Programs

Best colleges for AI

In 2024, 403 US institutions conferred 13,456 degrees and certificates in artificial intelligence and closely related data fields, up 5.7 times from 2,349 in 2019. The field is graduate-weighted: 57% of those awards were master's degrees. Every ranking below is one column of federal IPEDS completions data, sorted. There is no composite score.

Institutions

403

Conferred at least one award in 2024

Awards conferred

13,456

Up from 2,349 in 2019

Growth since 2019

5.7x

Awards across the four codes

Master's share

57%

This is a graduate-heavy field

True AI degrees

1,616

CIP 11.0102 only, at 86 institutions

Bachelor's degrees

3,713

Across all four codes

Why Stanford and Berkeley are missing

Neither awards a single degree under the federal artificial intelligence code. Both teach AI inside computer science and report those graduates under Computer Science (CIP 11.0701), where Berkeley conferred 846 awards in 2024 and Stanford 828. MIT appears here only because it labels some of its degrees as AI.

This is the honest limit of any CIP-based ranking: the codes record what a registrar named a program, not what is taught in it. Part of the growth below is genuinely new programs, and part is existing programs being renamed. Treat these tables as a measure of how many students graduate under an AI label, and nothing more.

The flagship list

Most artificial intelligence degrees awarded

Ranked by awards under CIP 11.0102, the only federal code that means artificial intelligence and nothing else. 86 institutions conferred at least one in 2024.

#	Institution	AI degreesCIP 11.0102	Bachelor's	Master's	All AI and data
1	Carnegie Mellon University PA Private nonprofit	227	45	184	264
2	University of Pennsylvania PA Private nonprofit	87	—	87	87
3	Illinois Institute of Technology IL Private nonprofit	74	6	68	74
4	University of North Texas TX Public	69	32	413	445
5	San Jose State University CA Public	69	—	284	284
6	Johns Hopkins University MD Private nonprofit	62	—	50	65
7	Florida Atlantic University FL Public	60	12	99	138
8	Northeastern University MA Private nonprofit	58	—	58	58
9	University of San Diego CA Private nonprofit	50	—	97	97
10	University of Southern California CA Private nonprofit	40	17	369	386
11	Boston University MA Private nonprofit	38	—	43	43
12	Northwestern University IL Private nonprofit	35	21	35	56
13	Massachusetts Institute of Technology MA Private nonprofit	35	19	16	35
14	University of Missouri - St Louis MO Public	31	7	—	38
15	Gannon University PA Private nonprofit	31	—	31	31
16	Milwaukee School of Engineering WI Private nonprofit	30	—	—	30
17	University of Washington - Seattle Campus WA Public	29	365	29	394
18	University of California - Santa Cruz CA Public	28	—	28	28
19	University of Bridgeport CT Private nonprofit	26	—	26	26
20	The University of Texas at San Antonio TX Public	25	—	38	54
21	Brandeis University MA Private nonprofit	23	—	23	23
22	Yeshiva University NY Private nonprofit	23	—	23	23
23	Rochester Institute of Technology NY Private nonprofit	22	20	44	89
24	University of Michigan - Dearborn MI Public	22	—	22	22
25	Naval Postgraduate School CA Public	20	—	—	123

Where the field actually is

Best for a master's degree

Ranked by master's awards across all four AI and data codes. 57% of every award in this field is a master's, which makes this the list most applicants are really looking for.

#	Institution	AI degreesCIP 11.0102	Bachelor's	Master's	All AI and data
1	Eastern University PA Private nonprofit	—	4	668	672
2	University of North Texas TX Public	69	32	413	445
3	University of Southern California CA Private nonprofit	40	17	369	386
4	San Jose State University CA Public	69	—	284	284
5	University of Chicago IL Private nonprofit	—	—	246	246
6	New York University NY Private nonprofit	—	159	245	419
7	Syracuse University NY Private nonprofit	—	—	240	240
8	Columbia University in the City of New York NY Private nonprofit	—	5	203	208
9	New Jersey Institute of Technology NJ Public	3	8	202	212
10	Carnegie Mellon University PA Private nonprofit	227	45	184	264
11	The University of Texas at Austin TX Public	—	38	174	212
12	Saint Peter's University NJ Private nonprofit	1	1	154	155
13	Clark University MA Private nonprofit	—	—	126	126
14	Lewis University IL Private nonprofit	—	4	122	127
15	University of Virginia - Main Campus VA Public	—	—	120	123
16	Northeastern University Professional Programs MA Private nonprofit	—	—	111	111
17	Bellevue University NE Private nonprofit	—	12	109	121
18	Texas Tech University TX Public	—	—	107	107
19	Florida Atlantic University FL Public	60	12	99	138
20	Maryville University of Saint Louis MO Private nonprofit	13	17	98	239
21	University of Memphis TN Public	—	—	98	98
22	University of San Diego CA Private nonprofit	50	—	97	97
23	University of Pennsylvania PA Private nonprofit	87	—	87	87
24	Westcliff University CA Private for-profit	—	—	82	82
25	University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus PA Public	2	24	79	115

For undergraduate applicants

Best for a bachelor's degree

Ranked by bachelor's awards across all four codes. Undergraduate options are far thinner than the headlines suggest: just 3,713 bachelor's degrees nationwide, and only 115 of those were labeled artificial intelligence.

