ABET-Accredited Software Engineering Programs for 2027
ABET’s Engineering Accreditation Commission accredits 39 software engineering programs in 23 states. The 35 with every scored figure are ranked here by their score in our bachelor’s ranking.
Kevin ToFounder & Editor·B.S. in Computer Science, Temple University·Updated
ABET-accredited
39
ABET’s own list
States
23
ABET’s own list
In our bachelor’s top 10
10
our bachelor’s ranking
Median net price
$18,893
IPEDS, after grants
Key takeaways
0139 software engineering programs in 23 states hold ABET accreditation. ABET says licensure and certification often require an accredited degree. NCEES stopped offering a software engineering PE exam after 2019, so if a license is a goal, ask your state board which degrees it accepts.
02San Jose State, Florida Gulf Coast and UT Dallas are the highest-ranked accredited programs, and every program in the top 10 of our bachelor’s ranking holds ABET accreditation. This page uses the same scores, so before ruling anything out, compare these programs with the non-accredited ones in the full bachelor’s ranking.
037 accredited programs have an average net price under $15,000 a year, and Snow College, Utah Valley University and University of Virginia's College at Wise are the least expensive. Net price is what aided first-year students pay after grants, averaged across the school; out-of-state students at public universities usually pay more, so check the school’s net price calculator if you would be moving for the program.
04ABET accredits a named program at a named campus, not a whole university, so a school can be accredited for one campus or format and not another. ABET’s records list one of these programs as delivering all its content online. Before you enroll, match the program name and location on ABET’s search.
05Completion rates at the accredited schools run from 42% to 87%, with a median of 65%: the share of all entering students, part-time and transfer included, who earn a degree within eight years. Each is the whole school’s, not the department’s, so ask the department what share of its majors graduate, and how long it takes them.
06Florida has the most accredited programs, with 3, and only one program here says on its own page that it can be completed online. If none is near you, compare out-of-state tuition at the public universities before ruling out a move. Start with Florida’s programs.
Methodology
How we ranked
Who qualifies, the 4 scored factors, and the points each one carries.
This page shows each program’s score and rank from our bachelor’s ranking; it does not score them again.
Every bachelor’s program is scored out of 100 on 4 published figures, each from a federal dataset or the accreditor’s own list. The same program shows the same score on every page of this site.
Who gets ranked
Pass / fail
A bachelor’s degree titled software engineering, with every scored figure
The program must appear in federal IPEDS completions data at the bachelor’s level. A program missing one of the figures below is not ranked: it is never scored on a guess, and the weights are never quietly rescaled.
Scored factors
100 pts total
ABET accreditation25 pts
Whether the program is on ABET’s own accredited list under its Engineering Accreditation Commission. A school’s own claim is not counted.
Scoring: 25 points if listed, none if not.
Completion35 pts
The school’s eight-year award rate from IPEDS Outcome Measures: the share of all entering undergraduates, part-time and transfer students included, who earned a degree or certificate within eight years. It covers adult and part-time students, unlike the six-year rate, but it is the school’s figure, not the program’s, because no federal source reports one by major.
Scoring: The rate as a share of 35: a 60% rate earns 21.0 points.
Tuition25 pts
The school’s average net price from IPEDS (2022-23): what first-time, full-time students who receive aid pay after grants, for tuition, fees, housing and books. Public schools report the in-state figure. It is the school’s figure, not the program’s.
Scoring: Fixed dollar tiers, so one program’s points never depend on which others are ranked:
Under $12,00025 pts
$12,000 to $15,99920 pts
$16,000 to $19,99915 pts
$20,000 to $24,99910 pts
$25,000 to $31,9995 pts
$32,000 or more0 pts
Program size15 pts
Graduates a year: the IPEDS average over 2021-22 to 2023-24 for this program’s field and degree level.
Scoring: A log scale that reaches full points at 100 graduates a year, so a large program does not win just by being large. The table shows the raw average.
Not ranked. A program with no graduates in any of the three IPEDS years, or whose own page states a price of its own (degree completion, extended learning or an online-only rate), isn’t ranked, since a figure the score uses wouldn’t describe it. It still appears on its state page, and is scored once its figures do describe it.
Not scored. Published costs from a program’s own page appear on its card where the school states one, but are not scored: few programs publish one, and they are not on the same basis as each other. Curriculum, faculty and outcomes after graduation are not scored either, because no source reports them the same way for every program.
Read the full methodology: every data source and its year, how state and city ranks work, and what we leave out.
The ranking
The ranking
The 35 ABET-accredited programs with a bachelor’s score, in their order in our bachelor’s ranking. The # column is the program’s rank there.
ABET-Accredited Software Engineering Programs, ranked by score
Format: as the program’s own page states it, or from IPEDS distance-education data where the page doesn’t say.
Net price: the school’s average net price from IPEDS (2022-23), what aided first-year students pay after grants for tuition, fees, housing and books; public schools report in-state.
Completion: the school’s eight-year award rate for all entering students, part-time and transfer included (IPEDS Outcome Measures), for the whole school.
Grads/yr: IPEDS completions, 3-year average (2021–22 to 2023–24).
✓ ABET: on ABET’s own accredited list.
1 program isn’t ranked here: 1 sets its own tuition, so the federal figure our score uses doesn’t apply. It still appears on its state page.
Program details
Program details
The top 25 programs in detail. For any of the other 10, press “Show all” in the ranking table and choose the program to open its card.
#01
San Jose State University
BS, Software Engineering · San Jose, CA
#1 in our bachelor’s ranking
Score87.0of 100
Top 10 in the ranking
Most graduates a year on this list
ABET-accredited
ABET25/25
Completion27/35
Cost20/25
Size15/15
Tuition 2023–24, in-state
$5,742
Out-of-state
$17,622
Grads/yr
161.3
Avg net price (school)
$13,833
Completion, 8 yr (school)
77%
San Jose State teaches software engineering in the Department of Computer Engineering, part of the College of Engineering, and ABET's Engineering Accreditation Commission has accredited the BS. The school describes the field as the systematic design, development, production and maintenance of complex computer programs, and says software engineers create operating systems, mobile and web applications and networking applications.
The program also covers data science topics: the role of data and analytics, probability, descriptive and inferential statistics, data manipulation, the systems development life cycle, data storage (databases, architecture, processing and management), data quality including retrieval and filtering, data visualization and communication, data ethics and data security. The department keeps a separate website for the BS with more detail on the program. The degree prepares graduates for work in a variety of computer science occupations.
