Programs

Best colleges for AI

In 2025, 494 US institutions conferred 19,778 degrees and certificates in artificial intelligence and closely related data fields, up 8.4 times from 2,349 in 2019. The field is graduate-weighted: 59% 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

494

Conferred at least one award in 2025

Awards conferred

19,778

Up from 2,349 in 2019

Growth since 2019

8.4x

Awards across the four codes

Master's share

59%

This is a graduate-heavy field

True AI degrees

2,576

CIP 11.0102 only, at 122 institutions

Bachelor's degrees

5,235

Across all four codes

Why Stanford University and UC Berkeley are missing from the AI list

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 Stanford University conferred 1,018 and UC Berkeley conferred 995 awards in 2025. Stanford does appear in the tables below, but only for its data science degrees, never under the AI code.

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. 122 institutions conferred at least one in 2025.

#	Institution	AI degreesCIP 11.0102	Bachelor's	Master's	All AI and data
1	Carnegie Mellon University PA Private nonprofit	227	38	203	288
2	Massachusetts Institute of Technology MA Private nonprofit	124	85	39	124
3	University of North Texas TX Public	115	56	513	575
4	University of Pennsylvania PA Private nonprofit	104	—	103	104
5	Illinois Institute of Technology IL Private nonprofit	85	15	70	85
6	University of San Diego CA Private nonprofit	83	—	119	119
7	Miami Dade College FL Public	80	40	—	133
8	Johns Hopkins University MD Private nonprofit	77	—	68	83
9	Northeastern University MA Private nonprofit	77	—	77	77
10	Yeshiva University NY Private nonprofit	75	—	75	75
11	Florida Atlantic University FL Public	74	38	205	273
12	Milwaukee School of Engineering WI Private nonprofit	65	—	23	65
13	Rochester Institute of Technology NY Private nonprofit	56	23	85	145
14	Houston City College TX Public	53	2	—	53
15	Gannon University PA Private nonprofit	50	—	50	50
16	Auburn University AL Public	48	—	1	53
17	San Jose State University CA Public	43	27	322	349
18	University of Washington - Seattle Campus WA Public	42	373	42	415
19	Maryville University of Saint Louis MO Private nonprofit	42	16	102	227
20	Northwestern University IL Private nonprofit	41	51	41	92
21	DSDT MI Private for-profit	38	—	—	38
22	The University of Texas at Austin TX Public	37	79	375	454
23	Pennsylvania State University - World Campus PA Public	34	3	34	42
24	University of Kentucky KY Public	34	—	6	40
25	Boston University MA Private nonprofit	33	—	73	73

Where the field actually is

Best for a master's degree

Ranked by master's awards across all four AI and data codes. 59% 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	—	3	977	1,012
2	University of North Texas TX Public	115	56	513	575
3	The University of Texas at Austin TX Public	37	79	375	454
4	University of Southern California CA Private nonprofit	24	20	349	369
5	San Jose State University CA Public	43	27	322	349
6	University of Chicago IL Private nonprofit	—	—	250	250
7	New York University NY Private nonprofit	—	145	245	406
8	Syracuse University NY Private nonprofit	—	4	224	228
9	Florida Atlantic University FL Public	74	38	205	273
10	Saint Peter's University NJ Private nonprofit	1	12	204	216
11	Carnegie Mellon University PA Private nonprofit	227	38	203	288
12	New Jersey Institute of Technology NJ Public	11	12	202	223
13	University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth MA Public	6	13	191	204
14	Columbia University in the City of New York NY Private nonprofit	—	6	189	195
15	DePaul University IL Private nonprofit	25	8	183	191
16	University of Memphis TN Public	—	—	157	157
17	Clark University MA Private nonprofit	—	—	153	153
18	Saint Louis University MO Private nonprofit	28	4	152	161
19	Bellevue University NE Private nonprofit	—	17	149	166
20	Stevens Institute of Technology NJ Private nonprofit	3	—	147	156
21	New England College NH Private nonprofit	—	—	146	146
22	Lewis University IL Private nonprofit	—	7	141	149
23	University of Virginia - Main Campus VA Public	—	—	141	143
24	George Washington University DC Private nonprofit	20	24	136	188
25	Western Governors University UT Private nonprofit	4	—	129	130

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 5,235 bachelor's degrees nationwide, and only 221 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	42	373	42	415
2	University of Wisconsin - Madison WI Public	—	331	17	645
3	Indiana University - Bloomington IN Public	5	308	12	334
4	Pennsylvania State University - Main Campus PA Public	—	292	38	359
5	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor MI Public	—	159	72	259
6	University of California - Irvine CA Public	—	156	7	174
7	New York University NY Private nonprofit	—	145	245	406
8	University at Albany NY Public	—	143	102	245
9	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University VA Public	—	138	—	146
10	University of Maryland Global Campus MD Public	1	133	12	234
11	Arizona State University Digital Immersion AZ Public	—	133	—	133
12	Arizona State University Campus Immersion AZ Public	—	131	54	190
13	University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign IL Public	—	105	31	136
14	University of Arizona AZ Public	15	99	97	215
15	Massachusetts Institute of Technology MA Private nonprofit	124	85	39	124
16	The University of Texas at Austin TX Public	37	79	375	454
17	University of North Carolina at Charlotte NC Public	—	78	—	78
18	University of Massachusetts - Amherst MA Public	—	75	61	150
19	University of Phoenix - Arizona AZ Private for-profit	—	60	126	186
20	William & Mary VA Public	—	59	—	59
21	University of North Texas TX Public	115	56	513	575
22	University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus PA Public	13	55	89	169
23	Indiana University - Indianapolis IN Public	10	55	82	154
24	The University of Texas at Dallas TX Public	—	54	—	54
25	University of Oregon OR Public	—	54	—	54

