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2023 Best Engineering Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in California

10 Ranked Colleges
1,252 Degrees Awarded
$106,144 Avg Salary
Most Veteran Friendly in California for Engineering for a Doctorate

When it comes to choosing a college, veterans have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Engineering for a Doctorate” ranking is part of that endeavor.

With 198,468 degrees handed out in 2020-2021, engineering is the 7th most popular major in the United States. 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 Veteran Friendly in California for Engineering for a Doctorate” ranking looked at 10 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in engineering. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great engineering programs and a strong support system for veterans and active service members.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as veteran satisfaction, veteran affordability, and overall quality of the engineering program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Engineering for a Doctorate” list to help you make the college 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Most Veteran Friendly in California for Engineering for a Doctorate

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Engineering for a Doctorate”.

Top 10 Best Engineering Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in California

1
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

Out of the 10 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Engineering for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Southern California landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Southern California is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 109 doctorate’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

USC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Engineering Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list.Of the 46,287 students enrolled at USC, 1,311 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 862 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $20,487. To help with additional expenses, 388 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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.

[Read full report on veteran student life at USC]](/colleges/university-of-southern-california/student-life/veterans/)

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #2 for the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Engineering for a Doctorate. University of California - Los Angeles is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 135 doctorate’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Engineering Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 7 of the 44,589 students enrolled at University of California - Los Angeles were GI Bill® students, of which 4 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,071. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 veteran student life at University of California - Los Angeles]](/colleges/university-of-california-los-angeles/student-life/veterans/)

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - San Diego. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Engineering for a Doctorate list. This large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 162 doctorate’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

UCSD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Engineering Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list.Among the 39,576 students enrolled at UCSD, 112 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 54 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $1,596. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read More…

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Irvine. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Engineering for a Doctorate list. UC Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 95 doctorate’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Irvine, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Engineering Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Of the 36,303 students enrolled at University of California - Irvine, 8 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 5 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,620. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

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 [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at University of California - Irvine]](/colleges/university-of-california-irvine/student-life/veterans/)

5
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

Out of the 10 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Engineering for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Stanford, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 262 degrees to qualified doctorate’s engineering students in 2020-2021.

Stanford also made our “Best Engineering Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #1.Among the 15,953 students enrolled at Stanford University, 188 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 118 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $18,909. On top of their other funding sources, 61 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate 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 excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read More…

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Davis. The school came in at #5 for the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Engineering for a Doctorate. Located in Davis, California, this large public school handed out 77 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s engineering students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california doctor’s degree vets studying engineering list, UC Davis has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Engineering Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.According to our most recent data, UC Davis supports 39,074 students, and 31 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 23 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,489. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read More…

7

With a ranking of #7, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Engineering for a Doctorate list. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this large public school handed out 59 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s engineering students in 2020-2021.

UCSB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Engineering Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list.According to our most recent data, UCSB supports 26,179 students, and 286 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 128 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $9,510. During this same period, 3 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national 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 full report on veteran student life at University of California - Santa Barbara]](/colleges/university-of-california-santa-barbara/student-life/veterans/)

8

University of California - Riverside did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Engineering for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #8. UCR is a large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 41 doctorate’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

UCR also made our “Best Engineering Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #10.Of the 26,434 students enrolled at UCR, 11 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 5 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $2,182. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. UCR offers credit for military training for eligible students.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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…

9

With a ranking of #9, University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Engineering for a Doctorate list. UC Santa Cruz is located in Santa Cruz, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 13 doctorate’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

UC Santa Cruz also made our “Best Engineering Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #9.Among the 19,161 students enrolled at UC Santa Cruz, 273 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 114 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,631. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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…

10

University of California - Merced did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Engineering for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #10. UC Merced is located in Merced, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 17 doctorate’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

UC Merced also took the #11 spot in our “Best Engineering Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.According to our most recent data, UC Merced supports 9,018 students, and 87 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 21 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,314. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read More…

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