#02
Florida Gulf Coast University
Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering · Fort Myers, FL
#2 in our bachelor’s ranking
Score85.2of 100
Top 10 in the ranking
Lowest 10% net price on this list
ABET-accredited
ABET25/25
Completion21.7/35
Cost25/25
Size13.5/15
Tuition 2023–24, in-state
$4,191
Out-of-state
$22,328
Grads/yr
63
Avg net price (school)
$10,548
Completion, 8 yr (school)
62%
Field earnings, 1 yr (not scored)
$60,746
Field median debt (not scored)
$21,500
Development, production, operation and maintenance of large-scale software projects make up the software life cycle taught in the software engineering program at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, and the school says industry needs guide the curriculum. You learn to code in Python and C++ in a combination of computer science and software engineering courses. Electives include human computer interaction, robotics, natural language processing, digital systems, neural networks, data mining, machine learning and assembly language.
Class sizes are small, and undergraduates can find research opportunities in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and data science. The Computer Science and Software Engineering Club is one of the student organizations you can join. Listed career areas are application and system development, embedded systems, computer games, and operating and network systems, and the page also points to graduate study such as a Master of Science in Computer Science. It reports that 74% of software engineering graduates stay in Florida and that the average salary for its software engineering alumni is $76,144. Its ABET accreditation comes from the Engineering Accreditation Commission.
#03
The University of Texas at Dallas
Software Engineering (BS) · Richardson, TX
#3 in our bachelor’s ranking
Score84.5of 100
Top 10 in the ranking
ABET-accredited
ABET25/25
Completion24.5/35
Cost20/25
Size15/15
Credits
123
Tuition 2023–24, in-state
$14,564
Out-of-state
$40,064
Grads/yr
113.7
Avg net price (school)
$13,464
Completion, 8 yr (school)
70%
Field earnings, 1 yr (not scored)
$77,609
Field median debt (not scored)
$21,375
Software validation and testing, requirements engineering and software architecture each get a required course in this 123-semester-credit-hour degree at UT Dallas, and the sequence ends in SE 4485, a challenging project course where you must demonstrate software engineering techniques. The 38-credit-hour major core also includes SE 3354 Software Engineering, SE 4347 Database Systems, SE 4348 Operating Systems Concepts and SE 4381 Software Project Planning and Management.
You need a C or better in every major requirements course, and nine credit hours go to technical electives drawn from 4000-level courses in software engineering or closely related areas. Qualified seniors can take up to 15 graduate credit hours that count toward both this degree and a master's through the Fast Track option. The BS is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET. The degree rests on mathematics including calculus, linear algebra and discrete mathematics, and it shares a computer science core in algorithm analysis, data structures, programming methodologies and operating systems.
#04
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
Software Engineering (BS) · San Luis Obispo, CA
#4 in our bachelor’s ranking
Score83.2of 100
Top 10 in the ranking
Highest completion on this list
ABET-accredited
ABET25/25
Completion30.5/35
Cost15/25
Size12.7/15
Credits
120
Tuition 2023–24, in-state
$5,742
Out-of-state
$17,622
Grads/yr
48.7
Avg net price (school)
$16,888
Completion, 8 yr (school)
87%
Field earnings, 1 yr (not scored)
$111,560
Field median debt (not scored)
$20,556
The last year of this degree is a two-course capstone: Software Engineering Capstone I, then Senior Project, Software Engineering Capstone II, where you work in a team to build a large software system. Teamwork runs through the earlier classes too, which stress the team approach to building software and give every student a leadership opportunity. Required major courses include Software Engineering, Introduction to Computer Security, Programming Languages and Algorithms and Complexity, and the electives include Software Evaluation, Human-Computer Interaction and Software Security.
Compared with the computer science degree, you get more mathematics and engineering methods in software design, plus quality assurance, testing, metrics, maintenance and configuration management. The degree is 120 units. Graduation also requires 40 units of upper-division courses and a 2.0 GPA, and no more than 12 units of cooperative or internship courses count toward it. It is taught on the San Luis Obispo campus and accredited by ABET's Engineering Accreditation Commission.
#05
Iowa State University
Software Engineering · Ames, IA
#5 in our bachelor’s ranking
Score81.3of 100
Top 10 in the ranking
ABET-accredited
ABET25/25
Completion26.3/35
Cost15/25
Size15/15
Tuition 2023–24, in-state
$8,982
Out-of-state
$26,168
Grads/yr
160.3
Avg net price (school)
$17,354
Completion, 8 yr (school)
75%
Field earnings, 1 yr (not scored)
$79,182
Field median debt (not scored)
$23,750
Software engineering is one of four computing-related engineering majors at Iowa State University, alongside computer, cyber security and electrical, and the page calls it the largest computing major on campus. The degree is one of the earliest developed programs in the country. Every engineering major starts with a basic program of courses common to all engineering curricula, and students normally take most of them in the first year. For 2025-26, software engineering students preferred minors in cyber security, data science and applied artificial intelligence.
Co-ops and internships are not required by the college, but they are highly encouraged, they must be paid, and they must involve the practice of engineering. The college reports that 75% of its engineering students graduate with engineering work experience and that 1,400 employers recruit engineering students each year, and it offers one-on-one career advising. You must own or obtain a laptop appropriate to your program, and you can work alongside professors on undergraduate research. A four-year course plan is posted. ABET accredits the major through its Engineering Accreditation Commission.
#06
The University of Texas at Arlington
Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering · Arlington, TX
#6 in our bachelor’s ranking
Score78.5of 100
Top 10 in the ranking
ABET-accredited
ABET25/25
Completion20.3/35
Cost20/25
Size13.2/15
Credits
124
Tuition 2023–24, in-state
$9,206
Out-of-state
$27,138
Grads/yr
57
Avg net price (school)
$14,956
Completion, 8 yr (school)
58%
Field earnings, 1 yr (not scored)
$81,226
Field median debt (not scored)
$19,083
Computer System Design Project I and II, CSE 4316 and CSE 4317, close out this UT Arlington degree, and required courses in software testing and maintenance, software project management and software design patterns come with them. Design experiences run through the first three years and culminate in a major team-oriented project in the senior year that approximates an industrial work experience. The degree totals 124 hours, though the total depends on prior preparation, and you choose three technical electives.
Cooperative education programs are one of the ways students connect with the profession. To enter the professional program you need a 2.5 grade point average in three categories: overall, required science, mathematics and engineering courses, and required CSE courses. Entering students are expected to know mathematics through precalculus, high school chemistry and a high-level programming language such as C, C++, Java or Python. ABET's Engineering Accreditation Commission has accredited the program since 2002.
