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2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California

136 Ranked Colleges
25,212 Degrees Awarded
$34,900 Avg Cost*
Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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 “Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California” ranking looked at 136 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in engineering. That schools that top this list have a program in engineering in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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The engineering school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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.

Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California

The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California”.

Top 25 Most Focused Colleges for Engineering in California

1

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California Institute of Technology. The school came in at #1 for the Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California. California Institute of Technology is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Pasadena, California. It awarded 219 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Caltech Engineering Report

2
Harvey Mudd College crest
Harvey Mudd College
Claremont, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Harvey Mudd College. The school came in at #2 for the Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California. This small school is located in Claremont, California, and it awarded 58 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Engineering at Harvey Mudd College

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo. The school came in at #3 for the Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California. This large school is located in San Luis Obispo, California, and it awarded 1,403 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

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 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

4
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California list. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Stanford, California. It awarded 1,121 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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.

Read full report on Engineering at Stanford University

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Merced. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on 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 low undergrad 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read full report on Engineering at University of California - Merced

6

International Technological University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California ranking, coming in at #6. International Technological University is a small school located in San Jose, California that handed out 34 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Engineering at International Technological University

7
Naval Postgraduate School crest
Naval Postgraduate School
Monterey, California

Naval Postgraduate School came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California ranking. Naval Postgraduate School is a small school located in Monterey, California that handed out 967 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Engineering at Naval Postgraduate School

8
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

San Jose State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California ranking, coming in at #8. San Jose State is a large school located in San Jose, California that handed out 1,943 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full San Jose State Engineering Report

9

University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California ranking, coming in at #9. UCSD is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 2,047 ’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 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 UCSD

10

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona ranked #10 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California list. Cal Poly Pomona is a large school located in Pomona, California that handed out 1,089 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Engineering at Cal Poly Pomona

11
SCU crest
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, California

With a ranking of #11, Santa Clara University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California list. SCU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Santa Clara, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 429 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Engineering at Santa Clara University

12

University of California - Berkeley came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California ranking. UC Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1,982 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

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 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%.

Full University of California - Berkeley Engineering Report

13

Southern California Institute of Technology landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California ranking. Southern California Institute of Technology is a small private for-profit school situated in Anaheim, California. It awarded 55 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Engineering at Southern California Institute of Technology

14

With a ranking of #14, California State University Maritime Academy did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California list. Located in Vallejo, California, this small public school awarded 19 diplomas to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Engineering at Cal Maritime

15

Northwestern Polytechnic University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California ranking, coming in at #15. Located in Fremont, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 2 degrees to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 2 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Engineering at Northwestern Polytechnic University

16

University of California - Irvine landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California ranking. University of California - Irvine is a public institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1,418 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% 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 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Engineering at University of California - Irvine

17

University of California - Davis landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California ranking. Davis, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 1,248 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Engineering at University of California - Davis

18
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 1,815 diplomas to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The undergrad 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 more about Engineering at USC

19

University of California - Riverside did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California ranking, coming in at #19. This large school is located in Riverside, California, and it awarded 691 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UCR Engineering Report

20

University of California - Los Angeles ranked #20 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California list. University of California - Los Angeles is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 1,342 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Engineering at University of California - Los Angeles

21
KGI crest
Keck Graduate Institute
Claremont, California

Keck Graduate Institute came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California ranking. Located in Claremont, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 28 diplomas to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Keck Graduate Institute Engineering Report

22
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

San Diego State University landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California ranking. SDSU is located in San Diego, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 777 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% 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 more about Engineering at San Diego State University

23

California State University - Long Beach landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California ranking. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school handed out 786 degrees to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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 CSULB Engineering Report

24

California State University - Sacramento came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California ranking. Located in Sacramento, California, this large public school awarded 597 degrees to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Engineering at California State University - Sacramento

25

California State University - Los Angeles came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in California ranking. Cal State LA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 387 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Engineering at Cal State LA

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