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2024 Best Computer Engineering Schools in California

25 Colleges in California
3,190 CE Degrees Awarded
$78,872 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on majoring in computer engineering, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #56 in the country in terms of popularity. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 25 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for computer engineering students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 3,190 degrees in computer engineering to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Computer Engineering School

Best Computer Engineering Schools in California The ce program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Computer Engineering rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for computer engineering schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your Computer Engineering Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in CE
Master's Degrees in CE
Doctor's Degrees in CE

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Computer Engineering Schools in California list, to help you choose the best school for you. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Computer Engineering in California

The schools below may not offer all types of ce degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top California Schools in CE

1
SCU crest
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
244 CE Degrees Awarded
$104,656 Median Starting Salary

It is difficult to beat Santa Clara University if you wish to pursue a degree in computer engineering. Located in the city of Santa Clara, SCU is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #50 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means SCU is a great university overall.

There were about 244 computer engineering students who graduated with this degree at SCU in the most recent year we have data available. Those computer engineering students who get their degree from Santa Clara University receive $25,784 more than the standard ce graduate.

More information about a degree in computer engineering from Santa Clara University

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
92 CE Degrees Awarded
$106,621 Median Starting Salary

It's difficult to beat University of Southern California if you want to pursue a degree in computer engineering. USC is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #11 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were roughly 92 computer engineering students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year. Those computer engineering students who get their degree from University of Southern California receive $27,749 more than the standard ce student.

More information about a degree in computer engineering from University of Southern California

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
97 CE Degrees Awarded
1.0% Growth in Graduates

It is difficult to beat University of California - Los Angeles if you want to pursue a degree in computer engineering. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #26 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.

There were approximately 97 computer engineering students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent data year. Those computer engineering students who get their degree from University of California - Los Angeles make $31,267 more than the standard ce graduate.

More information about a degree in computer engineering from University of California - Los Angeles

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
213 CE Degrees Awarded
$101,059 Median Starting Salary

It is hard to beat University of California - San Diego if you wish to pursue a degree in computer engineering. UCSD is a very large public university located in the city of La Jolla. A Best Colleges rank of #38 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UCSD is a great university overall.

There were about 213 computer engineering students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent year we have data available. Those computer engineering students who get their degree from University of California - San Diego earn $22,187 more than the standard ce student.

More information about a degree in computer engineering from University of California - San Diego

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
365 CE Degrees Awarded
9.6% Growth in Graduates

UC Irvine is a very large public university located in the large city of Irvine. A Best Colleges rank of #61 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC Irvine is a great university overall.

There were roughly 365 computer engineering students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the ce program earn about $68,056 for their early career.

More information about a degree in computer engineering from University of California - Irvine

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
597 CE Degrees Awarded
$102,556 Median Starting Salary

San Jose State is a very large public university located in the city of San Jose. A Best Colleges rank of #161 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means San Jose State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 597 computer engineering students who graduated with this degree at San Jose State in the most recent year we have data available. Computer Engineering degree recipients from San Jose State University receive an earnings boost of approximately $23,684 over the average earnings of computer engineering graduates.

More information about a degree in computer engineering from San Jose State University

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
158 CE Degrees Awarded
$91,493 Median Starting Salary

Located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #95 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a great university overall.

There were roughly 158 computer engineering students who graduated with this degree at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in the most recent data year. Those computer engineering students who get their degree from California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo make $12,621 more than the typical ce student.

More information about a degree in computer engineering from California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
119 CE Degrees Awarded
16.0% Growth in Graduates

Located in the suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #52 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UC Davis is a great university overall.

There were about 119 computer engineering students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent data year. Computer Engineering degree recipients from University of California - Davis get an earnings boost of approximately $2,615 over the typical income of computer engineering graduates.

More information about a degree in computer engineering from University of California - Davis

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
157 CE Degrees Awarded
30.6% Growth in Graduates

UC Santa Cruz is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Santa Cruz. A Best Colleges rank of #102 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UC Santa Cruz is a great university overall.

There were approximately 157 computer engineering students who graduated with this degree at UC Santa Cruz in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, ce degree recipients generally make around $75,207 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in computer engineering from University of California - Santa Cruz

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
230 CE Degrees Awarded
8.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the rural area of Merced, UC Merced is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 55th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 230 computer engineering students who graduated with this degree at UC Merced in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the ce program earn about $54,675 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in computer engineering from University of California - Merced

Best Computer Engineering Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Computer Engineering Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Washington300122
Oregon26643
Nevada192187
Hawaii16422
Alaska1196

View All Rankings >

One of 41 majors within the Engineering area of study, Computer Engineering has other similar majors worth exploring.

CE Concentrations

MajorAnnual Graduates
General Computer Engineering2,349
Software Engineering764
Other Computer Engineering40
Computer Hardware Engineering37

View All CE Focus Areas >

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Mechanical Engineering5,039
Electrical Engineering4,174
Civil Engineering3,269
Biomedical Engineering1,706
General Engineering1,360
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering1,357
Chemical Engineering1,163
Systems Engineering498
Materials Engineering488
Other Engineering476

View All CE Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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