Three great choices. If you have need, I’d eliminate Va Tech and compare UNC with Northeastern (cost wise). Northeastern is a co op school but you can do co ops from any school. Right now, as you know, even CS students from top schools are having difficulty finding jobs.
I don’t think the school name matters. My nephew has a poli sci degree from Arizona and works for a major firm in NYC. We’ve seen stories on here of kids going to N Georgia and getting recruited by Google. I know a UT Chatt grad working for Oracle. At many places, kids have to pass a test.
So I don’t think the school name matters here and no one knows the job market in five years.
UNC shows knowledge of 51% of 2024 grads so half the class. They show 90% working and only 2% seeking employment at a salary of $101K and Median of $95K. Amazon and Fidelity were the two leading employers of 102 (think they are in high COL locations).
Va Tech 2024 data is much different and it was last recorded 6 months after graduation. 47% employed, 32% seeking. The average salary was $93K and Median $89K. 307 of 493 or 62% were captured in the data.
Boeing was #1 and Amazon wasn’t in the top 20. But this was the top 10 listed and not sure the locations: The Boeing Company, CACI, CoStar Group, Peraton, Capital One, Lockheed Martin, Fannie Mae, IBM, Micron Technology, Booz Allen Hamilton, Geico.
Northeastern shows 84% employed within 9 months of graduation with only 4% seeking. They show salary bands - with 42.5% at $120K or more. They don’t show participation percentage and with all, you don’t know what’s included - expected bonus, sign on - so you can’t compare totally but - They show another 35% between $100-120K. They list the top 50 employers alphabetically - but Amazon, Fidelity (like UNC), Google, SpaceX and more are on there as well as insurers (Aetna and Travelers).
Back to your Stanford thought - UCB is another like it. For 2025, they report 68% working and 11% looking. They don’t show a knowledge rate. At last reporting for 2024, it was 58% working and 23% looking. Someone recently posted Amazon really helped the class of 2025. So not sure perceived elite vs. not tells the entire story.
Personal call - but to me it’d be UNC for NU - and then it’s 1) budget / what can I afford and 2) big school experience vs. a big but different type school.
Good luck.
Stanford Grads Struggle to Find Work in AI-Enabled Job Market
Computer science university programs in NC adapt to an AI world
This article was open at one point but now is locked. But maybe you have a subscription. From another thread, it’s about Cornell and UNC grad struggles.
Computer-Science Majors Graduate Into a World of Fewer Opportunities - WSJ