2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k
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 “Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2019-2020, 53,722 people earned their degree in computer science, making the major the 11th most popular in the United States.
Across California, there were 12,060 computer science graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 7,912 computer science graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 43 colleges that offer a degree in computer science. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent computer science programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the computer science program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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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 Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree computer science students whose families make $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Computer Science (Income $0-$30k) in California
Out of the 43 schools in the Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #1 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Stanford, California, and it awarded 307 bachelors’s computer science degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree computer science students whose families make $0-$30k list, Stanford has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $-1,387 for california bachelor’s degree computer science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Stanford. When an average net price is negative, it usually means that the student will receive more financial aid than it costs to attend the school.
The low student loan default rate of 0.5% 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 student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Institute of Technology. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Caltech is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Pasadena, California. It awarded 72 bachelors’s computer science degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree computer science students whose families make $0-$30k list, Caltech has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Caltech is $5,456 for california bachelor’s degree computer science students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low student loan default rate of 1.0% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on Computer Science at California Institute of Technology
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Pomona College. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Claremont, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 34 degrees to qualified bachelors’s computer science students in 2019-2020.
Pomona not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Pomona College is $6,945 for california bachelor’s degree computer science students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school handed out 845 degrees to qualified bachelors’s computer science students in 2019-2020.
UC Berkeley also made our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #5. The estimated yearly cost for UC Berkeley is $8,392 for California Bachelor’s Degree Computer Science students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%.
Out of the 43 schools in the Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Irvine landed the #5 spot on the list. UC Irvine is a public institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 805 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UC Irvine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $9,558 for California Bachelor’s Degree Computer Science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UC Irvine.
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 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Computer Science at University of California - Irvine
Harvey Mudd College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Claremont, California, and it awarded 47 bachelors’s computer science degrees in 2019-2020.
Harvey Mudd College also took the #2 spot in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Harvey Mudd College is $16,494 for california bachelor’s degree computer science students whose families make $0-$30k.
The impressive 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. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
With a ranking of #7, California State University - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school awarded 119 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s computer science students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $1,379 for California Bachelor’s Degree Computer Science students whose families make $0-$30k 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 full report on Computer Science at California State University - Los Angeles
California State University - Fullerton did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. This large school is located in Fullerton, California, and it awarded 264 bachelors’s computer science degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree computer science students whose families make $0-$30k list, Cal State Fullerton has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $4,291 for California Bachelor’s Degree Computer Science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Fullerton.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. 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%.
Read more about Computer Science at California State University - Fullerton
With a ranking of #9, University of California - San Diego did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in La Jolla, California, this large public school awarded 435 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s computer science students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree computer science students whose families make $0-$30k list, UCSD has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $9,280 for california bachelor’s degree computer science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UCSD.
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 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of California - San Diego Computer Science Report
San Diego State University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. San Diego State University is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 209 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree computer science students whose families make $0-$30k list, SDSU has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Diego State University is $8,870 for california bachelor’s degree computer science students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. 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 Computer Science at San Diego State University
With a ranking of #11, California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - Dominguez Hills is a fairly large public school situated in Carson, California. It awarded 57 bachelors’s computer science degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend CSUDH is $2,455 for California Bachelor’s Degree Computer Science students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low 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%.
Read full report on Computer Science at California State University - Dominguez Hills
University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this large public school awarded 145 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s computer science students in 2019-2020.
UCSB also made our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #8. The yearly cost to attend UCSB is $10,316 for california bachelor’s degree computer science students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. 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%.
Read full report on Computer Science at University of California - Santa Barbara
California State University - Fresno landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Fresno State is located in Fresno, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 46 bachelors’s computer science degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for Fresno State is $3,264 for California Bachelor’s Degree Computer Science students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read more about Computer Science at California State University - Fresno
With a ranking of #14, California State University - Long Beach did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - Long Beach is located in Long Beach, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 220 bachelors’s computer science degrees to qualified students.
CSULB also took the #19 spot in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CSULB is $6,364 for california bachelor’s degree computer science students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full California State University - Long Beach Computer Science Report
University of California - Riverside landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Riverside, California, and it awarded 165 bachelors’s computer science degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCR, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Riverside is $8,366 for california bachelor’s degree computer science students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. 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 Computer Science at University of California - Riverside
California State University - Northridge did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #16. CSUN is located in Northridge, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 160 bachelors’s computer science degrees to qualified students.
CSUN not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #23 on our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Northridge is $5,945 for california bachelor’s degree computer science students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%.
With a ranking of #17, California State University - Stanislaus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - Stanislaus is a public institution located in Turlock, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 67 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $3,410 for california bachelor’s degree computer science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Stan State.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
California State University - Bakersfield landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Bakersfield, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s computer science degrees to 61 students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $3,423 for California Bachelor’s Degree Computer Science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend CSUB.
University of California - Santa Cruz landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of California - Santa Cruz is a fairly large school located in Santa Cruz, California that handed out 667 bachelors’s computer science degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Santa Cruz, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $10,872 for california bachelor’s degree computer science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Santa Cruz.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read full report on Computer Science at University of California - Santa Cruz
California State University - Sacramento ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Sacramento, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s computer science degrees to 239 students in 2019-2020.
Sac State also made our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #24. The yearly cost to attend Sac State is $6,819 for california bachelor’s degree computer science students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 Computer Science Report
California State University - San Bernardino landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. California State University - San Bernardino is a fairly large school located in San Bernardino, California that handed out 94 bachelors’s computer science degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - San Bernardino is $5,077 for california bachelor’s degree computer science students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Full California State University - San Bernardino Computer Science Report
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Pomona, California, and it awarded 238 bachelors’s computer science degrees in 2019-2020.
Cal Poly Pomona did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $8,596 for California Bachelor’s Degree Computer Science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
University of Southern California came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 247 degrees to qualified bachelors’s computer science students in 2019-2020.
USC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $14,668 for california bachelor’s degree computer science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Southern California.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, 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.
California State University - Monterey Bay came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Seaside, California, this medium-sized public school awarded 173 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s computer science students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for CSUMB is $7,688 for california bachelor’s degree computer science students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Computer Science at California State University - Monterey Bay
California State University - San Marcos came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. San Marcos, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s computer science degrees to 161 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - San Marcos is $9,517 for California Bachelor’s Degree Computer Science students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
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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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