2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Computer Science in California
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” 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 19th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, computer science graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $66,561 and had an average of $23,565 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 12,060 computer science graduates with average earnings and debt of $70,794 and $21,538 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 CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California
The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree compsci students.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Computer Science in California
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California. UC Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 845 bachelors’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed 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 compsci students per year to attend University of California - Berkeley.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. 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%.
Full University of California - Berkeley Computer Science Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - San Diego. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s compsci degrees to 435 students in 2019-2020.
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. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - San Diego is $14,232 for california bachelor’s degree compsci students.
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 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 43 schools in the Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Long Beach landed the #3 spot on the list. CSULB is a large public school situated in Long Beach, California. It awarded 220 bachelors’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.
CSULB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Long Beach is $9,622 for California Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students.
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%.
Out of the 43 schools in the Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Northridge landed the #4 spot on the list. California State University - Northridge is a large public school situated in Northridge, California. It awarded 160 bachelors’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSUN, the school also landed the #23 spot in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $8,414 for California Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students per year to attend CSUN.
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
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Monterey Bay. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California. California State University - Monterey Bay is a medium-sized public school situated in Seaside, California. It awarded 173 bachelors’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Monterey Bay is $12,212 for california bachelor’s degree compsci students.
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%.
University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well in the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #6. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this large public school handed out 145 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s compsci students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree compsci students list, UCSB has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $15,884 for california bachelor’s degree compsci students per year to attend UCSB.
The low student loan default rate of 1.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
University of California - Irvine came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. UC Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 805 bachelors’s compsci 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. The estimated yearly cost for UC Irvine is $14,783 for california bachelor’s degree compsci students.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of California - Irvine Computer Science Report
California State University - Chico came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. This fairly large school is located in Chico, California, and it awarded 61 bachelors’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.
Chico State also made our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #22. The estimated yearly cost for Chico State is $15,017 for California Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students.
The low student loan default rate of 3.3% 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%.
California State University - Fullerton landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Cal State Fullerton is a large school located in Fullerton, California that handed out 264 bachelors’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree compsci students 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 $7,991 for California Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students per year to attend California State University - Fullerton.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%.
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Located in Pomona, California, this large public school handed out 238 degrees to qualified bachelors’s compsci students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree compsci students list, Cal Poly Pomona has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is $12,734 for california bachelor’s degree compsci students.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.
Read full report on Computer Science at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona
California State University - San Marcos did quite well in the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #11. Located in San Marcos, California, this fairly large public school handed out 161 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s compsci students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend CSUSM is $13,399 for california bachelor’s degree compsci students.
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%.
Read full report on Computer Science at California State University - San Marcos
With a ranking of #12, California State University - Fresno did quite well on the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Fresno, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s compsci degrees to 46 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fresno is $5,464 for California Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students.
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 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%.
Read full report on Computer Science at California State University - Fresno
With a ranking of #13, San Diego State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. SDSU 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.
SDSU also made our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #12. It costs about $14,788 for California Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students per year to attend San Diego State University.
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 student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
San Jose State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #14. Located in San Jose, California, this large public school awarded 163 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s compsci students in 2019-2020.
San Jose State also took the #16 spot in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend San Jose State is $14,928 for california bachelor’s degree compsci students.
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 low student loan default rate of 3.7% 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%.
San Francisco State University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. San Francisco State University is located in San Francisco, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 265 bachelors’s compsci degrees to qualified students.
SFSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #25 on our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $15,113 for California Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students per year to attend SFSU.
Read more about Computer Science at San Francisco State University
California State University - Sacramento landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Sac State is a public institution located in Sacramento, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 239 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Sac State, the school also landed the #24 spot in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Sac State is $9,979 for California Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students.
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%.
California State University - Channel Islands ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Camarillo, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s compsci degrees to 64 students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - Channel Islands is $13,558 for California Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students.
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%.
Sonoma State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #18. SSU is a medium-sized school located in Rohnert Park, California that handed out 66 bachelors’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $17,478 for California Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students per year to attend SSU.
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%.
California State University - San Bernardino came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California 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 CompSci students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Read more about Computer Science at California State University - San Bernardino
California State University - Bakersfield ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. CSUB is located in Bakersfield, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 61 bachelors’s compsci degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for CSUB is $5,318 for california bachelor’s degree compsci students.
Read more about Computer Science at California State University - Bakersfield
California State University - East Bay did quite well in the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #21. Hayward, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s compsci degrees to 140 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Cal State East Bay is $11,116 for california bachelor’s degree compsci students.
Read more about Computer Science at California State University - East Bay
University of California - Santa Cruz came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. University of California - Santa Cruz is a fairly large school located in Santa Cruz, California that handed out 667 bachelors’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.
UC Santa Cruz also made our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #10. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Santa Cruz is $18,186 for california bachelor’s degree compsci students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, 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 85%.
Read more about Computer Science at University of California - Santa Cruz
California State University - Stanislaus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #23. California State University - Stanislaus is a fairly large public school situated in Turlock, California. It awarded 67 bachelors’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - Stanislaus is $6,019 for california bachelor’s degree compsci students.
The low student loan default rate of 4.3% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
California State University - Los Angeles ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s compsci degrees to 119 students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - Los Angeles is $2,768 for california bachelor’s degree compsci students.
The low 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%.
Read full report on Computer Science at California State University - Los Angeles
California State University - Dominguez Hills landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. This fairly large school is located in Carson, California, and it awarded 57 bachelors’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend CSUDH is $4,215 for California Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students.
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 full report on Computer Science at California State University - Dominguez Hills
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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.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Negative Space.
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