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

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Engineering Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Engineering Science is the 208th most popular major in the country with 1,668 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, engineering science graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $60,800 and had an average of $20,111 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 119 engineering science graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,100 and $18,476 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 68 engineering science graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Engineering Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 3 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in engineering science. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent engineering science 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 engineering science 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 Engineering Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Engineering Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k

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

Top 3 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Engineering Science (Income $0-$30k) in California

#1

University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley, California

#1 in overall quality

$8,392 Average Net Price

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Engineering Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. UC Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 17 bachelors’s engineering science degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Engineering Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $8,392 for california bachelor’s degree engineering science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Berkeley.

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%. 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 Engineering Science at UC Berkeley

#2

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, California

#2 in overall quality

$12,475 Average Net Price

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Engineering Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public institution located in San Luis Obispo, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 18 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree engineering science students whose families make $0-$30k list, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Engineering Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is $12,475 for California Bachelor’s Degree Engineering Science students whose families make $0-$30k.

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

Full California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo Engineering Science Report

#3

California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, California

#3 in overall quality

$3,423 Average Net Price

$56,234 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Bakersfield. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Engineering Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. This fairly large school is located in Bakersfield, California, and it awarded 33 bachelors’s engineering science degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUB also took the #3 spot in our “Best Engineering Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend CSUB is $3,423 for california bachelor’s degree engineering science students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full California State University - Bakersfield Engineering Science Report

• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Engineering Science (Income $0-$30k) in the Far Western US Region
• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Engineering Science (Income $0-$30k)

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 Nicolás Pérez.

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