#07
University of Wisconsin-Platteville
Software Engineering, B.S. · Platteville, WI
#7 in our bachelor’s ranking
Score78.3of 100
Top 10 in the ranking
ABET-accredited
Campus
ABET25/25
Completion21.7/35
Cost20/25
Size11.6/15
Tuition 2023–24, in-state
$6,827
Out-of-state
$15,786
Grads/yr
35
Avg net price (school)
$15,966
Completion, 8 yr (school)
62%
Field earnings, 1 yr (not scored)
$71,635
Field median debt (not scored)
$24,272
Platteville's software engineering degree draws on four fields: software engineering, computer science, math, and electrical and computer engineering. The focus is real-time embedded software, the code inside appliances, security systems, automobiles, aircraft and Bluetooth and Wi-Fi enabled devices. You take it on campus through the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering, with internship opportunities and team projects alongside industry partners.
A Cybersecurity Lab lets students practice defending against cyber-attacks and ethical hacking, and the Game Development Club covers creating a modern video game from start to finish. The department posts its courses, student outcomes, program objectives and a four-year plan, and the catalog holds the degree details. Listed career roles include software architect, software tester, game developer and machine learning engineer. Platteville holds ABET accreditation for the program through the Engineering Accreditation Commission.
#08
Auburn University
Software Engineering (SENG) · Auburn, AL
#8 in our bachelor’s ranking
Score76.9of 100
Top 10 in the ranking
Top 10% completion on this list
ABET-accredited
ABET25/25
Completion28/35
Cost10/25
Size13.9/15
Credits
122
Tuition 2023–24, in-state
$10,704
Out-of-state
$32,112
Grads/yr
70
Avg net price (school)
$24,524
Completion, 8 yr (school)
80%
Field earnings, 1 yr (not scored)
$80,067
Field median debt (not scored)
$20,000
Auburn lays out its 122-hour software engineering degree semester by semester in the university bulletin. The first year pairs Calculus I and II with Fundamentals of Computing I and II. Sophomores take Software Construction and a one-credit Professional Development course in the fall and Introduction to Algorithms in the spring. Junior year covers principles of programming languages and computer organization and assembly language in the fall, then Software Modeling and Design and computer networks in the spring.
Seniors take Computer Architecture, Database Systems I and Secure Software Process in the fall, then a Senior Design Project, Software Quality Assurance and Computer Ethics in the spring. Technical electives take six hours of the senior fall and three of the spring. Math electives, technical electives and the core science sequence are chosen from department-approved lists, and students must consult with an academic advisor in the computer science and software engineering department when selecting them. The program is accredited by ABET’s Engineering Accreditation Commission.
#09
Utah Valley University
B.S. in Software Engineering · Orem, UT
#9 in our bachelor’s ranking
Score76.8of 100
Top 10 in the ranking
Lowest 10% net price on this list
ABET-accredited
ABET25/25
Completion16.1/35
Cost25/25
Size10.7/15
Credits
120
Tuition 2023–24, in-state
$5,614
Out-of-state
$17,174
Grads/yr
26.3
Avg net price (school)
$8,650
Completion, 8 yr (school)
46%
Field earnings, 1 yr (not scored)
$85,564
Field median debt (not scored)
$13,421
Matriculation into Utah Valley University's software engineering major requires CS 1400, CS 1410, CS 2300, CS 2420 and CS 2450 with a grade of C+ or better, and an overall GPA of 2.5 or higher. The degree then takes 120 credits, at least 40 of them upper-division and at least 30 earned through attendance at UVU. Required courses include Software Engineering II (CS 4400), Software Testing and Quality Engineering (CS 4230), Principles and Patterns of Software Design (CS 3450), Human Factors in Software Development (CS 3410), Database Theory (CS 3520) and Data Privacy and Security (CS 2900).
You choose one software development course in Java, C++, C#, Python or JavaScript, among others, and fill 15 credits with computer science electives numbered 3000 or higher. The program frames software engineers as people who work with users and customers to understand their needs, and it emphasizes modern development methodologies, including Agile. Accreditation comes from the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET.
#10
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Software Engineering · Lincoln, NE
#10 in our bachelor’s ranking
Score75.4of 100
Top 10 in the ranking
ABET-accredited
ABET25/25
Completion23.5/35
Cost15/25
Size11.9/15
Credits
123
Tuition 2023–24, in-state
$8,010
Out-of-state
$25,650
Grads/yr
37.7
Avg net price (school)
$18,029
Completion, 8 yr (school)
67%
Field earnings, 1 yr (not scored)
$82,398
Field median debt (not scored)
$20,240
Senior Design at Nebraska is a full academic year of team work on a real-world project for an industry or faculty sponsor. The degree takes 123 credit hours, and you study in a small cohort. Design, architecture, development, analysis, testing, maintenance and documentation start in your first year, and the curriculum is hands-on and emulates real industry work. Notable courses include Software Engineering I and II (SOFT 160 and SOFT 161), Software Engineering Mentoring and Leadership (SOFT 360), Software Design and Architecture (SOFT 466), Testing, Verification and Analysis (SOFT 467) and Requirements Elicitation, Modeling and Analysis (SOFT 468).
Areas of focus include artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data science and informatics, networking, user-centered computing, and IoT, robotics and embedded systems. You can earn course credit for an approved internship and join faculty-supervised research supported by the UCARE program, including a software engineering research lab that welcomes undergraduates. First-year computing majors can use the Learning Assistant Program, which pairs them with upper-level students. An accelerated five-year master's degree is available. The degree carries ABET accreditation through the Engineering Accreditation Commission.
#11
Michigan Technological University
BS in Software Engineering · Houghton, MI
#11 in our bachelor’s ranking
Score74.8of 100
ABET-accredited
ABET25/25
Completion25.2/35
Cost15/25
Size9.6/15
Credits
120
Tuition 2023–24, in-state
$19,429
Out-of-state
$42,771
Grads/yr
18.3
Avg net price (school)
$17,928
Completion, 8 yr (school)
72%
Field earnings, 1 yr (not scored)
$77,465
Field median debt (not scored)
$27,000
The first two years at Michigan Tech build a computer science foundation, with Programming I and II, Data Structures, Discrete Structures and Databases among the courses. The last two focus on software engineering: Team Software Project, Software Architecture, Software Quality Assurance, Front End Dev & Accessibility and Ethics in Computing, plus software engineering electives. For senior year you choose Senior Design or a run of Enterprise project courses ending in a capstone.
