2023 Best Value Colleges for Software Engineering in California (With Aid)
9
Ranked Colleges
868
Degrees Awarded
$17,800
Avg Net Price*
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Computer Software Engineering Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
In 2020-2021, 4,251 people earned their degree in software engineering, making the major the 167th most popular in the United States.
Across California, there were 868 software engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Computer Software Engineering Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 9 colleges that offered a degree in software engineering. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent software engineering programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the software engineering program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
More Ways to Rank Software Engineering Schools
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Computer Software Engineering Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
Best Value Computer Software Engineering Schools in California For Those Getting Aid
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Computer Software Engineering Schools in California For Those Getting Aid.
Top 9 Best Value Colleges for Software Engineering in California (With Aid)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Irvine. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Computer Software Engineering Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. UC Irvine is a large school located in Irvine, California that handed out 109 ’s computer software engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california computer software engineering students with aid list, UC Irvine has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Software Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UC Irvine is $12,209 for California Computer Software Engineering students with aid.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, 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.
Read more about Software Engineering at University of California - Irvine
Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Computer Software Engineering Schools in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, San Jose State University landed the #2 spot on the list. This large school is located in San Jose, California, and it awarded 541 ’s computer software engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california computer software engineering students with aid list, San Jose State has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Software Engineering Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $16,542 for california computer software engineering students with aid per year to attend San Jose State University.
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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full San Jose State Software Engineering Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fullerton. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Computer Software Engineering Schools in California For Those Getting Aid. Fullerton, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s computer software engineering degrees to 59 students in 2020-2021.
Cal State Fullerton also made our “Best Software Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #5. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fullerton is $8,003 for california computer software engineering students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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 more about Software Engineering at Cal State Fullerton
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Northridge. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Computer Software Engineering Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Northridge, California, this large public school handed out 7 diplomas to qualified ’s computer software engineering students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california computer software engineering students with aid list, CSUN has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Software Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend CSUN is $8,523 for california computer software engineering students with aid.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Software Engineering at California State University - Northridge
Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Computer Software Engineering Schools in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo landed the #5 spot on the list. California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is a large public school situated in San Luis Obispo, California. It awarded 61 ’s computer software engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also took the #3 spot in our “Best Software Engineering Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $20,677 for california computer software engineering students with aid per year to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Software Engineering at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
California State University - Sacramento landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Computer Software Engineering Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Sacramento, California, this large public school handed out 2 degrees to qualified ’s computer software engineering students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california computer software engineering students with aid list, Sac State has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Software Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $11,178 for California Computer Software Engineering students with aid.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.9% 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%.
Full Sac State Software Engineering Report
University of California - Merced did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Computer Software Engineering Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Merced, California, this medium-sized public school awarded 13 degrees to qualified ’s computer software engineering students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california computer software engineering students with aid list, UC Merced has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Software Engineering Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $13,691 for california computer software engineering students with aid per year to attend University of California - Merced.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Software Engineering at UC Merced
California Baptist University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Computer Software Engineering Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Cal Baptist is a private not-for-profit institution located in Riverside, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 15 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Cal Baptist also took the #6 spot in our “Best Software Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cal Baptist is $26,719 for California Computer Software Engineering students with aid.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Software Engineering at Cal Baptist
With a ranking of #9, Santa Clara University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Computer Software Engineering Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. Santa Clara, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s computer software engineering degrees to 2 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california computer software engineering students with aid list, SCU has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Software Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Santa Clara University is $42,614 for California Computer Software Engineering students with aid.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Software Engineering at Santa Clara University
Focus on a Specific Degree Level
Switch to a More General Major
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
- *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.
