College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2024 Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in California

28 Colleges in California
5,137 ME Degrees Awarded
$73,918 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 reviewed 28 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of mechanical engineering. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 5,137 degrees in mechanical engineering during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Mechanical Engineering School

Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in California 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

Bachelor's Degrees in ME
Master's Degrees in ME
Doctor's Degrees in ME

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

1
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
253 ME Degrees Awarded
$86,167 Median Starting Salary

It's 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 #3 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Stanford is a great university overall.

There were roughly 253 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 approximately $12,249 above the average income of mechanical engineering graduates.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford University

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
217 ME Degrees Awarded
5.5% Growth in Graduates

University of Southern California is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in mechanical engineering. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #11 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 217 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 earn $9,692 more than the typical me grad.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from University of Southern California

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
320 ME Degrees Awarded
$88,120 Median Starting Salary

Every student who is interested in mechanical engineering needs to look into University of California - Berkeley. Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #18 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.

There were about 320 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 earn $14,203 more than the average me student.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from University of California - Berkeley

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
252 ME Degrees Awarded
$92,217 Median Starting Salary

Any student who is interested in mechanical engineering needs to look into University of California - Los Angeles. UCLA is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #26 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.

There were approximately 252 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent data year. Mechanical Engineering degree recipients from University of California - Los Angeles receive an earnings boost of about $18,299 above the average income of mechanical engineering majors.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from University of California - Los Angeles

5
SCU crest
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
71 ME Degrees Awarded
$86,807 Median Starting Salary

SCU is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Santa Clara. A Best Colleges rank of #50 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means SCU is a great university overall.

There were about 71 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at SCU in the most recent data year. Those mechanical engineering students who get their degree from Santa Clara University earn $12,889 more than the standard me graduate.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from Santa Clara University

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
321 ME Degrees Awarded
$88,296 Median Starting Salary

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 #95 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a great university overall.

There were roughly 321 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in the most recent year we have data available. Mechanical Engineering degree recipients from California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo receive an earnings boost of around $14,378 above the average earnings of mechanical engineering majors.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
274 ME Degrees Awarded
19.3% Growth in Graduates

UC Davis is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Davis. A Best Colleges rank of #52 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UC Davis is a great university overall.

There were approximately 274 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the me program state that they receive average early career income of $64,370.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from University of California - Davis

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
379 ME Degrees Awarded
31.4% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #38 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UCSD is a great university overall.

There were approximately 379 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at UCSD 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 income of $74,895.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from University of California - San Diego

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
359 ME Degrees Awarded
11.4% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #61 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC Irvine is a great university overall.

There were roughly 359 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the me program earn about $59,868 for their early career.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from University of California - Irvine

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
93 ME Degrees Awarded
$68,678 Median Starting Salary

UCSB is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara. A Best Colleges rank of #45 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UCSB is a great university overall.

There were roughly 93 mechanical engineering students who graduated with this degree at UCSB in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the me program report average early career wages of $68,678.

More information about a degree in mechanical engineering from University of California - Santa Barbara

Best Mechanical Engineering Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Mechanical Engineering Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 300 1,078
Oregon 266 646
Nevada 192 270
Hawaii 164 90
Alaska 119 66

View All Rankings >

Mechanical Engineering is one of 41 different types of Engineering programs to choose from.

ME Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
General Mechanical Engineering 5,137

View All ME Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Electrical Engineering 4,697
Computer Engineering 3,389
Civil Engineering 3,198
Biomedical Engineering 1,744
General Engineering 1,386
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering 1,275
Chemical Engineering 1,136
Systems Engineering 537
Materials Engineering 497
Industrial Engineering 464

View All ME Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options