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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in California

11 Ranked Colleges
769 Degrees Awarded
$10,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making $30-$48k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 Aerospace Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 7,582 people earned their degree in aerospace and aeronautical engineering, making the major the 101st most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, aerospace and aeronautical engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $65,466 and had an average of $23,943 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 1,160 aerospace and aeronautical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $66,790 and $22,709 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 For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 11 colleges that offer a degree 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Aerospace Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” list to help you make the college decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree aerospace engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 11 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in California

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #1 spot on the list. Stanford University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s 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 $1,145 for California Bachelor’s Degree Aerospace Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Stanford University Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Report

#2

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k. UCLA is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 56 bachelors’s aerospace engineering degrees to qualified students.

UCLA also made our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Los Angeles is $9,254 for california bachelor’s degree aerospace engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.0% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

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

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Irvine landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Irvine, California, this large public school handed out 79 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s aerospace engineering students in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine also made our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #5. The estimated yearly cost for UC Irvine is $10,373 for california bachelor’s degree aerospace engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%.

Full UC Irvine Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Report

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo landed the #4 spot on the 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 113 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is $14,680 for california bachelor’s degree aerospace engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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%.

Read more about Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Long Beach landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school handed out 73 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s aerospace engineering students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSULB, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Long Beach is $7,595 for California Bachelor’s Degree Aerospace Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. 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 more about Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering at California State University - Long Beach

#6

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #6. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 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. It costs about $10,594 for California Bachelor’s Degree Aerospace Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend SDSU.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low student loan default rate of 2.8% 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%.

Full SDSU Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Report

University of California - San Diego landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of California - San Diego is a public institution located in La Jolla, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 75 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree aerospace engineering students whose families make $30-$48k list, UCSD has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $9,974 for california bachelor’s degree aerospace engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UCSD.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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%.

Full UCSD Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Report

University of California - Davis landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. UC Davis is a public institution located in Davis, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 76 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Davis also made our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #6. The estimated yearly cost for UC Davis is $10,769 for California Bachelor’s Degree Aerospace Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, 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 93%.

Full University of California - Davis Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Report

#9

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #9. University of Southern California is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 43 bachelors’s aerospace engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

USC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend USC is $16,252 for California Bachelor’s Degree Aerospace Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low student loan default rate of 1.2% 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 91%.

Read more about Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering at USC

With a ranking of #10, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k 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.

Cal Poly Pomona also took 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 $9,630 for California Bachelor’s Degree Aerospace Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering at Cal Poly Pomona

#11

San Jose State University

San Jose, California

San Jose State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #11. This large school is located in San Jose, California, and it awarded 82 bachelors’s aerospace engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

San Jose State also took the #9 spot in our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State University is $11,752 for California Bachelor’s Degree Aerospace Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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%.

Read more about Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering at San Jose State

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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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