2023 Best Value Colleges for Software Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in California
9
Ranked Colleges
868
Degrees Awarded
$12,700
Avg Net Price*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Computer Software Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
In 2020-2021, 4,251 people earned their degree in software engineering, making the major the 167th most popular in the United States.
Across California, there were 868 software engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Computer Software Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 9 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in software engineering. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent software engineering programs, but they also cost less that 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 software engineering program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Computer Software Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
Best Value Computer Software Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k
The colleges and universities below are the best for california computer software engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
Top 9 Best Value Colleges for Software Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in California
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Irvine. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Computer Software Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. UC Irvine is a public institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 109 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Irvine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Software Engineering Schools in California” list. It costs about $8,449 for California Computer Software Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UC Irvine.
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 undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Software Engineering at UC Irvine
Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Computer Software Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, San Jose State University landed the #2 spot on the list. San Jose State is a large public school situated in San Jose, California. It awarded 541 ’s computer software engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
San Jose State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Software Engineering Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State is $13,378 for California Computer Software Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Software Engineering at San Jose State University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fullerton. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Computer Software Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. California State University - Fullerton is located in Fullerton, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 59 ’s computer software engineering degrees to qualified students.
Cal State Fullerton also took the #5 spot in our “Best Software Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cal State Fullerton is $5,821 for California Computer Software Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, 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 89%.
Read more about Software Engineering at Cal State Fullerton
Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Computer Software Engineering Schools 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 large public school situated in San Luis Obispo, California. It awarded 61 ’s computer software engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also took the #3 spot in our “Best Software Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is $13,194 for california computer software 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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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 Software Engineering at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Santa Clara University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Computer Software Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Santa Clara, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 2 diplomas to qualified ’s computer software engineering students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at SCU, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Software Engineering Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $23,508 for california computer software engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend SCU.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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 Software Engineering at Santa Clara University
California State University - Northridge landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Computer Software Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. CSUN is a public institution located in Northridge, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 7 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california computer software engineering students whose families make $30-$48k list, CSUN has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Software Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Northridge is $7,103 for California Computer Software Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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 Software Engineering at CSUN
California State University - Sacramento landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Computer Software Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Sacramento, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s computer software engineering degrees to 2 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Sac State, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Software Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Sac State is $9,055 for California Computer Software Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Software Engineering at Sac State
University of California - Merced did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Computer Software Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #8. UC Merced is a medium-sized school located in Merced, California that handed out 13 ’s computer software engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Merced, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Software Engineering Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $11,400 for California Computer Software Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of California - Merced.
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 undergrad 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 University of California - Merced Software Engineering Report
California Baptist University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Computer Software Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Cal Baptist is located in Riverside, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 15 ’s computer software engineering degrees to qualified students.
Cal Baptist also took the #6 spot in our “Best Software Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California Baptist University is $22,162 for california computer software engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Software Engineering at Cal Baptist
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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
- *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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