2026 Best Value Computer Hardware Engineering Schools in California
[Computer Hardware Engineering](/majors/engineering/ce-computer-engineering/computer-hardware-engineering/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong computer hardware engineering education at a price that pays off.
College Factual analyzed 3 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the best value computer hardware engineering schools.
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2026 Best Value Computer Hardware Engineering Schools in California
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the computer hardware engineering degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Computer Hardware Engineering Schools
University Of California San Diego earned the #1 spot for value among computer hardware engineering schools in California. Set in the city of La Jolla, University Of California San Diego is a very large public institution. In-state tuition and fees average $15,788, with out-of-state students paying around $47,676. Computer Hardware Engineering graduates carry a median of $18,497 in student loans. Computer Hardware Engineering graduates of University Of California San Diego earn a median of $96,256 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 27%.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Santa Clara University earned it the #2 place for computer hardware engineering. Santa Clara University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Santa Clara. Students from in state pay about $61,293 in tuition and fees. Students borrow a median of $24,666 to complete the computer hardware engineering program here. Soon after graduation, computer hardware engineering degree recipients from Santa Clara University generally make around $128,924. That is a strong return on a $24,666 median debt. Santa Clara University admits about 48% of applicants.
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Notes and References
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, 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 1 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.