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	—	3	977	1,012
2	University of Wisconsin - Madison WI Public	—	331	17	645
3	University of North Texas TX Public	115	56	513	575
4	The University of Texas at Austin TX Public	37	79	375	454
5	University of Washington - Seattle Campus WA Public	42	373	42	415
6	New York University NY Private nonprofit	—	145	245	406
7	University of Southern California CA Private nonprofit	24	20	349	369
8	Pennsylvania State University - Main Campus PA Public	—	292	38	359
9	San Jose State University CA Public	43	27	322	349
10	Indiana University - Bloomington IN Public	5	308	12	334
11	Carnegie Mellon University PA Private nonprofit	227	38	203	288
12	Florida Atlantic University FL Public	74	38	205	273
13	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor MI Public	—	159	72	259
14	University of Chicago IL Private nonprofit	—	—	250	250
15	University at Albany NY Public	—	143	102	245
16	University of Maryland Global Campus MD Public	1	133	12	234
17	Syracuse University NY Private nonprofit	—	4	224	228
18	Maryville University of Saint Louis MO Private nonprofit	42	16	102	227
19	New Jersey Institute of Technology NJ Public	11	12	202	223
20	Saint Peter's University NJ Private nonprofit	1	12	204	216
21	University of Arizona AZ Public	15	99	97	215
22	University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth MA Public	6	13	191	204
23	Columbia University in the City of New York NY Private nonprofit	—	6	189	195
24	DePaul University IL Private nonprofit	25	8	183	191
25	Arizona State University Campus Immersion AZ Public	—	131	54	190

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	—	3	977	1,012
2	University of Wisconsin - Madison WI Public	—	331	17	645
3	University of North Texas TX Public	115	56	513	575
4	The University of Texas at Austin TX Public	37	79	375	454
5	San Jose State University CA Public	43	27	322	349
6	Florida Atlantic University FL Public	74	38	205	273
7	University of Chicago IL Private nonprofit	—	—	250	250
8	Maryville University of Saint Louis MO Private nonprofit	42	16	102	227
9	New Jersey Institute of Technology NJ Public	11	12	202	223
10	Saint Peter's University NJ Private nonprofit	1	12	204	216
11	University of Arizona AZ Public	15	99	97	215
12	University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth MA Public	6	13	191	204
13	Columbia University in the City of New York NY Private nonprofit	—	6	189	195
14	DePaul University IL Private nonprofit	25	8	183	191
15	George Washington University DC Private nonprofit	20	24	136	188
16	Bellevue University NE Private nonprofit	—	17	149	166
17	Brigham Young University - Idaho ID Private nonprofit	—	—	—	162
18	University of Memphis TN Public	—	—	157	157
19	Stevens Institute of Technology NJ Private nonprofit	3	—	147	156
20	Texas Tech University TX Public	—	—	119	155
21	Clark University MA Private nonprofit	—	—	153	153
22	University of Massachusetts - Amherst MA Public	—	75	61	150
23	Lewis University IL Private nonprofit	—	7	141	149
24	New England College NH Private nonprofit	—	—	146	146
25	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University VA Public	—	138	—	146

Methodology

Source: IPEDS Completions (C2025_A), U.S. Department of Education, NCES. Completions are counts of degrees and certificates conferred during the 2025 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 88,324 awards against artificial intelligence's 2,576, 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: 494 for the full basket and 122 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 (168 institutions, 90% 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 2025, the leaders are Carnegie Mellon University (227), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (124), University of North Texas (115), University of Pennsylvania (104), Illinois Institute of Technology (85). Ranking by completions measures how many students a program actually graduates, not selectivity or reputation.

Why are Stanford University and UC Berkeley not on the AI list?+

Neither awards a degree 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 Stanford University conferred 1,018 and UC Berkeley conferred 995 awards in 2025. 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 19,778 awards across the AI and data codes in 2025, 59% were master's degrees and only 5,235 were bachelor's. Within the artificial intelligence code alone, just 221 bachelor's degrees were conferred nationwide.

How many colleges offer AI degrees?+

122 institutions conferred at least one degree under the artificial intelligence code in 2025, and 494 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 8.4 times over between 2019 and 2025, from 2,349 awards to 19,778. 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 (C2025_A), U.S. Department of Education, NCES, covering the 2025 reporting year and 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 88,324 awards would swamp the AI signal.

↑ Zoom outAll programs CIP codes Institutions

Data: IPEDS Fall 2025–26 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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