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2023 Best Value CompSci Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k

39 Ranked Colleges
13,342 Degrees Awarded
Best Value CompSci Schools 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 was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value CompSci Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2020-2021, 59,565 people earned their degree in computer science, making the major the 12th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, computer science graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $67,538 and had an average of $23,620 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 13,342 computer science graduates with average earnings and debt of $72,080 and $19,754 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value CompSci Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking looked at 39 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Computer Science Schools

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When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value CompSci Schools 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. 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.

Best Value CompSci Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k

The colleges and universities below are the best for california compsci students whose families make $48-$75k.

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

1
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value CompSci Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Stanford, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 628 degrees to qualified ’s compsci students in 2020-2021.

Stanford also took the #1 spot in our “Best Computer Science Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $7,081 for california compsci students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Stanford University.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Stanford University Computer Science Report

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California Institute of Technology. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value CompSci Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k. California Institute of Technology is located in Pasadena, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 84 ’s compsci degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Caltech, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Computer Science Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $9,755 for California CompSci students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Caltech.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Full Caltech Computer Science Report

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value CompSci Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school awarded 856 diplomas to qualified ’s compsci students in 2020-2021.

UC Berkeley also made our “Best Computer Science Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $13,423 for california compsci students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of California - Berkeley.

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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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 University of California - Berkeley

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - San Diego. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value CompSci Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s compsci degrees to 868 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california compsci students whose families make $48-$75k list, UCSD has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Computer Science Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - San Diego is $14,310 for California CompSci 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. 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 Computer Science at University of California - San Diego

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Irvine. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value CompSci Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k. UC Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 1,007 ’s compsci degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Irvine also took the #6 spot in our “Best Computer Science Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Irvine is $13,275 for california compsci 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 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%.

Full UC Irvine Computer Science Report

6
Pomona crest
Pomona College
Claremont, California

Pomona College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value CompSci Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Pomona is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Claremont, California. It awarded 33 ’s compsci degrees in 2020-2021.

Pomona also took the #8 spot in our “Best Computer Science Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Pomona is $9,365 for California CompSci students whose families make $48-$75k.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Pomona Computer Science Report

7
Harvey Mudd College crest
Harvey Mudd College
Claremont, California

Harvey Mudd College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value CompSci Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Harvey Mudd College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Claremont, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 48 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california compsci students whose families make $48-$75k list, Harvey Mudd College has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Computer Science Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $18,077 for california compsci students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Harvey Mudd College.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Computer Science at Harvey Mudd College

8

California State University - Los Angeles ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value CompSci Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Cal State LA is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 182 ’s compsci degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend Cal State LA is $5,700 for California CompSci students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%.

Full California State University - Los Angeles Computer Science Report

9

With a ranking of #9, California State University - Fullerton did quite well on the 2023 Best Value CompSci Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Fullerton, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s compsci degrees to 397 students in 2020-2021.

Cal State Fullerton also made our “Best Computer Science Schools in California” list, coming in at #18. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fullerton is $9,017 for california compsci students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, 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

With a ranking of #10, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on the 2023 Best Value CompSci Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. UCSB is a large school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 215 ’s compsci degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california compsci students whose families make $48-$75k list, UCSB has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Computer Science Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Santa Barbara is $14,583 for california compsci students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Computer Science at UCSB

11

University of California - Santa Cruz ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value CompSci Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of California - Santa Cruz is a public institution located in Santa Cruz, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 729 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Santa Cruz also made our “Best Computer Science Schools in California” list, coming in at #10. It costs about $15,567 for california compsci students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of California - Santa Cruz.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UC Santa Cruz Computer Science Report

12
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

With a ranking of #12, University of Southern California did quite well on the 2023 Best Value CompSci Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of Southern California is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1,386 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

USC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Computer Science Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Southern California is $22,826 for california compsci students whose families make $48-$75k.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Computer Science at University of Southern California

13

University of California - Riverside landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Value CompSci Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. UCR is a large public school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 316 ’s compsci degrees in 2020-2021.

UCR did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Computer Science Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Riverside is $11,126 for California CompSci students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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 UCR

14

California State University - Sacramento landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Best Value CompSci Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Sacramento, California, this large public school handed out 310 diplomas to qualified ’s compsci students in 2020-2021.

Sac State also took the #17 spot in our “Best Computer Science Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $12,602 for california compsci students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Sac State.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Computer Science at Sac State

15

California State University - Long Beach landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Best Value CompSci Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school awarded 304 diplomas to qualified ’s compsci students in 2020-2021.

CSULB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #22 on our “Best Computer Science Schools in California” list. It costs about $11,189 for california compsci 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 undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Computer Science at CSULB

16

With a ranking of #16, California State University - Northridge did quite well on the 2023 Best Value CompSci Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. CSUN is located in Northridge, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 228 ’s compsci degrees to qualified students.

CSUN did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #24 on our “Best Computer Science Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Northridge is $10,780 for California CompSci students whose families make $48-$75k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full CSUN Computer Science Report

17
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

San Diego State University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value CompSci Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 381 ’s compsci degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california compsci students whose families make $48-$75k list, SDSU has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Computer Science Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend San Diego State University is $14,698 for California CompSci students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Computer Science at San Diego State University

18

California State University - Fresno landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Best Value CompSci Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Fresno State is a large public school situated in Fresno, California. It awarded 69 ’s compsci degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend Fresno State is $8,030 for California CompSci students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.2% 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%. 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 Fresno State

19

California State University - Dominguez Hills came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value CompSci Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. CSUDH is a fairly large school located in Carson, California that handed out 90 ’s compsci degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for CSUDH is $6,333 for California CompSci students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Computer Science at California State University - Dominguez Hills

20

California State University - San Bernardino came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value CompSci Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. San Bernardino, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s compsci degrees to 90 students in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend CSUSB is $9,854 for California CompSci students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full CSUSB Computer Science Report

21

With a ranking of #21, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well on the 2023 Best Value CompSci Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. This large school is located in Pomona, California, and it awarded 297 ’s compsci degrees in 2020-2021.

Cal Poly Pomona not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Computer Science Schools in California” list. It costs about $15,958 for California CompSci students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Cal Poly Pomona.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Computer Science at Cal Poly Pomona

22

California State University - Stanislaus landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Best Value CompSci Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. California State University - Stanislaus is a public institution located in Turlock, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 78 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Stanislaus is $7,976 for california compsci students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Stanislaus Computer Science Report

23

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value CompSci Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a large school located in San Luis Obispo, California that handed out 206 ’s compsci degrees in 2020-2021.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Computer Science Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is $17,340 for California CompSci students whose families make $48-$75k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Computer Science at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

24

California State University - East Bay ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value CompSci Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Cal State East Bay is a fairly large school located in Hayward, California that handed out 280 ’s compsci degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for Cal State East Bay is $15,615 for california compsci students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Computer Science at Cal State East Bay

25
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

San Jose State University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value CompSci Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in San Jose, California, this large public school awarded 287 diplomas to qualified ’s compsci students in 2020-2021.

San Jose State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Computer Science Schools in California” list. It costs about $17,338 for California CompSci students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend San Jose State University.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% 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 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full San Jose State Computer Science Report

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