#	Institution	AI degreesCIP 11.0102	Bachelor's	Master's	All AI and data
1	University of Washington - Seattle Campus WA Public	29	365	29	394
2	Indiana University - Bloomington IN Public	6	271	13	291
3	University of Wisconsin - Madison WI Public	—	246	2	470
4	Pennsylvania State University - Main Campus PA Public	—	165	23	205
5	New York University NY Private nonprofit	—	159	245	419
6	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University VA Public	—	158	—	173
7	University at Albany NY Public	—	116	—	116
8	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor MI Public	—	114	63	204
9	University of California - Irvine CA Public	—	89	15	111
10	University of Maryland Global Campus MD Public	—	81	—	86
11	Arizona State University Campus Immersion AZ Public	—	79	1	88
12	Indiana University - Indianapolis IN Public	6	73	66	148
13	Arizona State University Digital Immersion AZ Public	—	57	—	57
14	University of Arizona AZ Public	17	55	52	117
15	Carnegie Mellon University PA Private nonprofit	227	45	184	264
16	Worcester Polytechnic Institute MA Private nonprofit	—	44	48	100
17	University of North Carolina at Charlotte NC Public	—	44	—	44
18	William & Mary VA Public	—	42	—	42
19	University of Massachusetts - Amherst MA Public	—	41	55	110
20	The University of Texas at Austin TX Public	—	38	174	212
21	University of Louisiana at Lafayette LA Public	—	36	32	68
22	The University of Texas at Dallas TX Public	—	35	—	35
23	University of North Florida FL Public	—	34	—	34
24	United States Air Force Academy CO Public	—	33	—	33
25	University of North Texas TX Public	69	32	413	445

The widest lens

Largest AI and data programs overall

Ranked by all awards across the four codes combined. This list is weighted toward large online data science and analytics programs, so read it as a measure of scale rather than of AI specifically.

#	Institution	AI degreesCIP 11.0102	Bachelor's	Master's	All AI and data
1	Eastern University PA Private nonprofit	—	4	668	672
2	University of Wisconsin - Madison WI Public	—	246	2	470
3	University of North Texas TX Public	69	32	413	445
4	New York University NY Private nonprofit	—	159	245	419
5	University of Washington - Seattle Campus WA Public	29	365	29	394
6	University of Southern California CA Private nonprofit	40	17	369	386
7	Indiana University - Bloomington IN Public	6	271	13	291
8	San Jose State University CA Public	69	—	284	284
9	Carnegie Mellon University PA Private nonprofit	227	45	184	264
10	University of Chicago IL Private nonprofit	—	—	246	246
11	Syracuse University NY Private nonprofit	—	—	240	240
12	Maryville University of Saint Louis MO Private nonprofit	13	17	98	239
13	New Jersey Institute of Technology NJ Public	3	8	202	212
14	The University of Texas at Austin TX Public	—	38	174	212
15	Columbia University in the City of New York NY Private nonprofit	—	5	203	208
16	Pennsylvania State University - Main Campus PA Public	—	165	23	205
17	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor MI Public	—	114	63	204
18	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University VA Public	—	158	—	173
19	Saint Peter's University NJ Private nonprofit	1	1	154	155
20	Indiana University - Indianapolis IN Public	6	73	66	148
21	Florida Atlantic University FL Public	60	12	99	138
22	Lewis University IL Private nonprofit	—	4	122	127
23	Clark University MA Private nonprofit	—	—	126	126
24	Naval Postgraduate School CA Public	20	—	—	123
25	University of Virginia - Main Campus VA Public	—	—	120	123

Newest entrants

Biggest programs launched since 2019

Institutions that awarded nothing in these fields in 2019 and are now among the largest. Framed as launches rather than growth rates on purpose: a percentage increase from a base of zero has no meaning.

