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

11 Ranked Colleges
1,275 Degrees Awarded
$9,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2020-2021, 8,001 people earned their degree in aerospace and aeronautical engineering, making the major the 94th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, aerospace and aeronautical engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $70,535 and had an average of $24,126 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 1,275 aerospace and aeronautical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $75,108 and $21,474 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 11 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in aerospace and aeronautical engineering. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality aerospace and aeronautical engineering programs that also have a lower cost than 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 aerospace and aeronautical engineering 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 Aerospace Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

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

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

Top 11 Best Value Colleges for Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering (Income $0-$30k) 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 Aerospace Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Stanford University is a fairly large school located in Stanford, California that handed out 93 ’s aerospace engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

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

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 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%. 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 Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering at Stanford University

2

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school awarded 87 degrees to qualified ’s aerospace engineering students in 2020-2021.

UCLA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Los Angeles is $9,037 for California Aerospace Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, 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 undergraduate students.

Full UCLA Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Report

3
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Southern California. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 167 diplomas to qualified ’s aerospace engineering students in 2020-2021.

USC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Schools in California” list. It costs about $17,287 for california aerospace engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Southern California.

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%. 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.

Full USC Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Report

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - San Diego. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. UCSD is a large public school situated in La Jolla, California. It awarded 143 ’s aerospace engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

UCSD also took the #4 spot in our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCSD is $9,823 for California Aerospace Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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 full report on Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering at University of California - San Diego

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Davis. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - Davis is located in Davis, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 86 ’s aerospace engineering degrees to qualified students.

UC Davis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $10,006 for california aerospace engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

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

6

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public institution located in San Luis Obispo, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 110 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also made our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #5. The estimated yearly cost for California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is $12,173 for california aerospace engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%.

Full Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Report

7

University of California - Irvine ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. UC Irvine is a public institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 85 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Irvine also took the #7 spot in our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Irvine is $6,540 for california aerospace engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering at University of California - Irvine

8

California State University - Long Beach ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - Long Beach is located in Long Beach, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 73 ’s aerospace engineering degrees to qualified students.

CSULB also made our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #11. It costs about $6,663 for California Aerospace Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Long Beach.

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 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering at CSULB

9
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

With a ranking of #9, San Diego State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. San Diego State University is located in San Diego, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 90 ’s aerospace engineering degrees to qualified students.

SDSU also took the #8 spot in our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend San Diego State University is $7,169 for California Aerospace Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Full San Diego State University Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Report

10

With a ranking of #10, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Pomona, California, and it awarded 101 ’s aerospace engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california aerospace engineering students whose families make $0-$30k list, Cal Poly Pomona has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is $10,349 for california aerospace engineering 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 Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Report

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

San Jose State University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in San Jose, California, this large public school awarded 71 degrees to qualified ’s aerospace engineering students in 2020-2021.

San Jose State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Schools in California” list. It costs about $12,158 for California Aerospace Engineering 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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering at San Jose State

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