Is Notre Dame or the University of Illinois better for computer science?

For computer science specifically, the University of Illinois is more widely regarded as the stronger program overall. Illinois has a much bigger and more established CS ecosystem, deeper course selection, heavier research activity, and a stronger national reputation in computer science itself. If your question is mainly about academic strength and industry recognition for CS, Illinois has the clearer edge.

Illinois tends to fit the student who wants a true large-scale CS environment. You would be entering a department with broad specialization options, a high volume of advanced electives, major recruiting pipelines, and lots of peers focused specifically on computing, engineering, and technical research. That matters if you want to explore areas like systems, AI, machine learning, theory, data, security, or interdisciplinary computing with a lot of depth.

Notre Dame makes more sense for the student who wants computer science in a smaller, more personal campus setting with a stronger emphasis on undergraduate community and the broader Notre Dame experience. You may find smaller classes, closer professor access, and a more cohesive campus culture appealing there. For some students, that environment can outweigh the difference in raw CS scale and reputation.

In hiring and graduate school contexts, Illinois carries more weight as a CS destination because it is known nationally as a major producer of computer science talent and research. Notre Dame is still a respected university, and a strong student there can absolutely do very well, but it is not usually the school people point to first for top-tier computer science.

So if “better for computer science overall” is the main question, Illinois is the stronger answer. Notre Dame becomes compelling mostly if you prefer its campus culture, size, or educational style enough that those factors matter more to you than attending the more prominent CS program.