Enterprise teams are student-run business teams under a faculty advisor, and the software-related ones include Husky Game Development, which designs and develops games; Humane Interface Design Enterprise, which designs, develops and evaluates human-centered computer interfaces; and IT Oxygen, which gives IT help to student organizations and businesses. Co-ops and internships are part of the hands-on side. The school's four-year outline totals 120 credits, and the BS is accredited by ABET's Engineering Accreditation Commission.
#12
Washington State University
Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering · Pullman, WA
#12 in our bachelor’s ranking
Score73.9of 100
ABET-accredited
ABET25/25
Completion22.8/35
Cost15/25
Size11.1/15
Tuition 2023–24, in-state
$10,976
Out-of-state
$27,052
Grads/yr
29.3
Avg net price (school)
$18,155
Completion, 8 yr (school)
65%
Field earnings, 1 yr (not scored)
$87,135
Field median debt (not scored)
$19,902
Getting into WSU does not get you into the major: you apply to software engineering after admission and have to meet the catalog criteria. Once you are in, advanced courses cover software development, testing and validation, maintenance, security, and management and integration. The fundamentals are requirements analysis, design, testing and maintenance, alongside programming (data structures, programming languages, object-oriented programming) and computer science concepts such as algorithms, databases, networks and security.
You build a variety of software systems in different programming languages and get a technical background in math, science and engineering. The engineering school's industrial advisory board and its internship and career contacts help with career goals. Graduates can pursue roles as software developer, software engineer, requirements engineer, quality assurance engineer or project manager. You can take the degree at Pullman or at WSU Everett, and Pullman has a residence hall for math, science and engineering students. A minor in software engineering is also offered. ABET's Engineering Accreditation Commission accredits the program.
#13
Kennesaw State University
Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering · Kennesaw, GA
#13 in our bachelor’s ranking
Score72.5of 100
ABET-accredited
Campus or online
ABET25/25
Completion18.2/35
Cost15/25
Size14.3/15
Credits
120
Tuition 2023–24, in-state
$4,450
Out-of-state
$15,704
Grads/yr
80.7
Avg net price (school)
$17,566
Completion, 8 yr (school)
52%
Field earnings, 1 yr (not scored)
$77,455
Field median debt (not scored)
$23,250
Systems that meet specified requirements, reach mission-critical quality levels and stay within cost and schedule requirements: that is what the software engineering bachelor's at Kennesaw State University trains you to build. It is 120 credit hours over a four-year program, taken face-to-face, online or hybrid, with day and after-hour classes. The primary campus is Marietta, and entry terms are fall, spring and summer. Labs and classroom work give hands-on training, you can work in teams and on group projects, and the school keeps class sizes small.
A degree pathway maps out your courses by semester and by year. The Department of Software Engineering and Game Design and Development runs the degree. Double Owl Pathways lets undergraduates pursue a graduate degree, including the Software Engineering MS, in less time and at lower cost than earning each separately. Careers the page lists include software engineer, embedded systems developer, computer systems analyst and technical project manager. The degree is accredited by ABET's Engineering Accreditation Commission.
#14
Snow College
Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering · Ephraim, UT
#14 in our bachelor’s ranking
Score72.5of 100
Lowest net price on this list
ABET-accredited
ABET25/25
Completion15.1/35
Cost25/25
Size7.4/15
Credits
120
Tuition 2023–24, in-state
$4,180
Out-of-state
$13,746
Grads/yr
8.7
Avg net price (school)
$7,258
Completion, 8 yr (school)
43%
Snow College admits you to the software engineering program in two steps. Any admitted student starts as pre-major, completes CS 1410 with its lab, CS 2420, CS 2700, CS 2860 and MATH 1210, and then applies for full-major status, which you need before taking upper-division software engineering courses. The degree totals 120 hours, including 83 credits of required courses such as Secure Coding Practices, Cloud Application Development, Mobile Application Development and Distributed Application Development.
Courses use student teams and active learning, and every student gets leadership opportunities such as software development team lead roles. The curriculum ends in a year-long capstone sequence where teams build a software system reflective of current industry practice, and students are encouraged to complete internships before and during it. The review committee weighs your ability to complete the program, your potential as a software engineer, your goals, and your ability to work in teams. You need a C- or higher in every core and elective course. ABET's Engineering Accreditation Commission accredits the BSSE.
#15
University of Central Missouri
Software Engineering, BS · Warrensburg, MO
#15 in our bachelor’s ranking
Score72.0of 100
ABET-accredited
ABET25/25
Completion20.7/35
Cost20/25
Size6.3/15
Tuition 2023–24, in-state
$8,325
Out-of-state
$16,650
Grads/yr
6
Avg net price (school)
$15,728
Completion, 8 yr (school)
59%
You learn the whole software development cycle in Warrensburg, through a curriculum that covers both computer science and engineering topics: specifying, building, analyzing, testing and maintaining complex software systems. Popular courses include Software Design and Architecture, Software Testing and Quality Assurance, and Secure Software Engineering. The School of Computer Science and Mathematics has nearly 200 computers across six classrooms and one open computer lab, and you learn both Windows and Linux. Two common study lounges sit close to faculty offices, and nearly all full-time faculty hold PhDs.
For money, there are scholarships aimed at software engineering majors, such as the Software Engineering Achievement Award and the ACM Scholarship, and undergraduates can earn tuition money working as a tutor or teaching assistant. After the bachelor's, the University of Central Missouri offers master's degrees in computer science, cybersecurity and information assurance, and data science and artificial intelligence. The degree's ABET accreditation comes from the Engineering Accreditation Commission, under its program criteria for software engineering.
#16
Miami University
Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering · Oxford, OH
#16 in our bachelor’s ranking
Score71.2of 100
Top 10% completion on this list
ABET-accredited
ABET25/25
Completion28.7/35
Cost5/25
Size12.5/15
Tuition 2023–24, in-state
$14,052
Out-of-state
$35,116
Grads/yr
46.3
Avg net price (school)
$27,928
Completion, 8 yr (school)
82%
Field earnings, 1 yr (not scored)
$71,836
Field median debt (not scored)
$26,000
Software architecture, requirements and testing each get a named course in Miami's major. You take Software Requirements (CSE 202), Software Architecture and Design (CSE 301), Software Construction (CSE 302) and Software Quality Assurance and Testing (CSE 401), plus Software Engineering for User Interface and User Experience Design (CSE 212). Algorithms I and Web Application Programming are required too. The program says its topics go beyond traditional computer science into software design, software maintenance and formal methods for software development.
