Tech grads are in high demand. From website coding to electronics engineers, identifying the best tech colleges will help narrow your search to hire the best of the best. We know degrees aren’t the only factor that separate “good” candidates from the “best” candidates, but understanding the education of your potential employees is a major qualifying factor no recruiter or sourcer can ignore. What sourcing practices are you using to identify the best hunting grounds for your recruiting teams? What tech colleges have you identified in your search? How do you qualify the curriculum they’ve studied to fit the requirements your job opening needs?
Most colleges that rank as “the best of the best” for tech earn their rank based on their grads’ career success and their median earnings after college. It’s all about the money, honey. According to the US Department of Education's College Scorecard database, MIT grads earn a median salary of $104,700 for engineering-related fields. According to PayScale, MIT grads (in general) with zero to five years of experience earn $83,600, while grads with 10+ years of experience earn $150,400.
But post-graduate salary isn’t everything for determining a candidate’s worth. While these colleges might be low-hanging fruit for most recruiters and sourcers looking for exceptional candidates, it doesn’t mean they are the only sources for great tech-based talent. Using Niche, we’ve curated our top five best tech colleges (that aren’t as well-known as MIT or Stanford) whose curricula emphasize excellent engineering and computer science, while also producing top tech talent:
The Pacific Northwest
The University of California – Berkeley
Located in Berkeley, California in the San Francisco Bay Area, UC Berkeley has a massive pool of undergraduate candidates to source from a large institution with an enrollment of 29,351 undergraduate students. Popular majors include Economics, Cellular Biology, and Computer Science, but the school itself ranks #13 among all colleges for Computer Science specifically. Additionally, the school ranks #20 in the nation for its Engineering curricula.
Average SAT Range: 1260-1480
Average ACT Range: 30-34
Undergraduate Population: 29,351
Subject Ranking: #13 in Computer Science and Information Systems, #20 in Engineering and Technology
Average Total Cost of Attendance: $14,092 In-State, $29,941 Out-of-State USD a year
#Hiring for science, technology, engineering, or mathematics? Check out @IQTalent’s list of top 5 best #tech colleges here:Click to TweetThe Southwest
California Institute of Technology
Located in Pasadena, California in the Los Angeles Area, the California Institute of Technology (aka Caltech) has a much smaller pool of candidates to source from. That being said, the majority of the 961 undergraduates emphasize Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, and Physics majors. The school is among the top ranking universities in the nation for Computer Science and Engineering, holding the #4 and #3 spots for each subject, respectively.
Average SAT Range: 1530-1590
Average ACT Range: 34-35
Undergraduate Population: 961
Subject Ranking: #4 in Computer Science and Information Systems, #3 in Engineering and Technology
Average Total Cost of Attendance: $74,763 USD a year
The Midwest
Colorado School of Mines
Located in Golden, Colorado in the Denver Area, the Colorado School of Mines makes up for its position in the national rankings with the quality of its curriculum – the students recently beat Harvard in a Lumosity test to find the brainiest students in the U.S. With a relatively small undergraduate population of 4,584 undergraduate students, most of its popular majors focus on Engineering and Technology.
Average SAT Range: 1310-1450
Average ACT Range: 28-32
Undergraduate Population: 4,584
Subject Ranking: #88 in Computer Science and Information Systems, #28 in Engineering and Technology
Average Total Cost of Attendance: $18,964 In-State, $38,584 Out-of-State USD a year
Great teams require special time and effort dedicated to growth and development. As your on-demand #recruiting partner, @IQTalent will ensure you hire the best!Click to TweetThe Mid-South/Southeast
Vanderbilt University
Of course, we had to include Vanderbilt University – I mean, both of our founders first met and developed IQTalent Partners there! Located in the heart of Nashville, Tennessee, Vanderbilt includes four undergraduate schools and six graduate schools that attract exceptionally talented students from around the world. Almost always ranked in the top 20 best colleges in the U.S., Vanderbilt's 6,900 undergraduate and 5,700 graduate population is the perfect hunting ground for fresh, talented, and eager-to-work Computer Science and Engineering candidates.
Average SAT Range: 1440-1570
Average ACT Range: 32-35
Undergraduate Population: 6,805
Subject Ranking: #30 in Computer Science and Information Systems, #10 in Engineering and Technology
Average Total Cost of Attendance: $67,392 USD a year
The Northeast
Columbia University
Located in Manhattan, New York in the New York City Area, Columbia University is more of a mid-sized institution with 7,592 undergraduate students. The key takeaway from Columbia University is that it’s a very competitive environment. Chances are that the candidates you source from this university have a strong drive to succeed, as the acceptance rate is only 7%. These candidates likely know their worth too, so watch out! Ranked within the top 10 in the nation for Computer Science and Engineering, Columbia University is a top contender for recruiting and sourcing the best tech grads in the country.
Average SAT Range: 1410-1570
Average ACT Range: 31-34
Undergraduate Population: 7,592
Subject Ranking: #7 in Computer Science and Information Systems, #9 in Engineering and Technology
Average Total Cost of Attendance: $68,395 USD a year
At IQTalent Partners, recruiting and sourcing the best talent to bolster your internal teams is what we do best. Looking to add this year's best tech grads to your employee roster? Contact us today! They don’t call us “Your On-Demand Recruiting Partner” for nothing.
