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2023 Best Value Colleges for Engineering Technologies (Income $0-$30k) in California

15 Ranked Colleges
5,525 Degrees Awarded
$13,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Engineering Tech Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Engineering Tech Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2020-2021, 85,188 people earned their degree in engineering technologies, making the major the 20th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, engineering technologies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $52,350 and had an average of $21,560 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 5,525 engineering technologies graduates with average earnings and debt of $61,700 and $24,085 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Engineering Tech Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 15 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in engineering technologies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality engineering technologies programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the engineering technologies program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. 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 Engineering Tech Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Engineering Tech Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Engineering Tech Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 15 Best Value Colleges for Engineering Technologies (Income $0-$30k) in California

1
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

Out of the 15 schools in the Best Value Engineering Tech Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #1 spot on the list. Stanford University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Stanford, California. It awarded 196 ’s engineering tech degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california engineering tech students whose families make $0-$30k list, Stanford has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Engineering Technologies Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford is $1,233 for California Engineering Tech students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Engineering Technologies at Stanford

2

Out of the 15 schools in the Best Value Engineering Tech Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Northridge landed the #2 spot on the list. This large school is located in Northridge, California, and it awarded 113 ’s engineering tech degrees in 2020-2021.

CSUN did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Engineering Technologies Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for CSUN is $6,266 for california engineering tech students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Engineering Technologies at California State University - Northridge

3

Out of the 15 schools in the Best Value Engineering Tech Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fresno landed the #3 spot on the list. Fresno, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s engineering tech degrees to 96 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california engineering tech students whose families make $0-$30k list, Fresno State has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Engineering Technologies Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $3,859 for california engineering tech students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Fresno State.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Engineering Technologies at California State University - Fresno

4

Out of the 15 schools in the Best Value Engineering Tech Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Long Beach landed the #4 spot on the list. California State University - Long Beach is a large public school situated in Long Beach, California. It awarded 66 ’s engineering tech degrees in 2020-2021.

CSULB also made our “Best Engineering Technologies Schools in California” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend CSULB is $6,663 for california engineering tech students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%. 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 Engineering Technologies at CSULB

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Los Angeles. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Engineering Tech Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s engineering tech degrees to 41 students in 2020-2021.

Cal State LA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Engineering Technologies Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Cal State LA is $1,887 for California Engineering Tech students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Engineering Technologies at Cal State LA

6

California State University - Dominguez Hills came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Tech Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. California State University - Dominguez Hills is a fairly large school located in Carson, California that handed out 40 ’s engineering tech degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSUDH, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Engineering Technologies Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $2,657 for california engineering tech students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend CSUDH.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.1% 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%.

Read more about Engineering Technologies at CSUDH

7
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

San Diego State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Engineering Tech Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. San Diego State University is located in San Diego, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 28 ’s engineering tech degrees to qualified students.

SDSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Engineering Technologies Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend SDSU is $7,169 for california engineering tech students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Read full report on Engineering Technologies at SDSU

8
Los Angeles Trade Technical College crest
Los Angeles Trade Technical College
Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles Trade Technical College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Tech Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Los Angeles Trade Technical College is a medium-sized public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 89 ’s engineering tech degrees in 2020-2021.

Los Angeles Trade Technical College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Engineering Technologies Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Los Angeles Trade Technical College is $9,142 for california engineering tech students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Engineering Technologies at Los Angeles Trade Technical College

9

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Tech Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Cal Poly Pomona is a large school located in Pomona, California that handed out 138 ’s engineering tech degrees in 2020-2021.

Cal Poly Pomona also made our “Best Engineering Technologies Schools in California” list, coming in at #9. The estimated yearly cost for California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is $10,349 for California Engineering Tech students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Cal Poly Pomona Engineering Technologies Report

10

California State University - Chico ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Tech Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Chico State is a public institution located in Chico, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 142 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Chico State, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Engineering Technologies Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $11,754 for California Engineering Tech students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Chico State.

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%.

Read full report on Engineering Technologies at California State University - Chico

11
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

San Jose State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Engineering Tech Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #11. San Jose State is located in San Jose, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 163 ’s engineering tech degrees to qualified students.

San Jose State also made our “Best Engineering Technologies Schools in California” list, coming in at #8. It costs about $12,158 for california engineering tech students whose families make $0-$30k 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 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%.

Read full report on Engineering Technologies at San Jose State University

12
Academy of Art University crest
Academy of Art University
San Francisco, California

Academy of Art University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Tech Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Academy of Art University is a private for-profit institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 249 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Academy of Art University also made our “Best Engineering Technologies Schools in California” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for Academy of Art University is $33,484 for california engineering tech students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad 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%.

Read more about Engineering Technologies at Academy of Art University

13
DeVry University - California crest
DeVry University - California
Pomona, California

With a ranking of #13, DeVry University - California did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Tech Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Pomona, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out ’s engineering tech degrees to 20 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california engineering tech students whose families make $0-$30k list, DeVry University - California has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Engineering Technologies Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend DeVry University - California is $29,381 for california engineering tech students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Engineering Technologies at DeVry University - California

14
Art Center College of Design crest
Art Center College of Design
Pasadena, California

Art Center College of Design ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Tech Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Art Center College of Design is located in Pasadena, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 120 ’s engineering tech degrees to qualified students.

Art Center College of Design also made our “Best Engineering Technologies Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $40,209 for California Engineering Tech students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Art Center College of Design.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The 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%.

Full Art Center College of Design Engineering Technologies Report

15

California Institute of Arts & Technology ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Tech Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 35 ’s engineering tech degrees in 2020-2021.

California Institute of Arts & Technology not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Engineering Technologies Schools in California” list. It costs about $30,205 for California Engineering Tech students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California Institute of Arts & Technology.

Full California Institute of Arts & Technology Engineering Technologies Report

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