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2022 Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid

14 Ranked Colleges
903 Degrees Awarded
$16,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Getting Aid

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 13,610 people earned their degree in chemical engineering, making the major the 66th most popular in the United States. 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 Getting Aid” ranking looked at 14 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.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. 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 Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid.

Top 14 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Chemical Engineering in California (With Aid)

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

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 for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid. Located in Stanford, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 11 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s chem eng students in 2019-2020.

Stanford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Stanford University is $11,496 for california bachelor’s degree chem eng students with aid.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 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. 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%.

Read more about Chemical Engineering at Stanford University

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Long Beach. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Long Beach is located in Long Beach, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 91 bachelors’s chem eng degrees to qualified students.

CSULB also made our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #13. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Long Beach is $9,622 for california bachelor’s degree chem eng students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

#3

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #3 spot on the list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s chem eng degrees to 74 students in 2019-2020.

UCLA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UCLA is $14,279 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chem Eng students with aid.

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

Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Irvine landed the #4 spot on the list. UC Irvine is a public institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 68 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Irvine is $14,783 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chem Eng students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.3% 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 UC Irvine

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school handed out 112 degrees to qualified bachelors’s chem eng students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Berkeley is $15,329 for california bachelor’s degree chem eng 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 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Chemical Engineering at University of California - Berkeley

University of California - Riverside did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #6. Riverside, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s chem eng degrees to 69 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCR, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Riverside is $12,871 for california bachelor’s degree chem eng students with aid.

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

Full University of California - Riverside Chemical Engineering Report

University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #7. Located in La Jolla, California, this large public school handed out 105 degrees to qualified bachelors’s chem eng students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree chem eng students with aid list, UCSD has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,232 for california bachelor’s degree chem eng 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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Chemical Engineering at UCSD

University of California - Davis did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #8. UC Davis is a public institution located in Davis, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 130 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Davis not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Davis is $14,669 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chem Eng students with aid.

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%. 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 Chemical Engineering at UC Davis

With a ranking of #9, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is a public institution located in Pomona, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 79 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree chem eng students with aid list, Cal Poly Pomona has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $12,734 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chem Eng 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 California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Chemical Engineering Report

#10

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

With a ranking of #10, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. UCSB is a large public school situated in Santa Barbara, California. It awarded 54 bachelors’s chem eng degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSB also made our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Santa Barbara is $15,884 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chem Eng students with aid.

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 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Chemical Engineering at University of California - Santa Barbara

#11

San Jose State University

San Jose, California

San Jose State University landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. San Jose, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s chem eng degrees to 50 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree chem eng students with aid list, San Jose State has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,928 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chem Eng 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 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 Chemical Engineering at San Jose State

#12

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, California
#2 in overall quality

With a ranking of #12, California Institute of Technology did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. 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.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Caltech, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $24,274 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chem Eng students with aid per year to attend California Institute of Technology.

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%. 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.

Full California Institute of Technology Chemical Engineering Report

#13

California Baptist University

Riverside, California
#14 in overall quality

California Baptist University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Cal Baptist is a private not-for-profit institution located in Riverside, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal Baptist also took the #14 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cal Baptist is $24,707 for california bachelor’s degree chem eng 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%.

Read full report on Chemical Engineering at California Baptist University

#14

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. USC is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 41 bachelors’s chem eng degrees in 2019-2020.

USC also took the #3 spot in our “Best Chemical 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 Chem Eng students with aid.

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 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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Chemical Engineering at University of Southern California

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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.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Mikulova.

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