Students are expected to learn in a team environment, and the major finishes with a two-course senior design project, CSE 448 and CSE 449. The program requirements run 92 semester hours. They include Calculus I, discrete mathematics or proof, statistics, two natural science options and 6 to 12 hours of software engineering electives. A department honors program in computer science and software engineering puts seniors on faculty research projects. The Oxford degree is ABET-accredited through the Engineering Accreditation Commission.
#17
Montana Technological University
Software Engineering, B.S. · Butte, MT
#17 in our bachelor’s ranking
Score71.0of 100
ABET-accredited
ABET25/25
Completion21.7/35
Cost20/25
Size4.3/15
Tuition 2023–24, in-state
$6,113
Out-of-state
$22,706
Grads/yr
2.7
Avg net price (school)
$15,866
Completion, 8 yr (school)
62%
Montana Tech's software engineering degree in Butte is on ABET's accredited list under the Engineering Accreditation Commission. First-year students take a freshman seminar that introduces software engineering and computer science.
Later courses cover requirements and specifications, verification and validation, user interface design and software architecture, and the final year centers on a year-long capstone, the Senior Design Project. Members of the ACM student chapter travel over spring break to Seattle and San Francisco to tour companies that hire software engineering majors, and students can earn pay by tutoring in the Museum Computer Lab.
#18
Bowling Green State University
Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering (BSSE) · Bowling Green, OH
#18 in our bachelor’s ranking
Score69.7of 100
ABET-accredited
ABET25/25
Completion22.8/35
Cost10/25
Size11.9/15
Tuition 2023–24, in-state
$11,010
Out-of-state
$18,998
Grads/yr
37.7
Avg net price (school)
$20,987
Completion, 8 yr (school)
65%
Field earnings, 1 yr (not scored)
$67,949
Field median debt (not scored)
$26,637
Sample courses at BGSU include Software Security, Web Application Development, Mobile Application Development, Software Architecture and Design, Software Testing and Quality Assurance, and Database Management Systems. You learn to design, develop, test and manage software applications in computer, mobile and embedded systems. The curriculum ends in a software engineering team project, also called a capstone project, and students find internships or co-ops through the department's cooperative education program. To declare the major you need an SAT math score of 550 or higher or an ACT math score of 22 or higher.
Otherwise you complete the appropriate math course or earn the appropriate math placement score at BGSU first. Incoming students aren't expected to have programming or computer science experience. The degree also sets up a transition into BGSU's Master of Science in Computer Science with a specialization in software engineering. The Computer Science Department supports student chapters of the Association for Computing Machinery and its Council on Women in Computing. ABET's Engineering Accreditation Commission accredits the degree. Across the whole university, 64% of students finish within six years.
#19
University of Virginia's College at Wise
Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering · Wise, VA
#19 in our bachelor’s ranking
Score69.0of 100
Lowest 10% net price on this list
ABET-accredited
ABET25/25
Completion14.7/35
Cost25/25
Size4.3/15
Tuition 2023–24, in-state
$6,040
Out-of-state
$26,182
Grads/yr
2.7
Avg net price (school)
$10,409
Completion, 8 yr (school)
42%
Every software engineering student sits department comprehensive examinations on the computer science core and the software engineering core, and the catalog says the curriculum builds on the standard published by the Association for Computing Machinery and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The software engineering core covers Engineering Leadership, Software Requirements and Design and Software Testing, plus two upper-level courses chosen from Software Quality and Configuration Management, Software Maintenance and Software Project Management.
The capstone is two one-credit courses, Capstone Project and Capstone Project II. The computer science side includes Python, C++, Data Structures, Introduction to Algorithms, Human Computer Interaction and Database Design. You also take Calculus I and II, Discrete Structures, linear algebra and at least two natural science courses with labs. UVA Wise says the major leans on paid internships, and you can add a cybersecurity concentration. The program holds ABET accreditation from the Engineering Accreditation Commission.
#20
State University of New York at Oswego
Software Engineering BS · Oswego, NY
#20 in our bachelor’s ranking
Score67.8of 100
ABET-accredited
ABET25/25
Completion23.5/35
Cost15/25
Size4.3/15
Tuition 2023–24, in-state
$7,070
Out-of-state
$16,980
Grads/yr
2.7
Avg net price (school)
$16,923
Completion, 8 yr (school)
67%
Field earnings, 1 yr (not scored)
$71,436
Field median debt (not scored)
$25,000
Requirements, design, construction, testing, maintenance, configuration management, engineering management, engineering process, tools and quality assurance: that list is the systems-oriented curriculum of the software engineering BS at the State University of New York at Oswego, which the page calls the first of SUNY. The curriculum is project-based, and the yearlong capstone has students develop software for real clients. You can also pursue an internship or co-op in finance, defense, manufacturing, government or other fields, and the university lists a full-time, paid co-op as an integrated learning experience.
The Shineman Center for Science, Engineering and Innovation, a $118 million, 230,000 square-foot building, is home to the computing and engineering programs, with workspaces configured for class-based, small-group and individual activities. The Computer Science Association sponsors guest speakers and programming contests, arranges company tours and has advanced students tutor first-year students. Career areas listed are app development, quality assurance, software development and web and mobile technologies. ABET's Engineering Accreditation Commission accredits the BS.
#21
Stevens Institute of Technology
Bachelor of Engineering in Software Engineering · Hoboken, NJ
#21 in our bachelor’s ranking
Score66.7of 100
Highest completion on this list
ABET-accredited
Campus
ABET25/25
Completion30.5/35
Cost0/25
Size11.2/15
Tuition 2023–24, in-state
$58,680
Grads/yr
30.3
Avg net price (school)
$43,665
Completion, 8 yr (school)
87%
Field earnings, 1 yr (not scored)
$89,001
Field median debt (not scored)
$26,930
Every semester of the Stevens software engineering degree includes a hands-on course, a sequence the school calls the Design Spine. It ends in Senior Design, a team capstone project building prototypes for real business problems, and students show those prototypes at the Innovation Expo, a design and entrepreneurship competition where they also pitch business ideas. The Bachelor of Engineering sits in the Systems Engineering department of the Schaefer School of Engineering and Science and is taught on campus in Hoboken.
Its mission pairs a strong engineering core with systems thinking and critical thinking. Nearly 30 percent of all engineering students take part in the Cooperative Education Program, working for real companies. You can build and test designs in the MakerCenter and the Prototype and Object Fabrication Lab, join undergraduate research, add flexible minors or double majors, or double count courses toward a master's in five years through the Accelerated Master's Program. ABET's Engineering Accreditation Commission accredits the program, and 87 percent of the university's students finish within six years.
