2025 Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in California
27
Colleges in California
5,039
ME Degrees Awarded
$76,023
Avg Early-Career Salary
Mechanical Engineering is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #21 most popular major in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.
College Factual looked at 27 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in California ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 5,039 degrees in mechanical engineering annually.
What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great Mechanical Engineering School
Your choice of mechanical engineering school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Mechanical Engineering School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.
In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.
Mechanical Engineering Rankings by Degree Level
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in California ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.
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.
When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.
More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.
Best Schools for Mechanical Engineering in California
The schools below may not offer all types of me degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.
10 Top California Schools in ME
It is hard to beat Stanford University if you want to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering. Located in the suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #10 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Stanford is a great university overall.
There were roughly 197 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Stanford in the most recent year we have data available. Mechanical Engineering degree recipients from Stanford University get an earnings boost of about $45,385 above the typical income of mechanical engineering graduates.
More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford University
Any student pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering has to take a look at University of California - Berkeley. Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #14 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.
There were about 508 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent year we have data available. Those mechanical engineering students who get their degree from University of California - Berkeley receive $16,440 more than the typical me graduate.
More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from University of California - Berkeley
University of Southern California is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in mechanical engineering. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #13 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means USC is a great university overall.
There were approximately 237 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year. Those mechanical engineering students who get their degree from University of Southern California receive $16,143 more than the typical me student.
More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from University of Southern California
University of California - Davis is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in mechanical engineering. UC Davis is a fairly large public university located in the small suburb of Davis. A Best Colleges rank of #55 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC Davis is a great university overall.
There were about 209 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the me program state that they receive average early career wages of $75,344.
More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from University of California - Davis
UCLA is a fairly large public university located in the city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #28 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.
There were approximately 272 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent year we have data available. Mechanical Engineering degree recipients from University of California - Los Angeles get an earnings boost of about $17,462 above the average income of mechanical engineering majors.
More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from University of California - Los Angeles
Located in the large city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #73 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC Irvine is a great university overall.
There were approximately 326 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent data year. After graduating, me degree recipients generally make an average of $67,633 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from University of California - Irvine
SCU is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Santa Clara. A Best Colleges rank of #53 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means SCU is a great university overall.
There were roughly 77 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at SCU in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the mechanical engineering major at Santa Clara University earn $16,692 more than the standard graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from Santa Clara University
Located in the large city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #49 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UCSD is a great university overall.
There were approximately 238 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, me degree recipients usually earn about $75,851 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from University of California - San Diego
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a very large public university located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo. A Best Colleges rank of #165 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a great university overall.
There were approximately 327 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in the most recent year we have data available. Those mechanical engineering students who get their degree from California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo earn $7,722 more than the typical me student.
More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
Located in the city of San Diego, SDSU is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #185 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means SDSU is a great university overall.
There were approximately 264 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at SDSU in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, me degree recipients typically earn an average of $69,754 in their early careers.
More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from San Diego State University
