2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2019-2020, 53,722 people earned their degree in computer science, making the major the 19th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, computer science graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $66,561 and had an average of $23,565 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 12,060 computer science graduates with average earnings and debt of $70,794 and $21,538 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 7,912 computer science graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 42 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in computer science. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent computer science programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the computer science program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k
The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree compsci students whose families make $30-$48k.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Computer Science (Income $30-$48k) in California
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Stanford, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s compsci degrees to 307 students in 2019-2020.
Stanford did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford is $1,145 for California Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Pomona College. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Pomona College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Claremont, California. It awarded 34 bachelors’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.
Pomona also took the #3 spot in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $8,655 for California Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Pomona College.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California Institute of Technology. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k. California Institute of Technology is a small school located in Pasadena, California that handed out 72 bachelors’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.
Caltech also took the #4 spot in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $3,756 for california bachelor’s degree compsci students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California Institute of Technology.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Full California Institute of Technology Computer Science Report
Out of the 42 schools in the Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #4 spot on the list. University of California - Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 845 bachelors’s compsci degrees to qualified students.
UC Berkeley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Berkeley is $9,130 for california bachelor’s degree compsci students whose families make $30-$48k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Computer Science at University of California - Berkeley
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Irvine. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k. University of California - Irvine is located in Irvine, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 805 bachelors’s compsci degrees to qualified students.
UC Irvine also took the #9 spot in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Irvine is $10,373 for California Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
California State University - Los Angeles ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Cal State LA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 119 bachelors’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - Los Angeles is $2,117 for California Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students whose families make $30-$48k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
California State University - Fullerton came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. California State University - Fullerton is located in Fullerton, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 264 bachelors’s compsci degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree compsci students whose families make $30-$48k list, Cal State Fullerton has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fullerton is $6,100 for california bachelor’s degree compsci students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
Read full report on Computer Science at California State University - Fullerton
University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #8. UCSD is a large public school situated in La Jolla, California. It awarded 435 bachelors’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSD, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCSD is $9,974 for california bachelor’s degree compsci students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well in the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #9. California State University - Dominguez Hills is a fairly large public school situated in Carson, California. It awarded 57 bachelors’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $3,115 for California Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California State University - Dominguez Hills.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
California State University - Fresno ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. California State University - Fresno is a large public school situated in Fresno, California. It awarded 46 bachelors’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fresno is $3,731 for california bachelor’s degree compsci students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
University of California - Santa Barbara ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this large public school handed out 145 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s compsci students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree compsci students whose families make $30-$48k list, UCSB has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCSB is $11,895 for california bachelor’s degree compsci students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
California State University - Long Beach came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. CSULB is located in Long Beach, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 220 bachelors’s compsci degrees to qualified students.
CSULB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Long Beach is $7,595 for california bachelor’s degree compsci students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low student loan default rate of 1.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
With a ranking of #13, California State University - Northridge did quite well on the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Northridge, California, this large public school awarded 160 degrees to qualified bachelors’s compsci students in 2019-2020.
CSUN did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $6,883 for california bachelor’s degree compsci students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California State University - Northridge.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Harvey Mudd College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #14. Located in Claremont, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 47 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s compsci students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Harvey Mudd College, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Harvey Mudd College is $23,234 for california bachelor’s degree compsci students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
San Diego State University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. SDSU is a large public school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 209 bachelors’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.
SDSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend San Diego State University is $10,594 for california bachelor’s degree compsci students whose families make $30-$48k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
Read more about Computer Science at San Diego State University
University of California - Riverside landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. UCR is a large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 165 bachelors’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.
UCR not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $9,151 for california bachelor’s degree compsci students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UCR.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
California State University - Stanislaus landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Stan State is located in Turlock, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 67 bachelors’s compsci degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend Stan State is $3,958 for california bachelor’s degree compsci students whose families make $30-$48k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
California State University - Bakersfield came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. CSUB is a public institution located in Bakersfield, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 61 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - Bakersfield is $3,880 for California Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students whose families make $30-$48k.
Read full report on Computer Science at California State University - Bakersfield
California State University - San Bernardino landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. California State University - San Bernardino is located in San Bernardino, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 94 bachelors’s compsci degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - San Bernardino is $5,869 for california bachelor’s degree compsci students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #20. Sacramento, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s compsci degrees to 239 students in 2019-2020.
Sac State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #24 on our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $7,823 for california bachelor’s degree compsci students whose families make $30-$48k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of California - Santa Cruz came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. UC Santa Cruz is a public institution located in Santa Cruz, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 667 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UC Santa Cruz did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $11,793 for California Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UC Santa Cruz.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of California - Santa Cruz Computer Science Report
University of Southern California did quite well in the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #22. USC is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 247 bachelors’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at USC, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend USC is $16,252 for California Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Southern California Computer Science Report
California State University - San Marcos landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. CSUSM is a fairly large public school situated in San Marcos, California. It awarded 161 bachelors’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $10,347 for california bachelor’s degree compsci students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend CSUSM.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
California State University - Monterey Bay ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. CSUMB is a public institution located in Seaside, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 173 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $9,567 for california bachelor’s degree compsci students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend CSUMB.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Computer Science at California State University - Monterey Bay
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Pomona, California, this large public school handed out 238 degrees to qualified bachelors’s compsci students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal Poly Pomona, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is $9,630 for california bachelor’s degree compsci students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 1.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Computer Science at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona
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Notes and References
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
Footnotes
- *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
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- Credit for the banner image above goes to Negative Space.
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