The best computer science universities in Latin America

The coveted computer science degree has promised graduates six-figure salaries and exciting careers in high-tech spaces since the personal computer took off in the 1990s.

As an academic discipline, computer science dates back even further. In the 1960s, Purdue University became the first major institution to found a department dedicated to the practice, complete with history books written by faculty members because, at that point, none existed.

These days, the U.S., China, and Singapore are often associated with top-tier computer science degrees, but there are highly respected universities in nearly every corner of the world offering an education in the field. Revelo collected rankings from U.S. News and World Report to identify the top 10 universities for computer science in Latin America as part of a larger global analysis.

Slowly but steadily, Latin America has developed some of the world's most promising tech hubs. The region is outpacing others to become a top destination for developers, according to a 2023 report by HackerRank. Students considering studying computer science abroad can add universities in this large, diverse region to their list thanks to its commitment to internationalizing. 

Web designers, software developers, computer network architects, research scientists, and systems administrators all leverage computer science knowledge as the basis of their job. And it's a job that analysts project to be in high demand—even as layoffs at major tech companies dominate headlines.

The typical U.S. worker in a computer science-based career today earns an income of $100,530, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The bureau also estimates the industry will require 377,500 new workers each year for the next decade, as the industry is set to grow faster than the average growth rate of all other industries.

With the tech industry facing criticism for lacking diversity and products like artificial intelligence built on mostly white male perspectives, employers could benefit from looking beyond traditional institutions in recruiting efforts. From 2010-2020, the number of women graduating from U.S. schools with computer science degrees rose only 3%, and graduates from underrepresented racial groups remained flat at just over 20% of all graduates.

U.S. News and World Report ranked 778 universities globally with at least 250 academic research papers, calculating its subject scores on a 0-100 scale based on the number of publications and citations an institution received, its global and regional research reputation, and other factors.

#20. Universidade Federal Fluminense

- Location: Niteroi, Brazil
- Computer science score: 18.0 out of 100 (#710 globally)
- Overall score: 38.4 out of 100 (#1,017 globally)
- Enrollment: 49,554

#19. Universidade Federal do Ceara

- Location: Fortaleza, Brazil
- Computer science score: 20.0 out of 100 (#683 globally)
- Overall score: 39.2 out of 100 (#977 globally)
- Enrollment: Not available

#18. Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos

- Location: Sao Carlos, Brazil
- Computer science score: 22.4 out of 100 (#650 globally)
- Overall score: 41.0 out of 100 (#896 globally)
- Enrollment: Not available

#17. Universidade Tecnologica Federal do Parana

- Location: Curitiba, Brazil
- Computer science score: 23.5 out of 100 (#630 globally)
- Overall score: 25.5 out of 100 (#1,603 globally)
- Enrollment: Not available

#16. Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC)

- Location: Florianopolis, Brazil
- Computer science score: 23.8 out of 100 (#626 globally)
- Overall score: 47.9 out of 100 (#618 globally)
- Enrollment: Not available

#15. Universidade de Brasilia

- Location: Brasilia, Brazil
- Computer science score: 25.2 out of 100 (#605 globally)
- Overall score: 45.4 out of 100 (#710 globally)
- Enrollment: Not available

#14. University of Buenos Aires

- Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Computer science score: 26.5 out of 100 (#588 globally)
- Overall score: 53.8 out of 100 (#426 globally)
- Enrollment: Not available

#13. Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico

- Location: Mexico City, Mexico
- Computer science score: 28.4 out of 100 (#556 globally)
- Overall score: 54.3 out of 100 (#405 globally)
- Enrollment: 172,729

#12. Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile

- Location: Santiago, Chile
- Computer science score: 32.4 out of 100 (#472 globally)
- Overall score: 57.7 out of 100 (#314 globally)
- Enrollment: 31,579

#11. Universidade Federal do Parana

- Location: Curitiba, Brazil
- Computer science score: 32.7 out of 100 (#470 globally)
- Overall score: 42.6 out of 100 (#816 globally)
- Enrollment: Not available

#9. Universidade Estadual Paulista (tie)

- Location: Sao Paulo, Brazil
- Computer science score: 33.7 out of 100 (#449 globally)
- Overall score: 51.4 out of 100 (#497 globally)
- Enrollment: Not available

#9. Instituto Politecnico Nacional - Mexico (tie)

- Location: Mexico City, Mexico
- Computer science score: 33.7 out of 100 (#449 globally)
- Overall score: 36.7 out of 100 (#1,095 globally)
- Enrollment: Not available

#8. Tecnologico de Monterrey

- Location: Monterrey, Mexico
- Computer science score: 34.6 out of 100 (#438 globally)
- Overall score: 44.2 out of 100 (#759 globally)
- Enrollment: 49,696

#7. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro

- Location: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Computer science score: 35.9 out of 100 (#412 globally)
- Overall score: 54.1 out of 100 (#413 globally)
- Enrollment: 45,964

#6. Universidade Federal de Pernambuco

- Location: Recife, Brazil
- Computer science score: 37.4 out of 100 (#396 globally)
- Overall score: 40.9 out of 100 (#901 globally)
- Enrollment: Not available

#5. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul

- Location: Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Computer science score: 39.6 out of 100 (#364 globally)
- Overall score: 53.6 out of 100 (#432 globally)
- Enrollment: Not available

#4. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais

- Location: Belo Horizonte, Brazil
- Computer science score: 44.3 out of 100 (#301 globally)
- Overall score: 52.6 out of 100 (#468 globally)
- Enrollment: Not available

#3. Universidad de Chile

- Location: Santiago, Chile
- Computer science score: 45.0 out of 100 (#285 globally)
- Overall score: 54.4 out of 100 (#400 globally)
- Enrollment: 37,286

#2. Universidade Estadual de Campinas

- Location: Campinas, Brazil
- Computer science score: 48.2 out of 100 (#246 globally)
- Overall score: 58.7 out of 100 (#294 globally)
- Enrollment: 31,199

#1. Universidade de Sao Paulo

- Location: Sao Paulo, Brazil
- Computer science score: 55.1 out of 100 (#154 globally)
- Overall score: 68.5 out of 100 (#120 globally)
- Enrollment: 82,010

This story features data reporting by Paxtyn Merten, writing by Dom DiFurio, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 5 regions.

This story originally appeared on Revelo and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.