Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Computer Engineering

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Computer Engineering in California (With Aid)

24 Ranked Colleges
2,009 Degrees Awarded
$15,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value CE Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Getting Aid

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value CE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking - to help you make that decision.

Computer Engineering is the 60th most popular major in the country with 16,932 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, computer engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $68,762 and had an average of $25,829 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 3,399 computer engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $73,265 and $23,234 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,009 computer engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value CE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 24 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in computer engineering. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent computer engineering programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the computer engineering program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Computer Engineering Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value CE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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.

Best Value CE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree ce students with aid.

Top 24 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Computer Engineering in California (With Aid)

#1

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value CE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s CE degrees to 72 students in 2019-2020.

UCLA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Computer Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Los Angeles is $14,279 for California Bachelor’s Degree CE students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Computer Engineering at University of California - Los Angeles

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fresno. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value CE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Fresno State is a large public school situated in Fresno, California. It awarded 24 bachelors’s CE degrees in 2019-2020.

Fresno State also took the #19 spot in our “Best Computer Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $5,464 for California Bachelor’s Degree CE students with aid per year to attend California State University - Fresno.

The low student loan default rate of 4.7% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Read full report on Computer Engineering at Fresno State

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Irvine. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value CE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid. Irvine, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s CE degrees to 288 students in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine also took the #7 spot in our “Best Computer Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,783 for california bachelor’s degree ce students with aid per year to attend UC Irvine.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of California - Irvine Computer Engineering Report

Out of the 24 schools in the Best Value CE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - San Diego landed the #4 spot on the list. UCSD is a public institution located in La Jolla, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 124 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree ce students with aid list, UCSD has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Computer Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,232 for California Bachelor’s Degree CE students with aid per year to attend UCSD.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.5% 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 Engineering at UCSD

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Northridge. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value CE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Northridge is a public institution located in Northridge, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 41 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUN did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Computer Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $8,414 for California Bachelor’s Degree CE students with aid per year to attend CSUN.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full CSUN Computer Engineering Report

California State University - Fullerton landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value CE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Fullerton, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s CE degrees to 45 students in 2019-2020.

Cal State Fullerton also took the #21 spot in our “Best Computer Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fullerton is $7,991 for California Bachelor’s Degree CE students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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 more about Computer Engineering at Cal State Fullerton

California State University - Long Beach landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value CE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. CSULB is a large school located in Long Beach, California that handed out 64 bachelors’s CE degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSULB, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Computer Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CSULB is $9,622 for California Bachelor’s Degree CE students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Read full report on Computer Engineering at California State University - Long Beach

University of California - Riverside came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value CE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. UCR is a large public school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 49 bachelors’s CE degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree ce students with aid list, UCR has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Computer Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCR is $12,871 for California Bachelor’s Degree CE students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 2.1% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Computer Engineering at UCR

#9

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value CE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 81 bachelors’s CE degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SDSU, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Computer Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SDSU is $14,788 for California Bachelor’s Degree CE students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 2.8% 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%.

Full San Diego State University Computer Engineering Report

University of California - Davis did quite well in the 2022 Best Value CE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #10. This large school is located in Davis, California, and it awarded 100 bachelors’s CE degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Davis not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Computer Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Davis is $14,669 for California Bachelor’s Degree CE students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Computer Engineering at University of California - Davis

California State University - Sacramento came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value CE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State University - Sacramento is a large school located in Sacramento, California that handed out 42 bachelors’s CE degrees in 2019-2020.

Sac State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Computer Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Sacramento is $9,979 for california bachelor’s degree ce students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 4.6% 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%.

Full Sac State Computer Engineering Report

#12

San Jose State University

San Jose, California

San Jose State University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value CE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in San Jose, California, this large public school awarded 276 degrees to qualified bachelors’s CE students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at San Jose State, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Computer Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State is $14,928 for California Bachelor’s Degree CE students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full San Jose State Computer Engineering Report

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value CE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in San Luis Obispo, California, and it awarded 158 bachelors’s CE degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Computer Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is $21,595 for california bachelor’s degree ce students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 1.1% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Computer Engineering Report

#14

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

University of California - Santa Barbara ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value CE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Santa Barbara, California, and it awarded 55 bachelors’s CE degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree ce students with aid list, UCSB has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Computer Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCSB is $15,884 for California Bachelor’s Degree CE students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full University of California - Santa Barbara Computer Engineering Report

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well in the 2022 Best Value CE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #15. Pomona, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s CE degrees to 105 students in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly Pomona not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Computer Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $12,734 for California Bachelor’s Degree CE students with aid per year to attend Cal Poly Pomona.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Cal Poly Pomona Computer Engineering Report

California State University - Bakersfield landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value CE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Bakersfield, California, this fairly large public school handed out 14 degrees to qualified bachelors’s CE students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree ce students with aid list, CSUB has also earned the #24 rank in our “Best Computer Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Bakersfield is $5,318 for California Bachelor’s Degree CE students with aid.

Full CSUB Computer Engineering Report

University of California - Merced ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value CE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. UC Merced is a public institution located in Merced, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 134 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Merced not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Computer Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Merced is $13,896 for california bachelor’s degree ce students with aid.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Full UC Merced Computer Engineering Report

#18

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California

University of California - Santa Cruz ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value CE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Santa Cruz, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s CE degrees to 85 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Santa Cruz, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Computer Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $18,186 for california bachelor’s degree ce students with aid per year to attend UC Santa Cruz.

The low student loan default rate of 2.9% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full UC Santa Cruz Computer Engineering Report

#17 in overall quality

California State University - Chico ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value CE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Chico is located in Chico, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 7 bachelors’s CE degrees to qualified students.

Chico State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Computer Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Chico is $15,017 for california bachelor’s degree ce students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Chico State Computer Engineering Report

#20

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value CE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #20. Located in San Francisco, California, this large public school handed out 36 degrees to qualified bachelors’s CE students in 2019-2020.

SFSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Computer Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for SFSU is $15,113 for california bachelor’s degree ce students with aid.

Read full report on Computer Engineering at San Francisco State University

#21

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California did quite well in the 2022 Best Value CE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #21. University of Southern California is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 42 bachelors’s CE degrees in 2019-2020.

USC also took the #2 spot in our “Best Computer Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Southern California is $29,528 for California Bachelor’s Degree CE students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 1.2% 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%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Computer Engineering at USC

#22

California Baptist University

Riverside, California

With a ranking of #22, California Baptist University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value CE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Cal Baptist is a fairly large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 5 bachelors’s CE degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal Baptist also took the #23 spot in our “Best Computer Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $24,707 for california bachelor’s degree ce students with aid per year to attend California Baptist University.

The low student loan default rate of 4.6% 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%.

Read more about Computer Engineering at Cal Baptist

#23

University of the Pacific

Stockton, California

With a ranking of #23, University of the Pacific did quite well on the 2022 Best Value CE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Stockton, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s CE degrees to 5 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Pacific, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Computer Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of the Pacific is $28,929 for california bachelor’s degree ce students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Computer Engineering at Pacific

#24

Santa Clara University

Santa Clara, California

Santa Clara University landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value CE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Santa Clara, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s CE degrees to 77 students in 2019-2020.

SCU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Computer Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Santa Clara University is $38,327 for California Bachelor’s Degree CE students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Read full report on Computer Engineering at Santa Clara University

Switch to a Similar Major

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

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.

Featured Engineering Schools

Find Schools Near You