2023 Best Value Colleges for Chemical Engineering in California (With Aid)
13
Ranked Colleges
1,120
Degrees Awarded
$16,600
Avg Net Price*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking - to help you make that decision.
Chemical Engineering is the 64th most popular major in the country with 12,690 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.
Across California, there were 1,120 chemical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 13 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in chemical engineering. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great chemical engineering programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the chemical engineering program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
More Ways to Rank Chemical Engineering Schools
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Getting Aid
The colleges and universities below are the best for california chem eng students with aid.
Top 13 Best Value Colleges for Chemical Engineering in California (With Aid)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Getting Aid. Located in Stanford, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 65 diplomas to qualified ’s chem eng students in 2020-2021.
Stanford also made our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #1. The yearly cost to attend Stanford is $12,894 for california chem eng students with aid.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 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 86%.
Read more about Chemical Engineering at Stanford University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Getting Aid. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s chem eng degrees to 175 students in 2020-2021.
UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” list. It costs about $16,032 for california chem eng students with aid per year to attend University of California - Berkeley.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Chemical Engineering at UC Berkeley
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. UCLA is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 119 ’s chem eng degrees to qualified students.
UCLA also made our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #4. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Los Angeles is $15,023 for California Chem Eng students with aid.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national 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 Chemical Engineering at UCLA
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Davis. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Getting Aid. Davis, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s chem eng degrees to 104 students in 2020-2021.
UC Davis not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” list. It costs about $15,768 for california chem eng students with aid per year to attend UC Davis.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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.
Full UC Davis Chemical Engineering Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - San Diego. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. University of California - San Diego is located in La Jolla, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 130 ’s chem eng degrees to qualified students.
UCSD also took the #6 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $15,240 for California Chem Eng students with aid per year to attend UCSD.
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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 Chemical Engineering at UCSD
With a ranking of #6, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Irvine, California, this large public school handed out 77 diplomas to qualified ’s chem eng students in 2020-2021.
UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Irvine is $12,209 for california chem eng students with aid.
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 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%.
Full University of California - Irvine Chemical Engineering Report
With a ranking of #7, California State University - Long Beach did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. CSULB is a large school located in Long Beach, California that handed out 74 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california chem eng students with aid list, CSULB has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend CSULB is $10,054 for California Chem Eng students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Chemical Engineering at California State University - Long Beach
University of California - Santa Barbara came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of California - Santa Barbara is a large school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 59 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.
UCSB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UCSB is $16,252 for california chem eng students with aid.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, 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%.
Full University of California - Santa Barbara Chemical Engineering Report
University of California - Riverside did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #9. This large school is located in Riverside, California, and it awarded 88 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCR, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $11,822 for California Chem Eng students with aid per year to attend University of California - Riverside.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Chemical Engineering at UCR
San Jose State University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. San Jose State is located in San Jose, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 49 ’s chem eng degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our california chem eng students with aid list, San Jose State has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State is $16,542 for California Chem Eng students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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 University Chemical Engineering Report
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Cal Poly Pomona is a public institution located in Pomona, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 73 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Cal Poly Pomona not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” list. It costs about $14,304 for California Chem Eng students with aid per year to attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Chemical Engineering at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona
University of Southern California ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. University of Southern California is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 68 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.
USC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” list. It costs about $32,569 for California Chem Eng students with aid per year to attend University of Southern California.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Chemical Engineering at University of Southern California
California Baptist University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. California Baptist University is a fairly large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 16 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal Baptist, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California Baptist University is $26,719 for california chem eng students with aid.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Chemical Engineering at California Baptist University
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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
- *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.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Mikulova.
