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2022 Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California

11 Ranked Colleges
769 Degrees Awarded
$15,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools for a Bachelor's in California

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 Aerospace Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering is the 109th most popular major in the country with 7,582 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across California, there were 1,160 aerospace and aeronautical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 769 aerospace and aeronautical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” ranking, we looked at 11 colleges that offer a degree in aerospace and aeronautical engineering. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great aerospace and aeronautical engineering programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the aerospace and aeronautical engineering 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

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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 Aerospace Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California.

Top 11 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering in California

#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is located in San Luis Obispo, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 113 bachelors’s aerospace engineering degrees to qualified students.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also made our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is $21,595 for california bachelor’s degree aerospace engineering students.

The low student loan default rate of 1.1% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

#2

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. University of California - Los Angeles is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 56 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UCLA also took the #4 spot in our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,279 for California Bachelor’s Degree Aerospace Engineering students per year to attend University of California - Los Angeles.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, 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 96%.

Full University of California - Los Angeles Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Report

#8 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona landed the #3 spot on the list. Cal Poly Pomona is a public institution located in Pomona, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 103 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal Poly Pomona, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering 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 Aerospace Engineering 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 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 more about Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona

#11 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Long Beach. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. This large school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 73 bachelors’s aerospace engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

CSULB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $9,622 for california bachelor’s degree aerospace engineering students per year to attend CSULB.

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 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 Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering at California State University - Long Beach

#5

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#9 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Jose State University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. San Jose State is located in San Jose, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 82 bachelors’s aerospace engineering degrees to qualified students.

San Jose State also took the #9 spot in our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,928 for California Bachelor’s Degree Aerospace Engineering students per year to attend San Jose State University.

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%. 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 San Jose State Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Report

#5 in overall quality

University of California - Irvine landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Irvine, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s aerospace engineering degrees to 79 students in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $14,783 for california bachelor’s degree aerospace engineering students per year to attend UC Irvine.

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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering at University of California - Irvine

#7

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#10 in overall quality

San Diego State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. San Diego State University is a large school located in San Diego, California that handed out 61 bachelors’s aerospace engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

SDSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend SDSU is $14,788 for california bachelor’s degree aerospace engineering students.

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

Full SDSU Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Report

#7 in overall quality

University of California - San Diego ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. UCSD is located in La Jolla, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 75 bachelors’s aerospace engineering 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 Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - San Diego is $14,232 for California Bachelor’s Degree Aerospace Engineering students.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, 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%.

Full UCSD Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Report

#6 in overall quality

University of California - Davis did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #9. University of California - Davis is a large public school situated in Davis, California. It awarded 76 bachelors’s aerospace engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Davis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Davis is $14,669 for California Bachelor’s Degree Aerospace Engineering students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering at UC Davis

#10

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

Stanford University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. This fairly large school is located in Stanford, California, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s aerospace engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Stanford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford is $11,496 for california bachelor’s degree aerospace engineering students.

The low student loan default rate of 0.5% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering at Stanford

#11

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California
#2 in overall quality

University of Southern California did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #11. University of Southern California is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 43 bachelors’s aerospace engineering degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at USC, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $29,528 for California Bachelor’s Degree Aerospace Engineering students per year to attend USC.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 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 91%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering at USC

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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 Ian3055.

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