College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2024 Best Value Colleges for Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering in California

11 Ranked Colleges
1,275 Degrees Awarded
$16,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in California

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in California” ranking.

In 2020-2021, 8,001 people earned their degree in aerospace & aeronautical engineering, making the major the 94th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, aerospace & 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 & 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” ranking looked at 11 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in aerospace & aeronautical engineering. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent aerospace & aeronautical engineering programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the aerospace & aeronautical engineering 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.

More Ways to Rank Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Schools

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Aerospace Engineering Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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 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 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

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in California.

Top 11 Best Value Colleges for Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering in California

1

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #1 spot on the list. University of California - Los Angeles is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 87 ’s aerospace engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Los Angeles is $15,023 for california aerospace engineering students.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

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

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo. It ranked #2 on our 2024 Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in California list. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a large public school situated in San Luis Obispo, California. It awarded 110 ’s aerospace engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also took the #5 spot in our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $20,677 for California Aerospace Engineering students per year to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

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

3

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - San Diego landed the #3 spot on the list. University of California - San Diego is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 143 ’s aerospace engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california aerospace engineering students list, UCSD has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - San Diego is $15,240 for California Aerospace Engineering students.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Long Beach. It ranked #4 on our 2024 Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in California list. This large school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 73 ’s aerospace engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

CSULB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Schools in California” list. It costs about $10,054 for california aerospace engineering students per year to attend CSULB.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Read more about Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering at California State University - Long Beach

5

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Davis landed the #5 spot on the 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 not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $15,768 for California Aerospace Engineering students.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad 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 UC Davis Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Report

6
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

San Jose State University did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in California ranking, coming in at #6. This large school is located in San Jose, California, and it awarded 71 ’s aerospace engineering degrees 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. The yearly cost to attend San Jose State is $16,542 for california aerospace engineering students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering at San Jose State University

7

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in California ranking. Cal Poly Pomona is a large school located in Pomona, California that handed out 101 ’s aerospace engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Cal Poly Pomona did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is $14,304 for california aerospace engineering students.

With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Cal Poly Pomona Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Report

8
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

San Diego State University landed the #8 spot on the 2024 Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in California ranking. Located in San Diego, California, this large public school handed out 90 degrees to qualified ’s aerospace engineering students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SDSU, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $13,845 for California Aerospace Engineering students per year to attend San Diego State University.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering at SDSU

9

With a ranking of #9, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2024 Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in California list. University of California - Irvine is a large school located in Irvine, California that handed out 85 ’s aerospace engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california aerospace engineering students list, UC Irvine has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Irvine is $12,209 for california aerospace engineering students.

The low undergrad 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.

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

10
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

Stanford University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in California ranking. Stanford University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 93 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Stanford also made our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford is $12,894 for California Aerospace Engineering students.

With a freshman retention rate of 98%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering at Stanford

11
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in California ranking, coming in at #11. USC is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 167 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

USC also made our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend USC is $32,569 for California Aerospace Engineering students.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The undergrad 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 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full USC Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Report

Switch to a Similar Major

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

Credits

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options