How San José State leaped to No. 2 in national computer science ranking | EdSource

Story Title:<br>How San José State leaped to No. 2 in national computer science ranking<br>May 20, 2026

Download featured image

This story was originally published by EdSource. Sign up for their daily newsletter.

Top Takeaways

San José State vaulted past top-tier universities such as CalTech, UC Berkeley and Stanford to No. 2 on CodeSignal’s annual computer science skills ranking.

The ranking assesses students’ technical skills using a test mandated by employers hiring software engineers, product managers or data scientists.

One industry expert says the university earned its ranking for developing programs that are “closer to what companies look for beyond the resume.”

By the time Shinika Balasundar graduated from San José State in December with a computer engineering degree, she had completed internships at three of the nation’s top electric car companies, earning her a full-time position at a major global electronics manufacturer.

Balasundar acquired the skills that landed her those competitive internships not only through the university’s rigorous academic program, but also its nationally acclaimed Formula One club, Spartan Racing, where she learned how programming interacts with hardware.

So it was of little surprise to Balasundar when she heard that San José State students ranked only behind the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in a 2025 national assessment of programming and software engineering skills.

Since 2023, Spartan coders have climbed from number 49 out of 50 up to No. 2 on CodeSignal’s annual skills ranking, overtaking top-tier universities including CalTech, UC Berkeley and its neighbor in Silicon Valley, Stanford, which ranked 17.

“Everything that made me a good engineer today is honestly because of the school and the club together,” said Balasundar, who recently started San José State’s computer engineering master’s program. “The high ranking was very much justified.”

As the rapid rise of artificial intelligence creates an inflection point for computer science education, some educators are reconsidering whether and how to incorporate coding fundamentals into instruction. At San José State, officials believe they’ve found a winning combination. Academic rigor, research jobs, exposure to nearby industry and clubs give their students a competitive edge and opportunities to apply what they’re learning — all for just under $9,000 a year in in-state tuition and fees.

CodeSignal assessments for computer science and technical skills include either three or four problems and take 60 to 90 minutes to complete. The tests are web-based and mandated by employers interviewing candidates for software engineers, product managers or data scientists.

Tigran Sloyan, CEO of CodeSignal, said San José State’s ranking isn’t merely due to its close proximity to Silicon Valley. The campus, he said, has developed programs that are “closer to what companies look for beyond the resume” and the skills that employers care about.

The landscape of higher education around computer science is differentiating.<br>Vincent Del Casino, San Jose State provost and senior vice president for academic affairs

While AI is ever-present and useful for computer science students, programs at San José State are rooted in computing fundamentals, said Jorjeta Jetcheva, chair of the computer engineering department.

“We want students to be successful, not just now, not just when they’re graduating, but for many years to come,” said Jetcheva, who earned her Ph.D. in computer science from Carnegie Mellon University. “We need to have more experts in the future, not fewer, to test, validate and understand what the code is doing.”

Most computer science education takes place in two departments, computer engineering and computer science, as well as in the university’s new College of Information, Data and Society. But this education and training has spread beyond these boundaries into other fields. San José State also offers degrees in computational linguistics and artificial intelligence, embeds computational skills in its chemistry and business programs and will launch undergraduate computer science degrees in biology and geology this fall.

All of this expansion has occurred even as the number of applications to study computer science declined by 13% in 2026 — following a national trend. But as interest in basic computer science declines, more students want to specialize. For example, the number of applicants for the computer science and linguistics bachelor’s program has more than doubled since 2024, from 61 to 131.

“The landscape of higher education around computer science is differentiating,” said Vincent Del Casino, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. “There may be a decline in computer science, but these other areas are simultaneously picking up and all of them rely at some level on computer science education.”

Del Casino...