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

29 Ranked Colleges
4,047 Degrees Awarded
$9,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making $30-$48k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

Mechanical Engineering is the 20th most popular major in the country with 47,598 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, mechanical engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $64,495 and had an average of $23,104 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 5,259 mechanical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $66,612 and $20,850 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 4,047 mechanical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 29 colleges that offer a degree in mechanical engineering. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great mechanical engineering programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the mechanical 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.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The me 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 ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Mechanical Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in California

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California

Out of the 29 schools in the Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #1 spot on the list. Stanford is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 54 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Stanford also took the #1 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $1,145 for California Bachelor’s Degree ME students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Stanford University.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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 full report on Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 177 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $9,130 for california bachelor’s degree me students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UC Berkeley.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. 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%.

Full UC Berkeley Mechanical Engineering Report

#3

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

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 ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s ME degrees to 137 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Los Angeles is $9,254 for California Bachelor’s Degree ME students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full UCLA Mechanical 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 ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. California State University - Los Angeles is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 144 bachelors’s ME degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $2,117 for California Bachelor’s Degree ME students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California State University - Los Angeles.

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 more about Mechanical Engineering at California State University - Los Angeles

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fresno. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Fresno, California, and it awarded 86 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

Fresno State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #24 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Fresno State is $3,731 for california bachelor’s degree me students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national 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 Mechanical Engineering at California State University - Fresno

#5

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, California

Out of the 29 schools in the Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, California Institute of Technology landed the #5 spot on the list. California Institute of Technology is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Pasadena, California. It awarded 15 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

Caltech also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend Caltech is $3,756 for California Bachelor’s Degree ME students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. 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%.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Caltech

University of California - Irvine ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. UC Irvine is a public institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 263 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #11. The yearly cost to attend UC Irvine is $10,373 for California Bachelor’s Degree ME students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, 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 UC Irvine Mechanical Engineering Report

California State University - Fullerton landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. California State University - Fullerton is located in Fullerton, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 231 bachelors’s ME degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree me students whose families make $30-$48k list, Cal State Fullerton has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cal State Fullerton is $6,100 for California Bachelor’s Degree ME students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Fullerton Mechanical Engineering Report

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well in the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #9. San Luis Obispo, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s ME degrees to 308 students in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $14,680 for california bachelor’s degree me students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California Polytechnic State University - 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 full report on Mechanical Engineering at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

#10

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in San Diego, California, this large public school awarded 306 degrees to qualified bachelors’s ME students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SDSU, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Mechanical 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 me 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at San Diego State University

California State University - Long Beach came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. California State University - Long Beach is a large public school situated in Long Beach, California. It awarded 193 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSULB, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Long Beach is $7,595 for California Bachelor’s Degree ME students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Full California State University - Long Beach Mechanical Engineering Report

California State University - Northridge did quite well in the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #12. California State University - Northridge is a large school located in Northridge, California that handed out 226 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUN also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #23. It costs about $6,883 for California Bachelor’s Degree ME students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California State University - Northridge.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Northridge Mechanical Engineering Report

University of California - Davis came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of California - Davis is a large public school situated in Davis, California. It awarded 176 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Davis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Davis is $10,769 for California Bachelor’s Degree ME students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Mechanical Engineering at UC Davis

#14

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California

University of California - Riverside landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Riverside, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s ME degrees to 145 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree me students whose families make $30-$48k list, UCR has also earned the #22 rank in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $9,151 for California Bachelor’s Degree ME students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UCR.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at UCR

With a ranking of #15, University of California - San Diego did quite well on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of California - San Diego is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 179 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSD not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UCSD is $9,974 for California Bachelor’s Degree ME students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Read more about Mechanical Engineering at UCSD

#16

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

With a ranking of #16, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Santa Barbara, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s ME degrees to 88 students in 2019-2020.

UCSB also took the #13 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $11,895 for california bachelor’s degree me students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of California - Santa Barbara.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at University of California - Santa Barbara

California State University - Sacramento came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Sacramento, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s ME degrees to 204 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Sac State, the school also landed the #25 spot in our “Best Mechanical 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 ME 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 Sac State Mechanical Engineering Report

#18

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California did quite well in the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #18. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 96 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

USC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Southern California is $16,252 for California Bachelor’s Degree ME students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.

Full USC Mechanical Engineering Report

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well in the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #19. Cal Poly Pomona is a large school located in Pomona, California that handed out 225 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly Pomona also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #17. The estimated yearly cost for California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is $9,630 for california bachelor’s degree me 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Full Cal Poly Pomona Mechanical Engineering Report

#20

San Jose State University

San Jose, California

San Jose State University landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in San Jose, California, and it awarded 193 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

San Jose State also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #16. It costs about $11,752 for california bachelor’s degree me students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend San Jose State.

The low student loan default rate of 3.7% 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 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at San Jose State

With a ranking of #21, California State University - Chico did quite well on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Chico, California, this fairly large public school handed out 102 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s ME students in 2019-2020.

Chico State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Chico State is $11,576 for California Bachelor’s Degree ME students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

Full Chico State Mechanical Engineering Report

#22

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 97 bachelors’s ME degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for San Francisco State University is $12,517 for california bachelor’s degree me students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Mechanical Engineering at SFSU

University of California - Merced ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Merced, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s ME degrees to 146 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Merced is $11,565 for California Bachelor’s Degree ME students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low 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%.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at University of California - Merced

California State University Maritime Academy ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Vallejo, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s ME degrees to 44 students in 2019-2020.

Cal Maritime also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #8. It costs about $16,346 for California Bachelor’s Degree ME students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Cal Maritime.

The low student loan default rate of 2.1% 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 Mechanical Engineering at Cal Maritime

#25

Santa Clara University

Santa Clara, California

With a ranking of #25, Santa Clara University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value ME Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Santa Clara University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Santa Clara, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 48 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SCU also took the #7 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SCU is $18,949 for California Bachelor’s Degree ME students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at SCU

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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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