2023 Best Value Colleges for General Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in California
13
Ranked Colleges
1,386
Degrees Awarded
$13,100
Avg Net Price*
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 11,796 people earned their degree in general engineering, making the major the 79th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, general engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $68,873 and had an average of $20,557 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 1,386 general engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $85,262 and $12,259 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 13 colleges that offer a degree in general engineering. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent general engineering programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the general engineering program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
More Ways to Rank General Engineering Schools
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 Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for california engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
Top 13 Best Value Colleges for General Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in California
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Davis. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. Davis, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 123 students in 2020-2021.
UC Davis also took the #2 spot in our “Best General Engineering Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $10,006 for california engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Davis.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% 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 undergraduate students.
Read full report on General Engineering at University of California - Davis
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 Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. UC Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best General Engineering Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Berkeley is $8,450 for california engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of California - Berkeley General Engineering Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. UCLA is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 58 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.
UCLA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best General Engineering Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UCLA is $9,037 for california engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 more about General Engineering at University of California - Los Angeles
Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fresno landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Fresno, California, this large public school handed out 17 degrees to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.
Fresno State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best General Engineering Schools in California” list. It costs about $3,859 for California Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Fresno.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, 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 87%.
Read full report on General Engineering at Fresno State
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Harvey Mudd College. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. Claremont, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 58 students in 2020-2021.
Harvey Mudd College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best General Engineering Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Harvey Mudd College is $15,492 for California Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 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 General Engineering at Harvey Mudd College
San Jose State University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in San Jose, California, this large public school awarded 54 degrees to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.
San Jose State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best General Engineering Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State University is $12,158 for california engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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%.
Full San Jose State University General Engineering Report
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in San Luis Obispo, California, and it awarded 8 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california engineering students whose families make $0-$30k list, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best General Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is $12,173 for California Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo General Engineering Report
University of California - Riverside came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UCR is located in Riverside, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 52 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.
UCR also took the #10 spot in our “Best General Engineering Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $6,810 for california engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UCR.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. 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 General Engineering at UCR
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #9. Cal Poly Pomona is a large school located in Pomona, California that handed out 9 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Cal Poly Pomona also took the #12 spot in our “Best General Engineering Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $10,349 for california engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. 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%.
Read more about General Engineering at Cal Poly Pomona
With a ranking of #10, San Francisco State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. SFSU is located in San Francisco, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 29 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.
SFSU also took the #13 spot in our “Best General Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SFSU is $10,705 for California Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Engineering at SFSU
Santa Clara University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Santa Clara, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 5 students in 2020-2021.
SCU also made our “Best General Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $26,428 for California Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Santa Clara University.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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 General Engineering at Santa Clara University
With a ranking of #12, University of San Diego did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of San Diego is a medium-sized school located in San Diego, California that handed out 7 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california engineering students whose families make $0-$30k list, USD has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best General Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for USD is $21,951 for california engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad 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 USD General Engineering Report
University of the Pacific came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of the Pacific is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Stockton, California. It awarded 34 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Pacific did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best General Engineering Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of the Pacific is $22,792 for california engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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.
Read full report on General Engineering at University of the Pacific
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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 Rémi Kaupp.
