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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Civil Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in California

23 Ranked Colleges
2,147 Degrees Awarded
$11,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making $30-$48k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking.

Civil Engineering is the 45th most popular major in the country with 21,561 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, civil engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $60,122 and had an average of $23,807 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 3,291 civil engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $65,300 and $21,468 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,147 civil engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 23 colleges that offered a degree in civil engineering. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent civil engineering programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the civil engineering program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” 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. 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 Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree civil eng students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 23 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Civil Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in California

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Stanford University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Stanford also took the #1 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Stanford University is $1,145 for california bachelor’s degree civil eng students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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%.

Read more about Civil Engineering at Stanford

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 Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k. University of California - Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 81 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Berkeley is $9,130 for California Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Civil Engineering at University of California - Berkeley

#3

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

Out of the 23 schools in the Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k 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 civil eng degrees to 87 students in 2019-2020.

UCLA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UCLA is $9,254 for California Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 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 - Los Angeles Civil Engineering Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Los Angeles. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school awarded 59 degrees to qualified bachelors’s civil eng students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree civil eng students whose families make $30-$48k list, Cal State LA has also earned the #22 rank in our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cal State LA is $2,117 for california bachelor’s degree civil eng students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Civil Engineering at California State University - Los Angeles

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fresno. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k. Fresno State is located in Fresno, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 81 bachelors’s civil eng degrees to qualified students.

Fresno State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fresno is $3,731 for California Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 4.7% 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 Civil Engineering at Fresno State

University of California - Irvine did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #6. UC Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 93 bachelors’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine also made our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #8. The estimated yearly cost for UC Irvine is $10,373 for California Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Civil Engineering at UC Irvine

California State University - Fullerton ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Fullerton, California, and it awarded 113 bachelors’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State Fullerton also made our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #20. The yearly cost to attend Cal State Fullerton is $6,100 for california bachelor’s degree civil eng students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Civil Engineering at California State University - Fullerton

#8

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. San Diego State University is located in San Diego, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 191 bachelors’s civil eng degrees to qualified students.

SDSU also took the #13 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend San Diego State University is $10,594 for California Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Civil Engineering at San Diego State University

With a ranking of #9, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is a public institution located in San Luis Obispo, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 159 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also took the #3 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,680 for California Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

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 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Civil Engineering at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

California State University - Long Beach did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #10. California State University - Long Beach is a public institution located in Long Beach, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 127 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree civil eng students whose families make $30-$48k list, CSULB has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $7,595 for California Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California State University - Long Beach.

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 Civil Engineering at CSULB

University of California - Davis did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #11. Located in Davis, California, this large public school handed out 146 degrees to qualified bachelors’s civil eng students in 2019-2020.

UC Davis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $10,769 for california bachelor’s degree civil eng students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of California - Davis.

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%.

Full UC Davis Civil Engineering Report

With a ranking of #12, California State University - Northridge did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. California State University - Northridge is a large public school situated in Northridge, California. It awarded 141 bachelors’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUN also made our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #21. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Northridge is $6,883 for california bachelor’s degree civil eng students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Civil Engineering at California State University - Northridge

University of California - San Diego landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s civil eng degrees to 102 students in 2019-2020.

UCSD also made our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #10. The estimated yearly cost for UCSD is $9,974 for california bachelor’s degree civil eng students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

Read more about Civil Engineering at University of California - San Diego

California State University - Sacramento landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Sacramento, California, this large public school awarded 174 degrees to qualified bachelors’s civil eng students in 2019-2020.

Sac State also took the #16 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Sacramento is $7,823 for california bachelor’s degree civil eng students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 California State University - Sacramento Civil Engineering Report

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is a large school located in Pomona, California that handed out 235 bachelors’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree civil eng students whose families make $30-$48k list, Cal Poly Pomona has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cal Poly Pomona is $9,630 for california bachelor’s degree civil eng students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Cal Poly Pomona Civil Engineering Report

#16

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. USC is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 25 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

USC also made our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for USC is $16,252 for California Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

Read full report on Civil Engineering at University of Southern California

#17

San Jose State University

San Jose, California

San Jose State University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in San Jose, California, this large public school handed out 138 degrees to qualified bachelors’s civil eng students in 2019-2020.

San Jose State also made our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #11. The yearly cost to attend San Jose State is $11,752 for California Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full San Jose State Civil Engineering Report

#18

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #18. Located in San Francisco, California, this large public school awarded 59 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s civil eng students in 2019-2020.

SFSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend San Francisco State University is $12,517 for California Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full SFSU Civil Engineering Report

California State University - Chico ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Chico, California, this fairly large public school awarded 57 degrees to qualified bachelors’s civil eng students in 2019-2020.

Chico State also took the #15 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Chico State is $11,576 for california bachelor’s degree civil eng students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Civil Engineering at California State University - Chico

#20

Santa Clara University

Santa Clara, California

Santa Clara University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #20. Located in Santa Clara, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 17 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s civil eng students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SCU, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $18,949 for California Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Santa Clara University.

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

Read full report on Civil Engineering at Santa Clara University

#21

University of the Pacific

Stockton, California

With a ranking of #21, University of the Pacific did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Stockton, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s civil eng degrees to 14 students in 2019-2020.

Pacific also took the #14 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $23,385 for California Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of the Pacific.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The low 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 full report on Civil Engineering at University of the Pacific

#22

California Baptist University

Riverside, California

With a ranking of #22, California Baptist University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Cal Baptist is located in Riverside, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 15 bachelors’s civil eng degrees to qualified students.

Cal Baptist also took the #23 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $21,716 for california bachelor’s degree civil eng students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California Baptist University.

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%.

Full Cal Baptist Civil Engineering Report

#23

Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, California

Loyola Marymount University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Loyola Marymount University is a medium-sized school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 27 bachelors’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree civil eng students whose families make $30-$48k list, Loyola Marymount has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $35,166 for California Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Loyola Marymount.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 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 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Civil Engineering at Loyola Marymount

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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.

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