#22
Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania
Software Engineering, BS · Shippensburg, PA
#22 in our bachelor’s ranking
Score65.7of 100
ABET-accredited
ABET25/25
Completion20.3/35
Cost10/25
Size10.4/15
Tuition 2023–24, in-state
$9,570
Out-of-state
$11,574
Grads/yr
23.3
Avg net price (school)
$23,344
Completion, 8 yr (school)
58%
Field earnings, 1 yr (not scored)
$80,574
Field median debt (not scored)
$27,000
Seven SWEN courses make up the core of this degree at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania: Intro to Software Engineering, Design Patterns, Crafting Quality Code, Functional Data Structures, Large Scale Architectures, Interdisciplinary Development and Extreme Programming. The page sets the degree apart from traditional computer science by its focus on systematic processes such as designing, testing and maintaining scalable software. Alongside the SWEN sequence you take Managing Development Processes, Design and Analysis of Algorithms and Database Management Systems, plus Computer Organization and Operating Systems from computer engineering.
Probability and Statistics for Engineers is required, and so are four elective credits from computer engineering, computer science or software engineering courses. Training covers version control, risk assessment and modular design, and you learn to track project milestones and deliver functioning software. The major also requires ten credits of additional math and science beyond the general education requirements. A 4+1 route leads to a Master of Science in Organizational Development and Leadership with one additional year of study. The program holds Engineering Accreditation Commission accreditation from ABET.
#23
University of Indianapolis
Software Engineering · Indianapolis, IN
#23 in our bachelor’s ranking
Score65.6of 100
ABET-accredited
ABET25/25
Completion21.7/35
Cost15/25
Size3.9/15
Tuition 2023–24, in-state
$34,416
Grads/yr
2.3
Avg net price (school)
$19,903
Completion, 8 yr (school)
62%
The University of Indianapolis software engineering degree carries accreditation from ABET's Engineering Accreditation Commission and sits in the R.B. Annis School of Engineering.
The program sets three goals for graduates within a few years of finishing: to be active contributors in the workforce, to keep up continual professional development and to demonstrate leadership in their profession or communities.
#24
Rochester Institute of Technology
Software Engineering BS · Rochester, NY
#24 in our bachelor’s ranking
Score64.9of 100
ABET-accredited
ABET25/25
Completion24.9/35
Cost0/25
Size15/15
Tuition 2023–24, in-state
$55,784
Grads/yr
104.3
Avg net price (school)
$39,753
Completion, 8 yr (school)
71%
Field earnings, 1 yr (not scored)
$90,829
Field median debt (not scored)
$28,000
Three blocks of paid, full-time cooperative education, 40 weeks in all, are required in the software engineering BS at Rochester Institute of Technology, so you finish with close to a year of work experience. Teamwork also carries real weight in the grade: by the time you start your senior project, you will have worked with 20 to 25 different student teams, and you prepare requirements documents, design documents, project plans, burndown charts and software test plans along the way. The senior project is a two-course sequence on a team of four or five students, with requirements and architectural design in the first course and development and deployment in the second, for an industry-sponsored problem.
Electives include Software Modeling, Software Architecture and Mathematical Models of Software, and you also take two engineering electives plus a three-course sequence in an application domain. First-year applicants need four years of mathematics through pre-calculus and two to three years of science that includes chemistry or physics. An accelerated route earns a bachelor's and a master's in software engineering, computer science or cybersecurity in as little as five years. The BS is ABET accredited through the Engineering Accreditation Commission.
#25
Milwaukee School of Engineering
Software Engineering (BS) · Milwaukee, WI
#25 in our bachelor’s ranking
Score64.6of 100
ABET-accredited
ABET25/25
Completion22.8/35
Cost5/25
Size11.8/15
Tuition 2023–24, in-state
$46,385
Grads/yr
36.3
Avg net price (school)
$26,122
Completion, 8 yr (school)
65%
Field earnings, 1 yr (not scored)
$78,333
Field median debt (not scored)
$27,000
You study the whole development life cycle here: requirements elicitation and analysis, software architecture, design, construction and verification, with a base in discrete mathematics, data structures, algorithms, computer organization and operating systems.
The school says you learn to work within a defined software development process and continuously improve it, aiming for high-quality software produced predictably and efficiently. Milwaukee School of Engineering holds ABET accreditation for the program through the Engineering Accreditation Commission. The school reports that 100% of its 2024-25 software engineering graduates were employed, enrolled in graduate school or enlisted.
#27
University of Central Oklahoma
Software Engineering, B.S. · Edmond, OK
#27 in our bachelor’s ranking
Score63.1of 100
ABET-accredited
Campus
ABET25/25
Completion15.1/35
Cost15/25
Size8/15
Tuition 2023–24, in-state
$7,284
Out-of-state
$18,171
Grads/yr
10.7
Avg net price (school)
$18,893
Completion, 8 yr (school)
43%
Coursework at UCO runs from foundational coding principles to advanced software architecture, with programming languages, software design and advanced technologies along the way, and the program says it focuses on practical applications. The degree is taught on campus in Edmond by the Department of Computer Science in the College of Mathematics and Science. The careers it lists are software design and development, software system analyst, software project management, testing and quality assurance, and systems development.
Students can use the UCO Supercomputer, called Buddy, for high-performance computing and data analysis, and the school describes internships, co-op programs and industry partnerships. Incoming freshmen are eligible for scholarships through the admissions process, and enrolled students can apply for college scholarships between the fall and spring semesters. ABET's Engineering Accreditation Commission lists the degree as accredited.
#29
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Erie-Behrend College
Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering · Erie, PA
#29 in our bachelor’s ranking
Score62.5of 100
ABET-accredited
ABET25/25
Completion17.2/35
Cost10/25
Size10.3/15
Tuition 2023–24, in-state
$15,388
Out-of-state
$26,112
Grads/yr
23
Avg net price (school)
$20,964
Completion, 8 yr (school)
49%
Field earnings, 1 yr (not scored)
$85,446
Field median debt (not scored)
$26,471
You learn to design, analyze, implement and maintain complex software systems at Penn State Behrend in Erie, in what the page calls the only undergraduate software engineering program in the Penn State system. Lecture courses and hands-on laboratory work cover programming languages, data structures and algorithms, networking, database management and software engineering quality. Beyond the lecture hall, you can apply software engineering concepts to personalized projects, work directly on a real-world industry project and do hands-on research with faculty.