#	Institution	AI degreesCIP 11.0102	Bachelor's	Master's	All AI and data
1	Eastern University PA Private nonprofit	—	4	668	672
2	University of Wisconsin - Madison WI Public	—	246	2	470
3	University of North Texas TX Public	69	32	413	445
4	San Jose State University CA Public	69	—	284	284
5	University of Chicago IL Private nonprofit	—	—	246	246
6	Maryville University of Saint Louis MO Private nonprofit	13	17	98	239
7	New Jersey Institute of Technology NJ Public	3	8	202	212
8	The University of Texas at Austin TX Public	—	38	174	212
9	Columbia University in the City of New York NY Private nonprofit	—	5	203	208
10	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University VA Public	—	158	—	173
11	Saint Peter's University NJ Private nonprofit	1	1	154	155
12	Florida Atlantic University FL Public	60	12	99	138
13	Lewis University IL Private nonprofit	—	4	122	127
14	Clark University MA Private nonprofit	—	—	126	126
15	Naval Postgraduate School CA Public	20	—	—	123
16	University of Virginia - Main Campus VA Public	—	—	120	123
17	Bellevue University NE Private nonprofit	—	12	109	121
18	University of Arizona AZ Public	17	55	52	117
19	University of Massachusetts - Amherst MA Public	—	41	55	110
20	Texas Tech University TX Public	—	—	107	107
21	Worcester Polytechnic Institute MA Private nonprofit	—	44	48	100
22	University of Houston - Downtown TX Public	2	27	60	99
23	University of Memphis TN Public	—	—	98	98
24	University of San Diego CA Private nonprofit	50	—	97	97
25	Westcliff University CA Private for-profit	—	—	82	82

Methodology

Source: IPEDS Completions (C2024_A), U.S. Department of Education, NCES, Spring 2025 release. Completions are counts of degrees and certificates conferred during the 2024 reporting year.
What counts as AI: Four CIP 2020 codes: 11.0102 Artificial Intelligence, 30.7001 Data Science, General, 11.0104 Informatics, 30.7101 Data Analytics, General. Computer Science (11.0701) is excluded on purpose. It carries 78,278 awards against artificial intelligence's 1,616, so including it would produce a computer science ranking wearing an AI label. The first table isolates 11.0102 so you can see AI on its own.
How the counts are built: First majors only, so a student with a double major is counted once. Bachelor's is IPEDS award level 5, master's is 7, and doctoral combines 17, 18 and 19. Grand-total rows are excluded. Certificates are included in the all-awards column but never in the degree columns.
Which institutions are counted: National figures count every institution that conferred at least one award: 403 for the full basket and 86 for artificial intelligence alone. IPEDS also carries programs that reported zero completions, which is why a raw count of listed programs is higher. The tables list institutions conferring at least 20 awards (136 institutions, 89% of all awards); smaller programs count toward the national totals but are not listed individually.
Why there are no earnings: Federal graduate earnings are published only down to 4-digit CIP codes, and every AI code here is 6-digit. No earnings figure exists for these programs, so none is shown. Other Clema program pages rank by earnings where that data exists.
What this does not measure: Completions measure volume, not quality, selectivity, faculty, or research output. A large program graduates more students than a small one; that is all a completions ranking can tell you.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best colleges for AI?+

By awards conferred under the federal artificial intelligence program code (CIP 11.0102) in 2024, Carnegie Mellon University leads by a wide margin, followed by the University of Pennsylvania, Illinois Institute of Technology, the University of North Texas, and San Jose State University. Ranking by completions measures how many students a program actually graduates, not selectivity or reputation.

Why are Stanford and UC Berkeley not on this list?+

Neither awards degrees under the artificial intelligence CIP code. Both teach AI inside their computer science programs and report those graduates under Computer Science (CIP 11.0701), where Berkeley conferred 846 awards and Stanford 828 in 2024. Their absence reflects how each registrar classifies a degree, not the quality of the AI work done there.

Is AI a bachelor’s or a master’s degree?+

Overwhelmingly a master's. Of all 13,456 awards across the AI and data codes in 2024, 57% were master's degrees and only 3,713 were bachelor's. Within the artificial intelligence code alone, just 115 bachelor's degrees were conferred nationwide.

How many colleges offer AI degrees?+

86 institutions conferred at least one degree under the artificial intelligence code in 2024, and 403 conferred awards across the wider AI and data basket. Both figures count only institutions that actually graduated someone; IPEDS also lists programs that reported zero completions.

Which AI programs are growing fastest?+

The field grew 5.7 times over between 2019 and 2024, from 2,349 awards to 13,456. Much of that is new programs rather than existing ones expanding: most of the largest programs today reported nothing in these codes in 2019.

What data is this ranking based on?+

IPEDS Completions from the National Center for Education Statistics, Spring 2025 release, covering first majors only. The four codes counted are 11.0102 Artificial Intelligence, 30.7001 Data Science, General, 11.0104 Informatics, 30.7101 Data Analytics, General. Computer science is excluded because its 78,278 awards would swamp the AI signal.

↑ Zoom outAll programs CIP codes Institutions

Data: IPEDS Spring 2025 provisional. Completions counts are first majors only; the methodology section above lists the exact CIP codes and award levels behind every column. All sources & release dates →

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