by our College Data Analytics Team
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in California” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2021-2022, 44,794 people earned their degree in mechanical engineering, making the major the 21st most popular in the United States. In , mechanical engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $68,989 and had an average of $22,844 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 5,039 mechanical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $73,918 and $19,633 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 3,755 mechanical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,904 and $19,503 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in California” ranking looked at 29 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in mechanical engineering.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in California” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in California”.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University Maritime Academy. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in California. Cal Maritime is a small school located in Vallejo, California that handed out 42 bachelors’s me degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Merced. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in California list. UC Merced is a medium-sized school located in Merced, California that handed out 184 bachelors’s me degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at University of California - Merced
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Institute of Technology. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in California list. California Institute of Technology is located in Pasadena, California and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 28 bachelors’s me degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 99%. The impressive undergraduate 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.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in California list. California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is located in San Luis Obispo, California and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 272 bachelors’s me degrees to qualified students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in California. California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is a large school located in Pomona, California that handed out 276 bachelors’s me degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona
California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in California ranking, coming in at #6. This large school is located in Sacramento, California, and it awarded 178 bachelors’s me degrees in 2021-2022.
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%.
University of California - Irvine landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in California ranking. This large school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 260 bachelors’s me degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of California - Irvine Mechanical Engineering Report
With a ranking of #8, California State University - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in California list. Cal State LA is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 130 bachelors’s me degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad 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%.
San Diego State University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in California ranking. SDSU is a large public school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 244 bachelors’s me degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Santa Clara University ranked #10 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in California list. Santa Clara University is a medium-sized school located in Santa Clara, California that handed out 52 bachelors’s me degrees in 2021-2022.
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 undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of California - Davis landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in California ranking. University of California - Davis is a large public school situated in Davis, California. It awarded 166 bachelors’s me degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
With a ranking of #12, California State University - Northridge did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in California list. California State University - Northridge is located in Northridge, California and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 185 bachelors’s me degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad 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%.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at California State University - Northridge
With a ranking of #13, University of California - San Diego did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in California list. This large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 146 bachelors’s me degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
University of San Diego came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in California ranking. Located in San Diego, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 61 degrees to qualified bachelors’s me students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
California State University - Fullerton landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in California ranking. Cal State Fullerton is a public institution located in Fullerton, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 125 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Cal State Fullerton
California State University - Chico ranked #16 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in California list. California State University - Chico is a fairly large school located in Chico, California that handed out 72 bachelors’s me degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
California State University - Long Beach landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in California ranking. This large school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 229 bachelors’s me degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.8% 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 Mechanical Engineering at California State University - Long Beach
With a ranking of #18, California Baptist University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in California list. Located in Riverside, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 47 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s me students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% 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%.
Full California Baptist University Mechanical Engineering Report
With a ranking of #19, University of California - Riverside did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in California list. UCR is a large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 94 bachelors’s me degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.8% 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%.
San Jose State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in California ranking, coming in at #20. San Jose State University is a public institution located in San Jose, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 166 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, 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 full report on Mechanical Engineering at San Jose State
With a ranking of #21, Loyola Marymount University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in California list. This fairly large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 30 bachelors’s me degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Loyola Marymount University
San Francisco State University landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in California ranking. San Francisco, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s me degrees to 75 students in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. 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%.
California State University - Fresno landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in California ranking. California State University - Fresno is located in Fresno, California and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 79 bachelors’s me degrees to qualified students.
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%.
Full California State University - Fresno Mechanical Engineering Report
With a ranking of #24, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in California list. University of California - Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 189 bachelors’s me degrees to qualified students.
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 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%.
University of California - Los Angeles landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on ME Major in California ranking. University of California - Los Angeles is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 162 bachelors’s me degrees to qualified students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of California - Los Angeles Mechanical Engineering Report
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