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2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k

43 Ranked Colleges
7,912 Degrees Awarded
Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making $48-$75k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Computer Science is the 11th most popular major in the country with 53,722 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

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.

This year’s “Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking analyzed 43 colleges that offered 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 “Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k” list to help you make the college decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Computer Science (Income $48-$75k) in California

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 43 schools in the Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #1 spot on the list. Stanford University is a fairly large school located in Stanford, California that handed out 307 bachelors’s computer science degrees in 2019-2020.

Stanford also took the #1 spot in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Stanford is $1,959 for California Bachelor’s Degree Computer Science students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 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 more about Computer Science at Stanford University

#2

Pomona College

Claremont, California
#3 in overall quality

Out of the 43 schools in the Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Pomona College landed the #2 spot on the list. Claremont, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s computer science degrees to 34 students in 2019-2020.

Pomona also took the #3 spot in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Pomona is $11,811 for California Bachelor’s Degree Computer Science students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 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.

Read full report on Computer Science at Pomona

#3

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, California
#4 in overall quality

Out of the 43 schools in the Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, California Institute of Technology landed the #3 spot on the 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 $48-$75k list, Caltech has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California Institute of Technology is $8,042 for california bachelor’s degree computer science students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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%.

Read more about Computer Science at Caltech

#5 in overall quality

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 $48-$75k. UC Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 845 bachelors’s computer science degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley also took the #5 spot in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Berkeley is $13,081 for California Bachelor’s Degree Computer Science students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Computer Science at UC Berkeley

#5

Harvey Mudd College

Claremont, California
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Harvey Mudd College. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Harvey Mudd College is located in Claremont, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 47 bachelors’s computer science degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Harvey Mudd College, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Harvey Mudd College is $14,210 for california bachelor’s degree computer science students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Computer Science at Harvey Mudd College

#7 in overall quality

University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #6. University of California - San Diego is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 435 bachelors’s computer science degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSD also took the #7 spot in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - San Diego is $14,071 for California Bachelor’s Degree Computer Science students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UCSD Computer Science Report

#9 in overall quality

University of California - Irvine did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Irvine, California, this large public school awarded 805 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s computer science students 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. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Irvine is $13,648 for california bachelor’s degree computer science students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%. 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 full report on Computer Science at UC Irvine

California State University - Los Angeles landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. California State University - Los Angeles is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 119 bachelors’s computer science degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $5,644 for California Bachelor’s Degree Computer Science students whose families make $48-$75k 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%.

Full Cal State LA Computer Science Report

#18 in overall quality

California State University - Fullerton came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Cal State Fullerton is a large public school situated in Fullerton, California. It awarded 264 bachelors’s computer science degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State Fullerton did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $9,427 for california bachelor’s degree computer science students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Cal State Fullerton.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, 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 Cal State Fullerton

#10

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #10, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. UCSB is a large school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 145 bachelors’s computer science degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Santa Barbara is $15,343 for California Bachelor’s Degree Computer Science students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Computer Science at University of California - Santa Barbara

California State University - Dominguez Hills came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. CSUDH is located in Carson, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 57 bachelors’s computer science degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend CSUDH is $6,907 for California Bachelor’s Degree Computer Science students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 CSUDH

California State University - Fresno landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Fresno State is a large school located in Fresno, California that handed out 46 bachelors’s computer science degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $7,549 for California Bachelor’s Degree Computer Science students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Fresno State.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Computer Science at Fresno State

#13

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California
#17 in overall quality

University of California - Riverside came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. University of California - Riverside is a large public school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 165 bachelors’s computer science degrees in 2019-2020.

UCR did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Riverside is $12,290 for California Bachelor’s Degree Computer Science students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Computer Science at UCR

#19 in overall quality

California State University - Long Beach did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #14. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s computer science degrees to 220 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree computer science students whose families make $48-$75k list, CSULB has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $10,807 for California Bachelor’s Degree Computer Science students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend California State University - Long Beach.

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 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

#23 in overall quality

California State University - Northridge did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #15. Northridge, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s computer science degrees to 160 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree computer science students whose families make $48-$75k list, CSUN has also earned the #23 rank in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $10,783 for california bachelor’s degree computer science students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend California State University - Northridge.

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%.

Read full report on Computer Science at California State University - Northridge

With a ranking of #16, California State University - Stanislaus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Turlock, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s computer science degrees to 67 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Stanislaus is $7,772 for california bachelor’s degree computer science students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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.

Read more about Computer Science at Stan State

With a ranking of #17, California State University - Bakersfield did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. CSUB is a fairly large public school situated in Bakersfield, California. It awarded 61 bachelors’s computer science degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $7,564 for california bachelor’s degree computer science students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend CSUB.

Read more about Computer Science at California State University - Bakersfield

#18

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#10 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Cruz came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Santa Cruz, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s computer science degrees to 667 students in 2019-2020.

UC Santa Cruz not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Santa Cruz is $15,253 for California Bachelor’s Degree Computer Science students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read more about Computer Science at UC Santa Cruz

#19

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#12 in overall quality

With a ranking of #19, San Diego State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. SDSU is located in San Diego, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 209 bachelors’s computer science degrees to qualified students.

SDSU also took the #12 spot in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,730 for california bachelor’s degree computer science students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend SDSU.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Read full report on Computer Science at SDSU

#20

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

California State University - San Bernardino did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #20. CSUSB 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 $8,924 for california bachelor’s degree computer science students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Computer Science at California State University - San Bernardino

#24 in overall quality

California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #21. Located in Sacramento, California, this large public school handed out 239 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 $48-$75k list, Sac State has also earned the #24 rank in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Sacramento is $11,413 for California Bachelor’s Degree Computer Science students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Sacramento Computer Science Report

#22

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California
#6 in overall quality

University of Southern California landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. USC is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 247 bachelors’s degrees 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. The yearly cost to attend USC is $20,050 for california bachelor’s degree computer science students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.2% 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%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Computer Science at University of Southern California

California State University - Monterey Bay landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Seaside, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s computer science degrees to 173 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend CSUMB is $13,311 for california bachelor’s degree computer science students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 5.0% 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%.

Full CSUMB Computer Science Report

#14 in overall quality

With a ranking of #24, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is a large public school situated in Pomona, California. It awarded 238 bachelors’s computer science degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly Pomona also made our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #14. The yearly cost to attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is $14,012 for california bachelor’s degree computer science students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, 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.

Read more about Computer Science at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona

California State University - San Marcos landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. CSUSM is a fairly large school located in San Marcos, California that handed out 161 bachelors’s computer science degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - San Marcos is $14,582 for California Bachelor’s Degree Computer Science students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.2% 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%.

Full CSUSM Computer Science Report

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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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