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2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k

34 Ranked Colleges
15,052 Degrees Awarded
$17,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making $75-$110k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking.

Engineering is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 6th of all the majors we analyze. In 2019-2020, 200,458 degrees were awarded to students with this major. In 2017-2018, engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $64,888 and had an average of $23,564 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 25,440 engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $67,620 and $21,114 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 15,052 engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking looked at 34 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in engineering. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality engineering programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the engineering program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $75-$110k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Engineering (Income $75-$110k) in California

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. Stanford, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s engineering degrees to 286 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Stanford, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Stanford is $10,631 for california bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $75-$110k.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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 Engineering at Stanford University

#2

Harvey Mudd College

Claremont, California
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Harvey Mudd College. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. Harvey Mudd College is a small school located in Claremont, California that handed out 68 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Harvey Mudd College also took the #1 spot in our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $24,798 for california bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Harvey Mudd College.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.

Read full report on Engineering at Harvey Mudd College

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Los Angeles. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s engineering degrees to 313 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $9,576 for california bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Cal State LA.

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 Engineering at Cal State LA

#4

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, California
#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Institute of Technology. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. Caltech is located in Pasadena, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 53 bachelors’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Caltech, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California Institute of Technology is $12,788 for California Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students whose families make $75-$110k.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, 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 94%.

Full California Institute of Technology Engineering Report

#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school awarded 1,011 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s engineering students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $21,401 for california bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend UC Berkeley.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Engineering at University of California - Berkeley

California State University - Fresno came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. This large school is located in Fresno, California, and it awarded 234 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fresno is $11,819 for California Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students whose families make $75-$110k.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Full California State University - Fresno Engineering Report

California State University - Fullerton landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. California State University - Fullerton is located in Fullerton, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 463 bachelors’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for Cal State Fullerton is $12,916 for California Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students whose families make $75-$110k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Read more about Engineering at California State University - Fullerton

#8

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#7 in overall quality

University of California - Los Angeles ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s engineering degrees to 669 students in 2019-2020.

UCLA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UCLA is $19,590 for california bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $75-$110k.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, 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 more about Engineering at University of California - Los Angeles

#10 in overall quality

University of California - Davis came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. UC Davis is a large public school situated in Davis, California. It awarded 933 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Davis, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $17,622 for california bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full UC Davis Engineering Report

#24 in overall quality

California State University - Long Beach landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. CSULB is a large school located in Long Beach, California that handed out 759 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

CSULB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #24 on our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend CSULB is $14,544 for california bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full CSULB Engineering Report

California State University - Northridge came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. California State University - Northridge is a large school located in Northridge, California that handed out 507 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Northridge is $15,346 for California Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students whose families make $75-$110k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.0% 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 more about Engineering at CSUN

#6 in overall quality

With a ranking of #12, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. Located in San Luis Obispo, California, this large public school awarded 1,254 degrees to qualified bachelors’s engineering students in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also took the #6 spot in our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is $22,585 for california bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $75-$110k.

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 more about Engineering at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

#19 in overall quality

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is located in Pomona, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 972 bachelors’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $75-$110k list, Cal Poly Pomona has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $17,944 for california bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Cal Poly Pomona.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Read more about Engineering at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona

#14

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California
#23 in overall quality

University of California - Riverside ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. University of California - Riverside is a large public school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 455 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

UCR not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #23 on our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $18,395 for california bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend UCR.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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.

Read more about Engineering at University of California - Riverside

#15

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#16 in overall quality

San Diego State University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. San Diego, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s engineering degrees to 810 students in 2019-2020.

SDSU also made our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #16. It costs about $18,766 for California Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend SDSU.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full SDSU Engineering Report

#12 in overall quality

University of California - Irvine did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #16. This large school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 1,055 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $75-$110k list, UC Irvine has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Irvine is $19,851 for California Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students whose families make $75-$110k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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%.

Read full report on Engineering at University of California - Irvine

#25 in overall quality

California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #17. California State University - Sacramento is located in Sacramento, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 516 bachelors’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

Sac State also took the #25 spot in our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Sac State is $15,812 for california bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $75-$110k.

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 California State University - Sacramento Engineering Report

#13 in overall quality

With a ranking of #18, University of California - San Diego did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. This large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 948 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSD, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCSD is $20,205 for California Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students whose families make $75-$110k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Engineering at UCSD

#19

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#14 in overall quality

With a ranking of #19, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. This large school is located in Santa Barbara, California, and it awarded 249 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $22,226 for California Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend UCSB.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, 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 91%.

Full University of California - Santa Barbara Engineering Report

California State University - Bakersfield landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. California State University - Bakersfield is a fairly large public school situated in Bakersfield, California. It awarded 73 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend CSUB is $11,743 for california bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $75-$110k.

Full CSUB Engineering Report

#21

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#18 in overall quality

San Jose State University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. San Jose State University is located in San Jose, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 984 bachelors’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $75-$110k list, San Jose State has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State University is $19,805 for California Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students whose families make $75-$110k.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read full report on Engineering at San Jose State

#9 in overall quality

California State University Maritime Academy came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. California State University Maritime Academy is located in Vallejo, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 44 bachelors’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

Cal Maritime not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California State University Maritime Academy is $23,553 for California Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students whose families make $75-$110k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Engineering at Cal Maritime

#22 in overall quality

With a ranking of #23, California State University - Chico did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. Chico State is a fairly large public school situated in Chico, California. It awarded 227 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Chico State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #22 on our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Chico is $19,444 for california bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $75-$110k.

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%.

Read full report on Engineering at Chico State

#24

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#20 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #24. University of California - Santa Cruz is located in Santa Cruz, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 215 bachelors’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

UC Santa Cruz not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Santa Cruz is $22,739 for California Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students whose families make $75-$110k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UC Santa Cruz Engineering Report

#25

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. San Francisco State University is a large public school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 244 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for San Francisco State University is $21,027 for California Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read full report on Engineering at SFSU

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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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