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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Biomedical Engineering in California

19 Ranked Colleges
1,032 Degrees Awarded
$19,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Bio Engineering Schools for a Bachelor's in California

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Bio Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” ranking.

Biomedical Engineering is the 75th most popular major in the country with 12,258 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, biomedical engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $58,234 and had an average of $23,170 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 1,702 biomedical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $55,380 and $21,463 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,032 biomedical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Bio Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” ranking analyzed 19 colleges that offered a degree in biomedical engineering. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality biomedical 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 biomedical engineering program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Biomedical Engineering Schools

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 Bio Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” list to help you make the college decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Bio Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree bio engineering students.

Top 19 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Biomedical Engineering in California

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 Bio Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California. California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is located in San Luis Obispo, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 102 bachelors’s bio engineering degrees to qualified students.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also took the #3 spot in our “Best Biomedical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is $21,595 for California Bachelor’s Degree Bio Engineering students.

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 student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Biomedical Engineering at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

#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 Bio Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California. UCLA is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 63 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree bio engineering students list, UCLA has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Biomedical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCLA is $14,279 for california bachelor’s degree bio engineering students.

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%.

Read full report on Biomedical Engineering at University of California - Los Angeles

#3

San Jose State University

San Jose, California

Out of the 19 schools in the Best Value Bio Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, San Jose State University landed the #3 spot on the list. San Jose State is located in San Jose, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 66 bachelors’s bio engineering degrees to qualified students.

San Jose State also took the #13 spot in our “Best Biomedical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,928 for california bachelor’s degree bio engineering students per year to attend San Jose State.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Biomedical Engineering at San Jose State

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - San Diego. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Bio Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. This large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 92 bachelors’s bio engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSD, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Biomedical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,232 for california bachelor’s degree bio engineering students per year to attend UCSD.

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

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Irvine. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Bio Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. UC Irvine is located in Irvine, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 120 bachelors’s bio engineering degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Irvine, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Biomedical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UC Irvine is $14,783 for california bachelor’s degree bio engineering students.

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 low student loan default rate of 1.3% 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 Irvine Biomedical Engineering Report

California State University - Long Beach landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Bio Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. California State University - Long Beach is a large school located in Long Beach, California that handed out 24 bachelors’s bio engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

CSULB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Biomedical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend CSULB is $9,622 for California Bachelor’s Degree Bio Engineering students.

The school has an impressive 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 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full CSULB Biomedical Engineering Report

University of California - Davis did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Bio Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Davis, California, this large public school awarded 116 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s bio engineering students in 2019-2020.

UC Davis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Biomedical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $14,669 for california bachelor’s degree bio engineering students.

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%.

Read full report on Biomedical Engineering at UC Davis

With a ranking of #8, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Bio Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 86 bachelors’s bio engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Biomedical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $15,329 for california bachelor’s degree bio engineering students per year to attend University of California - Berkeley.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of California - Berkeley Biomedical Engineering Report

University of California - Riverside came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Bio Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. This large school is located in Riverside, California, and it awarded 76 bachelors’s bio engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

UCR also took the #14 spot in our “Best Biomedical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Riverside is $12,871 for California Bachelor’s Degree Bio Engineering students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, 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 91%.

Full UCR Biomedical Engineering Report

#10

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#16 in overall quality

San Diego State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Bio Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #10. San Diego, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s bio engineering degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.

SDSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Biomedical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $14,788 for california bachelor’s degree bio engineering students per year to attend SDSU.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. 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%.

Full San Diego State University Biomedical Engineering Report

#11

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California

University of California - Santa Cruz ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Bio Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. This fairly large school is located in Santa Cruz, California, and it awarded 72 bachelors’s bio engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Santa Cruz also took the #11 spot in our “Best Biomedical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $18,186 for california bachelor’s degree bio engineering students per year to attend UC Santa Cruz.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 2.9% 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 Santa Cruz Biomedical Engineering Report

With a ranking of #12, University of California - Merced did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Bio Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. UC Merced is a medium-sized school located in Merced, California that handed out 34 bachelors’s bio engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Merced also took the #18 spot in our “Best Biomedical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Merced is $13,896 for california bachelor’s degree bio engineering students.

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 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Biomedical Engineering at UC Merced

#13

California Baptist University

Riverside, California
#17 in overall quality

California Baptist University landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Bio Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Cal Baptist is located in Riverside, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13 bachelors’s bio engineering degrees to qualified students.

Cal Baptist not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Biomedical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $24,707 for california bachelor’s degree bio engineering students per year to attend California Baptist University.

The low student loan default rate of 4.6% 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 Biomedical Engineering at California Baptist University

Southern California Institute of Technology landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Bio Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Southern California Institute of Technology is a small school located in Anaheim, California that handed out 19 bachelors’s bio engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Southern California Institute of Technology also made our “Best Biomedical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #19. The yearly cost to attend Southern California Institute of Technology is $27,143 for california bachelor’s degree bio engineering students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The low student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%.

Read more about Biomedical Engineering at Southern California Institute of Technology

#15

University of the Pacific

Stockton, California

With a ranking of #15, University of the Pacific did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Bio Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Stockton, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s bio engineering degrees to 20 students in 2019-2020.

Pacific also took the #12 spot in our “Best Biomedical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Pacific is $28,929 for california bachelor’s degree bio engineering students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, 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 87%.

Read more about Biomedical Engineering at University of the Pacific

#16

Santa Clara University

Santa Clara, California

Santa Clara University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Bio Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Santa Clara University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Santa Clara, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 37 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SCU also made our “Best Biomedical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #5. The estimated yearly cost for SCU is $38,327 for California Bachelor’s Degree Bio Engineering students.

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

Read more about Biomedical Engineering at Santa Clara University

#17

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

Stanford University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Bio Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Stanford is a fairly large school located in Stanford, California that handed out 35 bachelors’s bio engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Stanford, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Biomedical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford University is $11,496 for California Bachelor’s Degree Bio Engineering students.

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

Full Stanford University Biomedical Engineering Report

#18

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, California
#4 in overall quality

California Institute of Technology landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Bio Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. California Institute of Technology is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Pasadena, California. It awarded 5 bachelors’s bio engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Caltech, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Biomedical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $24,274 for California Bachelor’s Degree Bio Engineering students per year to attend California Institute of Technology.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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%.

Read more about Biomedical Engineering at California Institute of Technology

#19

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Bio Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 51 degrees to qualified bachelors’s bio engineering students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree bio engineering students list, USC has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Biomedical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend USC is $29,528 for California Bachelor’s Degree Bio Engineering students.

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 student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, 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 91%.

Full University of Southern California Biomedical Engineering Report

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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.

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