2024 Best Software Engineering Schools in California
7
Colleges in California
868
Computer Software Engineering Degrees Awarded
If you plan on majoring in
software engineering, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #167 in the country in terms of popularity. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.
In 2024, College Factual analyzed 7 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Software Engineering Schools in California ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 868 degrees in software engineering to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great Software Engineering School
Your choice of software engineering school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Software Engineering School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.
In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.
Pick Your Software Engineering Degree Level
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Software Engineering Schools in California ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat.
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.
If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.
Best Schools for Software Engineering in California
The schools below may not offer all types of computer software engineering degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.
Top California Schools in Computer Software Engineering
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
12th
Most Popular In CA
Santa Clara University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in software engineering. SCU is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Santa Clara. A Best Colleges rank of #50 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means SCU is a great university overall.
There were approximately 2 software engineering students who graduated with this degree at SCU in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in software engineering from Santa Clara University
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
2nd
Most Popular In CA
109
Computer Software Engineering Degrees Awarded
It is difficult to beat University of California - Irvine if you wish to pursue a degree in software engineering. Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #61 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UC Irvine is a great university overall.
There were roughly 109 software engineering students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in software engineering from University of California - Irvine
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In CA
541
Computer Software Engineering Degrees Awarded
San Jose State University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in software engineering. Located in the city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #161 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means San Jose State is a great university overall.
There were approximately 541 software engineering students who graduated with this degree at San Jose State in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in software engineering from San Jose State University
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
3rd
Most Popular In CA
61
Computer Software Engineering Degrees Awarded
It's hard to beat California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo if you wish to pursue a degree in software engineering. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a very large public university located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo. A Best Colleges rank of #95 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a great university overall.
There were roughly 61 software engineering students who graduated with this degree at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in software engineering from California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
7th
Most Popular In CA
University of California - Merced is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in software engineering. UC Merced is a medium-sized public university located in the rural area of Merced. This university ranks 55th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were about 13 software engineering students who graduated with this degree at UC Merced in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in software engineering from University of California - Merced