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UMD’s Computer Science Graduate Program Climbs in 2026 U.S. News Rankings

/ 8 April 2025 /

The University of Maryland’s computer science graduate program ranks No. 9 among the country’s public institutions in the 2026 edition of U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Graduate Schools.” The program ranks 16th overall, climbing a notch from last year.

UMD also ranks high in three computer science specialties:

  • Artificial intelligence at No. 12 (No. 8 among publics)
  • Programming language at No. 19 (No. 11 among publics)
  • Systems at No. 20 (No. 11 among publics)

"We're proud to see the University of Maryland's outstanding graduate programs receive the recognition they deserve across a broad range of disciplines," said UMD President Darryll J. Pines. "Graduate students at UMD join a community of excellence where they develop their skills and knowledge to become the leaders, achievers and discoverers our state and world need."

The Department of Computer Science has over 500 graduate students in its computer science M.S. and Ph.D. programs and nearly 500 graduate students in its data science and applied machine learning M.S. programs run by the college’s Science Academy.

Because U.S. News doesn’t rank all graduate programs annually, other current honors for the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences include:

  • Physics at No. 17 (No. 6 among public institutions)
    • Atomic/molecular/optical specialty at No. 6
    • Quantum specialty at No. 9
    • Condensed matter specialty at No. 17
  • Mathematics at No. 20 (No. 6 among public institutions)
    • Applied math specialty at No. 15
    • Analysis specialty at No. 24
  • Earth Sciences at No. 27 (No. 16 among public institutions)
  • Chemistry at No. 46 (No. 27 among public institutions)
  • Biological Sciences at No. 68 

The rankings are based on reputational surveys and widely used by prospective students when considering where to apply.

UMD’s undergraduate computer science program ranks 19th overall by U.S. News & World Report and in the top 20 in three specialties: Artificial intelligence (No. 12), Cybersecurity (No. 13) and Computer systems (No. 18).

About the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences

The College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences at the University of Maryland educates more than 10,000 future scientific leaders in its undergraduate and graduate programs each year. The college's 10 departments and nine interdisciplinary research centers foster scientific discovery with annual sponsored research funding exceeding $250 million.