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NSA Recruiters Already Have Your Number
The blue-blood security royalty — CyLab, CERIAS, and fiber-optic pipelines running straight into Fort Meade. Recruiters from three-letter agencies are already in their DMs, and grads tend to get clearance paperwork before they get a diploma.
| # ▲ | University | Location | Degrees | Accept | SAT | Male/Female | Intl | 5-Year Earn | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Carnegie Mellon
Pittsburgh,
PA
|
Pittsburgh, PA | 0 | 11% | — | — | — | — |
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| 2 |
Purdue
West Lafayette,
IN
|
West Lafayette, IN | 144 | 43% | 78% / 22% | 11% | — | — |
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| 3 |
U. of Maryland, College Park
College Park,
MD
|
College Park, MD | 28 | 45% | 29% / 71% | 0% | — | — |
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| 4 |
U. of Tulsa
Tulsa,
OK
|
Tulsa, OK | 21 | 55% | 86% / 14% | 0% | — | — |
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| 5 |
Northeastern
Boston,
MA
|
Boston, MA | 22 | 6% | 64% / 36% | 9% | — | — |
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| 6 |
Texas A&M University - College Station
College Station,
TX
|
College Station, TX | 92 | 52% | 75% / 25% | 0% | $84,884 | — |
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| 7 |
Rochester Institute of Technology
Rochester,
NY
|
Rochester, NY | 119 | 55% | 86% / 14% | 3% | $126,240 | — |
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| 8 |
U. of Southern California
Los Angeles,
CA
|
Los Angeles, CA | 98 | 12% | 47% / 53% | 6% | — | — |
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Cleared for Top Secret, Not for Small Talk
Defense-contractor feeder schools where "we can neither confirm nor deny" is a personality trait. Tiny Dakota State punches so far above its weight that the NSA keeps it on speed dial; the rest funnel quietly into the Beltway and Wall Street SOCs.
| # ▲ | University | Location | Degrees | Accept | SAT | Male/Female | Intl | 5-Year Earn | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Pennsylvania State
University Park,
PA
|
University Park, PA | 272 | 55% | 80% / 20% | 2% | $110,460 | — |
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| 2 |
George Mason
Fairfax,
VA
|
Fairfax, VA | 114 | 72% | 78% / 22% | 15% | $162,005 | — |
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| 3 |
Dakota State
Madison,
SD
|
Madison, SD | 82 | 85% | 87% / 13% | 1% | $121,102 | — |
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| 4 |
U. of Texas at San Antonio
San Antonio,
TX
|
San Antonio, TX | 405 | 55% | 77% / 23% | 0% | $90,422 | — |
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| 5 |
Syracuse
Syracuse,
NY
|
Syracuse, NY | 6 | 35% | 67% / 33% | 0% | — | — |
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| 6 |
George Washington
Washington,
DC
|
Washington, DC | 30 | 47% | 70% / 30% | 0% | — | — |
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| 7 |
U. of California, Irvine
Irvine,
CA
|
Irvine, CA | 46 | 29% | 83% / 17% | 13% | — | — |
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| 8 |
Drexel
Philadelphia,
PA
|
Philadelphia, PA | 76 | 70% | 70% / 30% | 1% | $94,900 | — |
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| 9 |
Stevens Institute of Technology
Hoboken,
NJ
|
Hoboken, NJ | 27 | 28% | 81% / 19% | 0% | — | — |
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Capture-the-Flag Club President
Regional powerhouses run by the students who actually win the CTFs at 3 a.m. Heavy on digital forensics and reverse engineering — and on explaining to relatives that no, they cannot hack your neighbor's Wi-Fi.
| # ▲ | University | Location | Degrees | Accept | SAT | Male/Female | Intl | 5-Year Earn | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Florida State
Tallahassee,
FL
|
Tallahassee, FL | 52 | 20% | 60% / 40% | 0% | — | — |
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| 2 |
Iowa State
Ames,
IA
|
Ames, IA | 42 | 85% | 86% / 14% | 2% | — | — |
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| 3 |
U. of Arizona
Tucson,
AZ
|
Tucson, AZ | 135 | 85% | 80% / 20% | 0% | — | — |
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| 4 |
Mississippi State
Mississippi State,
MS
|
Mississippi State, MS | 7 | 60% | 100% / 0% | 0% | — | — |
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| 5 |
Champlain
Burlington,
VT
|
Burlington, VT | 189 | 55% | 73% / 27% | 0% | $91,050 | — |
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| 6 |
Indiana
Bloomington,
IN
|
Bloomington, IN | 19 | 76% | 84% / 16% | 0% | — | — |
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| 7 |
U. of South Florida
Tampa,
FL
|
Tampa, FL | 124 | 35% | 91% / 9% | 0% | — | — |
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| 8 |
Florida International
Miami,
FL
|
Miami, FL | 38 | 42% | 74% / 26% | 5% | — | — |
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