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2023 Best Value Colleges for Chemical Engineering in the Far Western US Region

17 Ranked Colleges
1,526 Degrees Awarded
$16,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Far Western US Region

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 in the Far Western US Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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 the Far Western US region, there were 1,526 chemical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $58,199 and $20,188 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking looked at 17 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in chemical engineering. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent chemical engineering programs, but they also 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.

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When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Far Western US Region” list to help you make the college decision.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Far Western US Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Far Western US Region.

Top 17 Best Value Colleges for Chemical Engineering in the Far Western US Region

1

Out of the 17 schools in the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Long Beach landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school handed out 74 degrees to qualified ’s chem eng students in 2020-2021.

CSULB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Long Beach is $10,054 for far western us region chem eng students.

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

2
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend San Jose State University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Far Western US Region. San Jose State is a large public school situated in San Jose, California. It awarded 49 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.

San Jose State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend San Jose State is $16,542 for far western us region chem eng students.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Full San Jose State Chemical Engineering Report

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Far Western US Region list. This large school is located in Pomona, California, and it awarded 73 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal Poly Pomona, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $14,304 for far western us region chem eng students per year to attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Chemical Engineering at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona

4
Wazzu crest
Washington State University
Pullman, Washington

Out of the 17 schools in the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Washington State University landed the #4 spot on the list. Wazzu is a large public school situated in Pullman, Washington. It awarded 65 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.

Wazzu also took the #11 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $15,300 for Far Western US Region Chem Eng students per year to attend Washington State University.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Chemical Engineering at Washington State University

5

Out of the 17 schools in the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Nevada - Reno landed the #5 spot on the list. UNR is located in Reno, Nevada and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 40 ’s chem eng degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our far western us region chem eng students list, UNR has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UNR is $14,930 for far western us region chem eng students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Chemical Engineering at University of Nevada - Reno

6
Oregon State crest
Oregon State University
Corvallis, Oregon

Oregon State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #6. Oregon State is a large school located in Corvallis, Oregon that handed out 140 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.

Oregon State also made our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #10. It costs about $21,508 for Far Western US Region Chem Eng students per year to attend Oregon State University.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.8% 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 Oregon State University Chemical Engineering Report

7

University of Washington - Seattle Campus ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Located in Seattle, Washington, this large public school awarded 118 diplomas to qualified ’s chem eng students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW Seattle, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $12,017 for far western us region chem eng students per year to attend UW Seattle.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Chemical Engineering at UW Seattle

8

University of California - Los Angeles came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. 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.

In addition to being on our far western us region chem eng students list, UCLA has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCLA is $15,023 for Far Western US Region Chem Eng students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The undergrad 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 more about Chemical Engineering at University of California - Los Angeles

9

University of California - San Diego landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. This large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 130 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.

UCSD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $15,240 for far western us region chem eng students per year to attend UCSD.

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

Full UCSD Chemical Engineering Report

10

University of California - Irvine ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Far Western US Region list. University of California - Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 77 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Irvine also made our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #8. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Irvine is $12,209 for Far Western US Region Chem Eng students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Chemical Engineering at University of California - Irvine

11

With a ranking of #11, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Santa Barbara, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s chem eng degrees to 59 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSB, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $16,252 for Far Western US Region Chem Eng students per year to attend UCSB.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. 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%.

Read more about Chemical Engineering at University of California - Santa Barbara

12

University of California - Davis did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #12. This large school is located in Davis, California, and it awarded 120 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Davis also took the #6 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Davis is $15,768 for Far Western US Region Chem Eng students.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Chemical Engineering at University of California - Davis

13
Cal Baptist crest
California Baptist University
Riverside, California

California Baptist University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. California Baptist University is a fairly large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 16 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.

Cal Baptist did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $26,719 for far western us region chem eng students per year to attend California Baptist University.

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

14

University of California - Berkeley came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. 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.

In addition to being on our far western us region chem eng students list, UC Berkeley has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $16,032 for Far Western US Region Chem Eng students per year to attend UC Berkeley.

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%. 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 UC Berkeley

15

With a ranking of #15, University of California - Riverside did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Far Western US Region list. University of California - Riverside is a large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 88 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our far western us region chem eng students list, UCR has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCR is $11,822 for far western us region chem eng students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full UCR Chemical Engineering Report

16
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

Stanford University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Stanford, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s chem eng degrees to 65 students in 2020-2021.

Stanford did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford is $12,894 for far western us region chem eng students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, 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 86%. The impressive undergraduate 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 full report on Chemical Engineering at Stanford

17
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

With a ranking of #17, University of Southern California did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in the Far Western US Region list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 68 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.

USC also took the #3 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Southern California is $32,569 for far western us region chem eng students.

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

Full University of Southern California Chemical Engineering Report

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