Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Chemical Engineering

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Chemical Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in California

14 Ranked Colleges
903 Degrees Awarded
$9,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making $0-$30k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Chemical Engineering is the 66th most popular major in the country with 13,610 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, chemical engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $62,963 and had an average of $22,564 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 1,196 chemical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $54,945 and $17,612 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 903 chemical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 14 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in chemical engineering. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality chemical engineering programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the chemical 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.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The chem eng school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k”.

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. 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 Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 14 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Chemical Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in California

#1

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, California
#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California Institute of Technology. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. Pasadena, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s chem eng degrees to 9 students in 2019-2020.

Caltech also took the #2 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California Institute of Technology is $5,456 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chem Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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 more about Chemical Engineering at California Institute of Technology

#2

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #2 spot on the list. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Stanford, California. It awarded 11 bachelors’s chem eng degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Stanford, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $-1,387 for california bachelor’s degree chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Stanford University. When an average net price is negative, it usually means that the student will receive more financial aid than it costs to attend the school.

The 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 freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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.

Read more about Chemical Engineering at Stanford University

Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 112 bachelors’s chem eng degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $8,392 for california bachelor’s degree chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Berkeley.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Read more about Chemical Engineering at University of California - Berkeley

#4

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. UCLA is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 74 bachelors’s chem eng degrees in 2019-2020.

UCLA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $8,553 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chem Eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Los Angeles.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low 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 more about Chemical Engineering at UCLA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Irvine. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - Irvine is located in Irvine, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 68 bachelors’s chem eng degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k list, UC Irvine has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UC Irvine is $9,558 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chem Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%.

Full University of California - Irvine Chemical Engineering Report

University of California - Riverside did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. University of California - Riverside is a large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 69 bachelors’s chem eng degrees in 2019-2020.

UCR also made our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #11. The estimated yearly cost for UCR is $8,366 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chem Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Chemical Engineering at UCR

California State University - Long Beach did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. CSULB is a large public school situated in Long Beach, California. It awarded 91 bachelors’s chem eng degrees in 2019-2020.

CSULB also took the #13 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CSULB is $6,364 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chem Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Chemical Engineering at CSULB

University of California - Davis did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. This large school is located in Davis, California, and it awarded 130 bachelors’s chem eng degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Davis, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $9,842 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chem Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The low student loan default rate of 1.9% 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%.

Read more about Chemical Engineering at University of California - Davis

#9

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

With a ranking of #9, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - Santa Barbara is located in Santa Barbara, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 54 bachelors’s chem eng degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSB, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Santa Barbara is $10,316 for california bachelor’s degree chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Full UCSB Chemical Engineering Report

University of California - San Diego came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s chem eng degrees to 105 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k list, UCSD has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $9,280 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chem Eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UCSD.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Full University of California - San Diego Chemical Engineering Report

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Pomona, California, this large public school awarded 79 degrees to qualified bachelors’s chem eng students in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly Pomona did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Cal Poly Pomona is $8,596 for california bachelor’s degree chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Full Cal Poly Pomona Chemical Engineering Report

#12

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 41 bachelors’s chem eng degrees in 2019-2020.

USC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for USC is $14,668 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chem Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

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. 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Chemical Engineering at University of Southern California

#13

San Jose State University

San Jose, California

San Jose State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #13. San Jose State is a large school located in San Jose, California that handed out 50 bachelors’s chem eng degrees in 2019-2020.

San Jose State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend San Jose State is $10,940 for california bachelor’s degree chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full San Jose State Chemical Engineering Report

#14

California Baptist University

Riverside, California
#14 in overall quality

With a ranking of #14, California Baptist University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. California Baptist University is a fairly large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 10 bachelors’s chem eng degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal Baptist also took the #14 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $20,277 for california bachelor’s degree chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Cal Baptist.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Cal Baptist Chemical Engineering Report

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.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Mikulova.

Featured Engineering Schools

Find Schools Near You