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2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid

43 Ranked Colleges
7,912 Degrees Awarded
$11,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Getting Aid

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 Getting Aid” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

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.

This year’s “Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 43 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in computer science. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great computer science programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the computer science program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The computer science 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 “Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid”.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree computer science students with aid.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Computer Science in California (With Aid)

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid. Stanford University is a fairly large school located in Stanford, California that handed out 307 bachelors’s computer science degrees in 2019-2020.

Stanford did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Stanford University is $11,496 for California Bachelor’s Degree Computer Science students with aid.

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%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read more about Computer Science at Stanford University

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Los Angeles. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid. California State University - Los Angeles is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 119 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Cal State LA is $2,768 for California Bachelor’s Degree Computer Science students with aid.

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 California State University - Los Angeles Computer Science Report

#5 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. 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. It costs about $15,329 for California Bachelor’s Degree Computer Science students with aid per year to attend University of California - Berkeley.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Computer Science at UC Berkeley

#9 in overall quality

Out of the 43 schools in the Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Irvine landed the #4 spot on the list. Irvine, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s computer science degrees to 805 students in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine also made our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend UC Irvine is $14,783 for California Bachelor’s Degree Computer Science students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The 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 full report on Computer Science at UC Irvine

#18 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fullerton. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Fullerton is located in Fullerton, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 264 bachelors’s computer science degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal State Fullerton, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $7,991 for California Bachelor’s Degree Computer Science students with aid 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 student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Cal State Fullerton Computer Science Report

#7 in overall quality

University of California - San Diego ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. University of California - San Diego is located in La Jolla, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 435 bachelors’s computer science degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSD, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,232 for California Bachelor’s Degree Computer Science students with aid per year to attend University of California - San Diego.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read more about Computer Science at University of California - San Diego

California State University - Dominguez Hills ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. CSUDH is a fairly large school located in Carson, California that handed out 57 bachelors’s computer science degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for CSUDH is $4,215 for California Bachelor’s Degree Computer Science students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Computer Science at California State University - Dominguez Hills

#23 in overall quality

California State University - Northridge ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. 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.

CSUN did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for CSUN is $8,414 for California Bachelor’s Degree Computer Science students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

With a ranking of #9, California State University - Fresno did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. 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.

It costs about $5,464 for california bachelor’s degree computer science students with aid per year to attend Fresno State.

The low student loan default rate of 4.7% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full California State University - Fresno Computer Science Report

#19 in overall quality

California State University - Long Beach landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. 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 California State University - Long Beach is $9,622 for California Bachelor’s Degree Computer Science students with aid.

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

Read full report on Computer Science at CSULB

With a ranking of #11, California State University - Bakersfield did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in Bakersfield, California, and it awarded 61 bachelors’s computer science degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend CSUB is $5,318 for California Bachelor’s Degree Computer Science students with aid.

Read more about Computer Science at CSUB

#12

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, California
#4 in overall quality

California Institute of Technology ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid 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 with aid list, Caltech has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $24,274 for california bachelor’s degree computer science students with aid per year to attend Caltech.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full California Institute of Technology Computer Science Report

#13

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#12 in overall quality

San Diego State University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 209 bachelors’s computer science degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree computer science students with aid list, SDSU has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,788 for California Bachelor’s Degree Computer Science students with aid per year to attend SDSU.

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.

Full San Diego State University Computer Science Report

#14

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #14, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. University of California - Santa Barbara is a large school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 145 bachelors’s computer science degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $15,884 for california bachelor’s degree computer science students with aid per year to attend UCSB.

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%.

Full UCSB Computer Science Report

#15

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California
#17 in overall quality

University of California - Riverside landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid 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 also made our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #17. It costs about $12,871 for California Bachelor’s Degree Computer Science students with aid per year to attend University of California - Riverside.

The low student loan default rate of 2.1% 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 91%.

Read full report on Computer Science at University of California - Riverside

California State University - Stanislaus landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State University - Stanislaus is located in Turlock, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 67 bachelors’s computer science degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend Stan State is $6,019 for california bachelor’s degree computer science students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Full Stan State Computer Science Report

#17

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

California State University - San Bernardino came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. CSUSB is a public institution located in San Bernardino, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 94 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for CSUSB is $7,342 for California Bachelor’s Degree Computer Science students with aid.

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

Full CSUSB Computer Science Report

#24 in overall quality

California State University - Sacramento came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. 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.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree computer science students with aid list, Sac State has also earned the #24 rank in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $9,979 for California Bachelor’s Degree Computer Science students with aid per year to attend Sac State.

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%.

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

#14 in overall quality

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Pomona, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s computer science degrees to 238 students in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly Pomona not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Cal Poly Pomona is $12,734 for california bachelor’s degree computer science students with aid.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Cal Poly Pomona Computer Science Report

With a ranking of #20, California State University - San Marcos did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Located in San Marcos, California, this fairly large public school handed out 161 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s computer science students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $13,399 for california bachelor’s degree computer science students with aid per year to attend California State University - San Marcos.

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%.

Read full report on Computer Science at CSUSM

#21

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#10 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #21. 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 also took the #10 spot in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UC Santa Cruz is $18,186 for California Bachelor’s Degree Computer Science students with aid.

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 full report on Computer Science at UC Santa Cruz

#22

Pomona College

Claremont, California
#3 in overall quality

Pomona College came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. This small school is located in Claremont, California, and it awarded 34 bachelors’s computer science degrees in 2019-2020.

Pomona did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Pomona College is $17,458 for california bachelor’s degree computer science students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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.

Read full report on Computer Science at Pomona College

California State University - Monterey Bay ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. CSUMB is a public institution located in Seaside, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 173 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend CSUMB is $12,212 for California Bachelor’s Degree Computer Science students with aid.

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 California State University - Monterey Bay Computer Science Report

#24

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#16 in overall quality

San Jose State University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. San Jose State is a large school located in San Jose, California that handed out 163 bachelors’s computer science degrees in 2019-2020.

San Jose State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $14,928 for California Bachelor’s Degree Computer Science students with aid per year to attend San Jose State University.

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 student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Computer Science at San Jose State

#25

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California
#25 in overall quality

San Francisco State University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Computer Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. SFSU is a large public school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 265 bachelors’s computer science degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree computer science students with aid list, SFSU has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SFSU is $15,113 for California Bachelor’s Degree Computer Science students with aid.

Read more about Computer Science at San Francisco State University

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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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