The page describes small classes and a faculty open-door policy. Minors in computer science, game development, management information systems and mathematics share coursework with the major and can be finished within four years. Recent graduates have found employment with companies including Apple, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Netflix, IBM, GE, Erie Insurance and Northrop Grumman. Entry-level positions include software designer; software, applications or web developer; and systems engineer. Behrend holds ABET accreditation for the degree from the Engineering Accreditation Commission.
#30
Gannon University
Software engineering, Bachelor’s · Erie, PA
#30 in our bachelor’s ranking
Score61.4of 100
ABET-accredited
ABET25/25
Completion22.8/35
Cost10/25
Size3.6/15
Tuition 2023–24, in-state
$36,865
Grads/yr
2
Avg net price (school)
$23,942
Completion, 8 yr (school)
65%
ABET's Engineering Accreditation Commission lists Gannon University's BSSE in Erie, and ABET records less than half of the content as delivered at a distance.
Gannon is a private nonprofit with 4,189 students, a six-year graduation rate of 66% and an admit rate of 74%.
#31
Clarkson University
Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering · Potsdam, NY
#31 in our bachelor’s ranking
Score59.9of 100
ABET-accredited
ABET25/25
Completion27/35
Cost0/25
Size7.9/15
Tuition 2023–24, in-state
$56,642
Grads/yr
10.3
Avg net price (school)
$33,192
Completion, 8 yr (school)
77%
Field earnings, 1 yr (not scored)
$80,942
Field median debt (not scored)
$27,000
The software engineering major at Clarkson University in Potsdam includes a required zero-credit Professional Experience, and internships and co-ops are available as well.
Undergraduate research is open through projects sponsored by agencies such as the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Air Force Research Lab, and past student work has covered web and mobile apps, Python data analysis, machine learning and cybersecurity. Nearly 200 employers come to campus twice a year to recruit. The Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET accredits the major.
#32
Quinnipiac University
BS Software Engineering · Hamden, CT
#32 in our bachelor’s ranking
Score59.6of 100
Top 10% completion on this list
ABET-accredited
Campus
ABET25/25
Completion28/35
Cost0/25
Size6.6/15
Tuition 2023–24, in-state
$50,400
Grads/yr
6.7
Avg net price (school)
$39,632
Completion, 8 yr (school)
80%
Your coursework at Quinnipiac includes an internship or a research project, and the robotics class skips the textbook: you order a robot and program it to complete tasks.
The degree is taught on campus and the Department of Homeland Security has designated it a STEM program, which matters if you are an international student planning to work after graduation. You can add the engineering management certificate. ABET, through its Engineering Accreditation Commission, accredits the degree.
#33
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott
Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering · Prescott, AZ
#33 in our bachelor’s ranking
Score59.3of 100
ABET-accredited
Campus
ABET25/25
Completion24.5/35
Cost0/25
Size9.8/15
Credits
126
Tuition 2023–24, in-state
$40,680
Grads/yr
19.3
Avg net price (school)
$41,209
Completion, 8 yr (school)
70%
Field earnings, 1 yr (not scored)
$79,276
Field median debt (not scored)
$26,293
At Prescott, the software engineering degree is 126 credits, taught in person, and housed in the Department of Computer, Electrical and Software Engineering in the Prescott College of Engineering. You can add an optional focus on cybersecurity. The school names two hands-on projects: flight control for autonomous aircraft and power line collision avoidance using computer vision. Across the degree you collaborate with multidisciplinary teams of engineers to determine a customer's system requirements, then design, implement, build and test products. You also learn to document the entire process, which the school says is required for completing your final capstone project.
Coursework teaches you to solve complex engineering problems, apply engineering design to meet specific needs, recognize the impact of engineering solutions in context, work in collaboration with others, and conduct experiments and analyze data. The school lists teamwork experience, familiarity with software architecture and design, industrial-strength documentation knowledge and quality assurance among the skills you leave with. Example roles listed for the field include security engineer, software developer, software development engineer and software engineer. ABET's Engineering Accreditation Commission has accredited the program.
#34
Florida Institute of Technology
Software engineering, Bachelor’s · Melbourne, FL
#34 in our bachelor’s ranking
Score58.3of 100
ABET-accredited
ABET25/25
Completion23.8/35
Cost0/25
Size9.5/15
Tuition 2023–24, in-state
$43,420
Grads/yr
17.7
Avg net price (school)
$36,364
Completion, 8 yr (school)
68%
Field earnings, 1 yr (not scored)
$79,244
Field median debt (not scored)
$24,625
ABET lists Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne for a bachelor's degree in software engineering, accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission, with less than half of the content delivered at a distance.
The university's six-year graduation rate is 64%, and it admits 58% of applicants.
#35
Trine University
Software engineering, Bachelor’s · Angola, IN
#35 in our bachelor’s ranking
Score57.8of 100
ABET-accredited
ABET25/25
Completion21/35
Cost5/25
Size6.8/15
Tuition 2023–24, in-state
$35,000
Grads/yr
7
Avg net price (school)
$25,580
Completion, 8 yr (school)
60%
Field earnings, 1 yr (not scored)
$67,500
Trine's software engineering bachelor's degree is accredited by ABET's Engineering Accreditation Commission. The private university is in Angola, Indiana, and enrolls 4,646 students.
Its six-year graduation rate is 64% and it admits 85% of applicants; both rates cover the whole university, not this degree.
Software engineering, Bachelor’s · Daytona Beach, FL
#36 in our bachelor’s ranking
Score56.8of 100
ABET-accredited
ABET25/25
Completion23.1/35
Cost0/25
Size8.7/15
Tuition 2023–24, in-state
$40,680
Grads/yr
13.7
Avg net price (school)
$41,550
Completion, 8 yr (school)
66%
Field earnings, 1 yr (not scored)
$79,276
Field median debt (not scored)
$26,293
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Daytona Beach, in Daytona Beach, Florida, has a bachelor's degree in software engineering on ABET's accredited list, under the Engineering Accreditation Commission.
In ABET's record, distance learning covers less than half of the Daytona Beach program's content. The university admits 65% of applicants and enrolls 11,426 students.
#38
Monmouth University
Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering · West Long Branch, NJ
#38 in our bachelor’s ranking
Score56.7of 100
ABET-accredited
ABET25/25
Completion25.2/35
Cost0/25
Size6.5/15
Tuition 2023–24, in-state
$44,098
Grads/yr
6.3
Avg net price (school)
$33,228
Completion, 8 yr (school)
72%
A two-semester practicum anchors the software engineering degree at Monmouth University, modeled after a real-world need or customized for an external client. The degree includes 57 credits of software engineering and computer science topics, including a major design experience, alongside 30 credits of math and science and 24 credits of general education.
