2023 Most Popular Colleges for Engineering in California
136
Ranked Colleges
25,212
Degrees Awarded
$33,000
Avg Cost*
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Engineering is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 7th of all the majors we analyze. In 2020-2021, 198,468 degrees were awarded to students with this major. In 2019-2020, engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $68,653 and had an average of $23,855 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 25,212 engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $72,831 and $20,014 respectively.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California” ranking analyzed 136 colleges that offered a degree in engineering. This ranking identifies schools that graduate the most students in engineering.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California” list, to help you choose the best school for 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. 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.
Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California”.
Top 25 Most Popular Colleges for Engineering in California
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - San Diego. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California list. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 2,047 students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Engineering at University of California - San Diego
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California list. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school awarded 1,982 diplomas to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Engineering at UC Berkeley
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Jose State University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California list. San Jose State is a public institution located in San Jose, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1,943 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full San Jose State Engineering Report
Out of the 136 schools in the Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Southern California landed the #4 spot on the list. USC is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1,815 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Read more about Engineering at USC
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Irvine. The school came in at #5 for the Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California. UC Irvine is located in Irvine, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,418 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Engineering at University of California - Irvine
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo ranked #6 on this year’s Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California list. This large school is located in San Luis Obispo, California, and it awarded 1,403 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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%.
Read full report on Engineering at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
University of California - Los Angeles landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California ranking. UCLA is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,342 ’s engineering 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 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of California - Los Angeles Engineering Report
University of California - Davis ranked #8 on this year’s Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California list. UC Davis is a large public school situated in Davis, California. It awarded 1,248 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad 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 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Engineering at UC Davis
Stanford University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California ranking. Stanford is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 1,121 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Read full report on Engineering at Stanford
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California ranking, coming in at #10. Located in Pomona, California, this large public school awarded 1,089 degrees to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, 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 87%.
Full California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Engineering Report
California State University - Long Beach landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California ranking. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school awarded 786 diplomas to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, 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 Engineering at California State University - Long Beach
San Diego State University landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California ranking. SDSU is a large public school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 777 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full SDSU Engineering Report
University of California - Riverside ranked #13 on this year’s Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California list. UCR is a large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 691 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Engineering at University of California - Riverside
California State University - Fullerton landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California ranking. Cal State Fullerton is a large school located in Fullerton, California that handed out 611 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, 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 more about Engineering at California State University - Fullerton
California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California ranking, coming in at #15. Sacramento, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 597 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Sac State Engineering Report
California State University - Northridge ranked #16 on this year’s Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California list. Located in Northridge, California, this large public school handed out 539 degrees to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad 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%.
Read more about Engineering at CSUN
University of California - Merced ranked #17 on this year’s Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California list. UC Merced is located in Merced, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 468 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full UC Merced Engineering Report
Naval Postgraduate School did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California ranking, coming in at #18. Naval Postgraduate School is a public institution located in Monterey, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 967 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Engineering at Naval Postgraduate School
With a ranking of #19, Santa Clara University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California list. Santa Clara University is a medium-sized school located in Santa Clara, California that handed out 429 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%.
Full Santa Clara University Engineering Report
California State University - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California ranking, coming in at #20. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school awarded 387 diplomas to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Engineering at California State University - Los Angeles
University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California ranking. Santa Barbara, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 366 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, 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 undergraduate students.
Read more about Engineering at UCSB
San Francisco State University ranked #22 on this year’s Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California list. This large school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 286 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full San Francisco State University Engineering Report
California State University - Chico ranked #23 on this year’s Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California list. California State University - Chico is a public institution located in Chico, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 230 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.0% 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 California State University - Chico
California State University - Fresno came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California ranking. California State University - Fresno is a public institution located in Fresno, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 226 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.2% 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 Engineering at California State University - Fresno
University of California - Santa Cruz ranked #25 on this year’s Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California list. Santa Cruz, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 221 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Engineering at University of California - Santa Cruz
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