2023 Best Value Colleges for Chemical Engineering in California (With Aid)
13
Ranked Colleges
1,136
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. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2020-2021, 12,917 people earned their degree in chemical engineering, making the major the 70th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, chemical engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $65,870 and had an average of $23,285 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 1,136 chemical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $58,086 and $17,925 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. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality chemical engineering programs that also have a lower cost than 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
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 in California For Those Getting Aid”.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique 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 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)
Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #1 spot on the list. Stanford University is a fairly large school located in Stanford, California that handed out 65 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california chem eng students with aid list, Stanford has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $12,894 for california chem eng students with aid per year to attend Stanford.
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 freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Full Stanford Chemical Engineering Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 175 ’s chem eng degrees 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. The yearly cost to attend UC Berkeley is $16,032 for California Chem Eng students with aid.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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 UC Berkeley Chemical Engineering Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Getting Aid. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 119 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california chem eng students with aid list, UCLA has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Los Angeles is $15,023 for California Chem Eng students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. 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%.
Read full report on Chemical Engineering at University of California - Los Angeles
Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Davis landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Davis, California, this large public school awarded 120 diplomas to qualified ’s chem eng students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california chem eng students with aid list, UC Davis has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $15,768 for california chem eng students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The undergrad 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 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 a public institution located in La Jolla, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 130 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UCSD also took the #6 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - San Diego is $15,240 for California Chem Eng students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of California - San Diego Chemical Engineering Report
University of California - Irvine landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Irvine, California, this large public school awarded 77 degrees to qualified ’s chem eng students in 2020-2021.
UC Irvine also made our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #7. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Irvine is $12,209 for California Chem Eng 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.
Full University of California - Irvine Chemical Engineering Report
California State University - Long Beach did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #7. California State University - Long Beach is a large public school situated in Long Beach, California. It awarded 74 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.
CSULB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” list. 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%.
Full California State University - Long Beach Chemical Engineering Report
University of California - Santa Barbara ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. University of California - Santa Barbara is a public institution located in Santa Barbara, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 59 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSB, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Chemical Engineering at UCSB
University of California - Riverside ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. Riverside, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s chem eng degrees to 88 students in 2020-2021.
UCR also took the #10 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCR is $11,822 for california chem eng students with aid.
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 full report on 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. This large school is located in San Jose, California, and it awarded 49 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.
San Jose State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend San Jose State is $16,542 for California Chem Eng students with aid.
The low undergrad 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 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Chemical Engineering at San Jose State University
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 did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is $14,304 for california chem eng students with aid.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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%. 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
With a ranking of #12, University of Southern California did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. University of Southern California is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 68 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
USC also took the #3 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Southern California is $32,569 for california chem eng students with aid.
The low undergrad 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%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of Southern California Chemical Engineering Report
With a ranking of #13, California Baptist University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools 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 16 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Cal Baptist also made our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #13. It costs about $26,719 for california chem eng students with aid per year to attend Cal Baptist.
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 Chemical Engineering at Cal Baptist
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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.