It is taught entirely by engineering faculty without teaching assistants in classrooms or labs, and introductory courses run in small classes. Qualified students can join summer research projects and intern with local and national computing firms. Alumni have worked at companies including AT&T, Google, Microsoft, Prudential Insurance and Lockheed Martin. The Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET accredits the degree.
Top 10
What the top 10 have in common
The top 10 of the 35 ranked ABET-accredited programs charge a median of $15,461 in tuition, against $23,344 for the rest.
Completion is worth 35 points and ABET 25, so the leaders sit at schools where a median 69% of entering students finish within eight years, against 65% for the rest, and all 10 are accredited. 10 of the top 10 are public universities.
Figure
Top 10
Ranked 11 to 35
Median tuition, 2023–24
$15,461
$23,344
Median completion (8-yr, all students)
69%
65%
Median graduates a year
60.0
13.7
Public universities
10 of 10
12 of 25
Can be completed online
0 of 10
1 of 25
Tuition and graduation rate: IPEDS. Graduates a year: IPEDS completions, 3-year average. Online: the program’s own page.
Cost
What ABET-accredited programs cost
Average net price from IPEDS: what aided first-year students pay after grants.
$17,139Public median
$33,228Private median
Across the 35 ranked ABET-accredited programs, the average net price runs from $7,258 to $43,665 a year. Half are less than $18,893, and 2are under $10,000. The 22 public universities have a median of $17,139; the 13 private ones, $33,228.
These are published prices before financial aid.
The net price is what aided first-year students pay after grants, averaged across the whole school, so your own figure depends on your aid; out-of-state students at public schools usually pay more. Check each school’s net price calculator before comparing two schools on cost alone.
Where to study
Where the ABET-accredited programs are
The 35 ABET-accredited programs on this page are spread across 22 states.
Florida has the most, with 3. The highest-ranked, San Jose State University, is in California.
Each state page lists every software engineering and computer science program in the state, with local pay for software developers from BLS.
To search by metro instead, start with software engineering programs by city.
Careers
Jobs and pay after the degree
What software developers earn and how fast the job is growing, from BLS.
An ABET-accredited software engineering degree leads to the same jobs as any other, and BLS tracks the main one, software developer, closely. Software developers earned a median of $135,980 a year in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, with the middle half between $105,210 and $171,980. About 1,688,000 people held the job.
BLS projects software developer jobs to grow 10.2% from 2025 to 2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 95,300 openings a year. Software quality assurance analysts and testers, a related job BLS tracks separately, earned a median of $104,300, and that job is projected to grow 5.7% over the same decade.
$135,980Median pay, software developersBLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; BLS Employment Projections, 2025-35.
Accreditation
What ABET accreditation means
In ABET’s own words, from abet.org.
In ABET’s own words, accreditation is “a review process to determine if educational programs meet defined standards of quality.” Reviews are carried out by volunteer experts, and ABET says that once achieved, accreditation “is not permanent” and is renewed periodically.
ABET accredits programs, not schools: it offers accreditation “to programs only, not to degrees, departments, colleges, institutions, or individuals.” A university can hold ABET accreditation for one engineering program and not for another, which is why this page checks each software engineering program against ABET’s list rather than taking a school’s word for it. Software engineering programs are reviewed by ABET’s Engineering Accreditation Commission.
Why it matters, according to ABET: accreditation “supports your entry to a technical profession through licensure, registration and certification,” and those “often require graduation from an ABET-accredited program as a minimum qualification.” ABET also says some employers “require graduation from an accredited program,” and that its accreditation “is recognized worldwide through international agreements.”
Quoted from abet.org, “What Is Accreditation?” and “Why ABET Accreditation Matters,” read 2026-09-30.
How to choose
How to use ABET status when choosing
Accreditation is a floor, not a ranking.
Accreditation is a floor, not a ranking. It tells you an outside review found the program meets ABET’s standards; it doesn’t tell you one accredited program is better than another. That is why our bachelor’s ranking counts it as 25 of 100 points and leaves the rest to completion, net price and size. 25 of the top 25 in that ranking are accredited.
Check the exact program
ABET accredits a named program at a named campus. A school can hold accreditation for its on-campus software engineering degree and not for a newer online version, or for one campus and not another. Match the program name and location on ABET’s search to the degree you would enroll in. ABET’s records list 1 accredited software engineering programs as delivering all of their content online.
When it matters most
ABET status carries the most weight if you might pursue an engineering license, work for an employer that asks for an accredited degree, or work abroad, where ABET says its accreditation is recognized through international agreements. For other software jobs, weigh it alongside the curriculum, the capstone and co-op options.
Where to go next
To compare accredited and non-accredited programs on the same scale, use the full software engineering bachelor’s ranking. For programs you can finish from home, see online software engineering degrees. ABET does not accredit any of the master’s programs here; they are ranked on tuition, size, research activity and the school’s bachelor’s accreditation in the master’s ranking.
ABET describes accreditation as “a review process to determine if educational programs meet defined standards of quality.” It accredits programs only, not whole schools, and the accreditation is renewed periodically. Software engineering programs are reviewed by its Engineering Accreditation Commission.
How many software engineering programs are ABET-accredited?
39 software engineering programs in 23 states are on ABET’s accredited list under its Engineering Accreditation Commission. 35 have a bachelor’s score and are ranked here.
How are the programs on this page ordered?
By each program’s score in our bachelor’s ranking, with its rank there shown on its card. A program has one score on this site; this page does not score them again. A program without a bachelor’s score (no graduates yet, its own published price, or a missing figure) appears on its state page instead.
Can you earn an ABET-accredited software engineering degree online?
Yes. 1 of the 35 accredited programs here can be completed online, according to each school’s own program page. ABET’s own records list 1 as delivering all of their content online.
Does ABET accredit software engineering master’s programs?
None of the software engineering master’s programs in federal data is on ABET’s list, so every program on this page is a bachelor’s. Our master’s ranking instead gives points when the school’s bachelor’s is accredited, alongside tuition, size and research activity.
Sources
Sources
Every figure on this page comes from one of these. Numbers are computed from the data at build time, never typed in.
2NCES IPEDS institutional charges, 2023-24 Annual tuition at the program’s own level: undergraduate for bachelor’s programs; for master’s, the school-wide average graduate tuition, which excludes program fees.
3NCES IPEDS graduation rates The school’s six-year graduation rate, reported for the whole school, not the program.
4NCES IPEDS distance education, 2023-24 Programs offered entirely online; used for the Format column only where the program’s page doesn’t state a format.