2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking - to help you make that decision.
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.
For this year’s “Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 36 colleges that offer a degree in engineering. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality engineering programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the engineering program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Engineering in California (With Aid)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Los Angeles. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 313 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $2,768 for California Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students with aid per year to attend California State University - Los Angeles.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full California State University - Los Angeles Engineering Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fresno. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid. Located in Fresno, California, this large public school handed out 234 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s engineering students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $5,464 for California Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students with aid per year to attend California State University - Fresno.
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 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Engineering at California State University - Fresno
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Stanford is located in Stanford, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 286 bachelors’s engineering degrees to qualified students.
Stanford also made our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $11,496 for California Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students with aid per year to attend Stanford.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, 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 University - Fullerton. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid. Located in Fullerton, California, this large public school awarded 463 degrees to qualified bachelors’s engineering students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Cal State Fullerton is $7,991 for California Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students with aid.
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 full report on Engineering at California State University - Fullerton
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid. University of California - Los Angeles is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 669 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UCLA also made our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #7. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Los Angeles is $14,279 for California Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students with aid.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read more about Engineering at University of California - Los Angeles
With a ranking of #6, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 1,055 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.
UC Irvine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Irvine is $14,783 for California Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students with aid.
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 student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Engineering at University of California - Irvine
California State University - Northridge came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State University - Northridge is a large public school situated in Northridge, California. It awarded 507 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $8,414 for california bachelor’s degree engineering students with aid per year to attend CSUN.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full California State University - Northridge Engineering Report
University of California - Berkeley ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. University of California - Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 1,011 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.
UC Berkeley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $15,329 for california bachelor’s degree engineering students with aid per year to attend UC Berkeley.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.
California State University - Long Beach did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #9. CSULB is a large school located in Long Beach, California that handed out 759 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.
CSULB also made our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #24. The yearly cost to attend CSULB is $9,622 for California Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students with aid.
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%.
San Diego State University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. San Diego State University is a large public school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 810 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.
SDSU also made our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #16. The estimated yearly cost for San Diego State University is $14,788 for california bachelor’s degree engineering students with aid.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 2.8% 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%.
University of California - San Diego came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. UCSD is a large public school situated in La Jolla, California. It awarded 948 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.
UCSD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - San Diego is $14,232 for California Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low student loan default rate of 1.5% 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 University of California - San Diego
With a ranking of #12, University of California - Riverside did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Riverside, California, and it awarded 455 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.
UCR also took the #23 spot in our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCR is $12,871 for california bachelor’s degree engineering students with aid.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read full report on Engineering at University of California - Riverside
California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #13. Sac State is a large public school situated in Sacramento, California. It awarded 516 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.
Sac State also made our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #25. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $9,979 for california bachelor’s degree engineering students with aid.
The low student loan default rate of 4.6% 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%.
University of California - Davis ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Davis, California, and it awarded 933 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.
UC Davis also made our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #10. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $14,669 for california bachelor’s degree engineering students with aid.
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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is a large public school situated in Pomona, California. It awarded 972 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.
Cal Poly Pomona also made our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #19. The yearly cost to attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is $12,734 for california bachelor’s degree engineering students with aid.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is located in San Luis Obispo, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1,254 bachelors’s engineering degrees to qualified students.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is $21,595 for California Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students with aid.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
With a ranking of #17, San Jose State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Located in San Jose, California, this large public school awarded 984 degrees to qualified bachelors’s engineering students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree engineering students with aid list, San Jose State has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend San Jose State University is $14,928 for California Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students with aid.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
California State University - Bakersfield landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State University - Bakersfield is a public institution located in Bakersfield, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 73 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - Bakersfield is $5,318 for California Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students with aid.
Read full report on Engineering at California State University - Bakersfield
University of California - Santa Barbara ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Santa Barbara, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s engineering degrees to 249 students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSB, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Santa Barbara is $15,884 for California Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students with aid.
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 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
With a ranking of #20, California State University - Chico did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Chico is a public institution located in Chico, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 227 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Chico State also took the #22 spot in our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $15,017 for California Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students with aid per year to attend Chico State.
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 more about Engineering at California State University - Chico
California State University Maritime Academy landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Cal Maritime is a small school located in Vallejo, California that handed out 44 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.
Cal Maritime did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Cal Maritime is $20,597 for california bachelor’s degree engineering students with aid.
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 more about Engineering at California State University Maritime Academy
With a ranking of #22, University of California - Merced did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Merced, California, this medium-sized public school handed out 335 degrees to qualified bachelors’s engineering students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for UC Merced is $13,896 for California Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Engineering at University of California - Merced
San Francisco State University landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in San Francisco, California, this large public school handed out 244 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s engineering students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for San Francisco State University is $15,113 for california bachelor’s degree engineering students with aid.
University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #24. This fairly large school is located in Santa Cruz, California, and it awarded 215 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.
UC Santa Cruz also took the #20 spot in our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UC Santa Cruz is $18,186 for California Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Engineering at University of California - Santa Cruz
Humboldt State University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. This medium-sized school is located in Arcata, California, and it awarded 68 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Humboldt State University is $14,692 for california bachelor’s degree engineering students with aid.
- Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Engineering in the Far Western US Region (With Aid)
- Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Engineering (With Aid)
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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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