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2026 Best Value Biological Engineering Schools in California

[Biological Engineering](/majors/engineering/biological-biosystems-engineering/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.

For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 3 schools to find the best return on investment for biological engineering students.

What’s on this page:

• Best Value Biological Engineering Schools in California

2026 Best Value Biological Engineering Schools in California

If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the biological engineering degrees they offer, see the list below.

Best Value Biological Engineering Schools

1

University Of California San Diego
La Jolla, CA

$15,788 In-State Tuition & Fees

$14,933 Avg Student Debt

$84,943 Median Earnings (10yr)

For return on investment in biological engineering, no school beat University Of California San Diego this year. Located in the city of La Jolla, University Of California San Diego is a very large public university. In-state tuition and fees average $15,788, with out-of-state students paying around $47,676. Typical student debt for biological engineering graduates is $14,933. Early-career biological engineering graduates make about $67,016. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 27%.

2

University Of California Davis
Davis, CA

$15,804 In-State Tuition & Fees

$14,404 Avg Student Debt

$80,838 Median Earnings (10yr)

A rank of #2 makes University Of California Davis one of the best values for biological engineering. Set in the suburb of Davis, University Of California Davis is a very large public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $15,804, with out-of-state students paying around $47,692. Typical student debt for biological engineering graduates is $14,404. Early-career biological engineering graduates make about $53,749. Set against $14,404 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 42%.

View All Biological Engineering Rankings >

Notes and References

The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 3 schools evaluated.

*Averages shown above reflect the top 2 ranked schools only.

• 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).

More about our data sources and methodologies.