technology	C-
150	10589	Hainan University	C-
151	10596	Guilin University of Technology	C-
152	10615	Southwest Petroleum University	C-
153	10618	Chongqing Jiaotong University	C-
154	10623	Xihua University	C-
155	10651	Southwest University of Finance and Economics	C-
156	10705	Xi’an University of Petroleum	C-
157	11232	Beijing Information Science and Technology University	C-
158	11535	Hunan University of Technology	C-
159	90039	Naval Aviation University	C-
160	10052	Minzu University of China	C-
161	10144	Shenyang University of Technology	C-
162	10212	Heilongjiang University	C-
163	10254	Shanghai Maritime University	C-
164	10289	Jiangsu University of Science and Technology	C-
165	10385	Huaqiao University	C-
166	10405	Donghua University of Science and Technology	C-
167	10407	Jiangxi University of Science and Technology	C-