2026 Best Software Engineering Schools in the Far Western Region
Software Engineering is a field worth a close look when choosing where to study. The schools below stand out for the quality of their software engineering programs.
College Factual analyzed 24 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the best software engineering schools.
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Best Schools for Software Engineering in the Far Western Region
If you are not interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the software engineering degrees they offer, see the list below.
Top Schools in Software Engineering
No school ranked higher than California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo this year for software engineering. Located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo, California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo is a very large public university. California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo graduates 86% of students within six years. There were roughly 37 software engineering students who graduated with this degree at California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo in the most recent data year. Software Engineering graduates of California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo earn a median of $111,560 early in their careers. Typical student debt for the program is $20,556.
See the full software engineering program report for California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo
San Jose State University is one of the finest schools in the country for a degree in software engineering, ranking #2. Set in the city of San Jose, San Jose State University is a very large public institution. About 69% of students finish within six years. About 475 software engineering degrees were awarded at San Jose State University in the most recent year.
Get the full software engineering details for San Jose State University
Students looking for a strong software engineering program will find one at University Of California Irvine, which ranked #3. Located in the city of Irvine, University Of California Irvine is a very large public university. About 87% of students finish within six years. University Of California Irvine awarded about 111 software engineering degrees in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, software engineering degree recipients from University Of California Irvine generally make around $79,812. University Of California Irvine graduates carry a median of $19,233 in student loans.
Read more about the software engineering program at University Of California Irvine
Chapman University is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in software engineering, landing the #4 spot this year. Set in the city of Orange, Chapman University is a large private not-for-profit institution. Roughly 82% of students complete a degree within six years here. There were roughly 10 software engineering students who graduated with this degree at Chapman University in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, software engineering degree recipients from Chapman University generally make around $50,947. Chapman University graduates carry a median of $21,657 in student loans.
See the full software engineering program report for Chapman University
Students looking for a strong software engineering program will find one at California State University San Marcos, which ranked #5. This large public university is located in the suburb of San Marcos. About 55% of students finish within six years. About 36 software engineering degrees were awarded at California State University San Marcos in the most recent year. Software Engineering graduates of California State University San Marcos earn a median of $48,726 early in their careers. California State University San Marcos graduates carry a median of $17,527 in student loans.
More information about a degree in software engineering from California State University San Marcos
Washington State University ranked #6 on our 2026 list of the best software engineering schools. This very large public university is located in the town of Pullman. About 60% of students finish within six years. About 36 software engineering degrees were awarded at Washington State University in the most recent year. Students who receive their software engineering degree from Washington State University earn around $87,135 in the first couple years of their career. Typical student debt for the program is $21,750.
Read more about the software engineering program at Washington State University
California State University Fullerton earned the #7 position for software engineering this year. Located in the suburb of Fullerton, California State University Fullerton is a very large public university. About 70% of students finish within six years. There were roughly 75 software engineering students who graduated with this degree at California State University Fullerton in the most recent data year. Students who receive their software engineering degree from California State University Fullerton earn around $84,047 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $18,500 to complete this degree.
Read more about the software engineering program at California State University Fullerton
California State University Northridge ranked #8 on our 2026 list of the best software engineering schools. Located in the city of Northridge, California State University Northridge is a very large public university. Roughly 57% of students complete a degree within six years here. There were roughly 12 software engineering students who graduated with this degree at California State University Northridge in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, software engineering degree recipients from California State University Northridge generally make around $75,692. California State University Northridge graduates carry a median of $19,548 in student loans.
More information about a degree in software engineering from California State University Northridge
University Of California Merced placed #9 among the best software engineering schools. Located in the suburb of Merced, University Of California Merced is a moderately-sized public university. University Of California Merced graduates 69% of students within six years. University Of California Merced awarded about 18 software engineering degrees in the most recent data year. Graduates of the software engineering program make about $58,835 in their early career. Students borrow a median of $19,086 to complete this degree.
More information about a degree in software engineering from University Of California Merced
Ashford University came in at #10 for software engineering this year. This very large private for-profit university is located in the city of San Diego. Ashford University graduates 10% of students within six years. There were roughly 72 software engineering students who graduated with this degree at Ashford University in the most recent data year. Software Engineering graduates of Ashford University earn a median of $48,441 early in their careers. Ashford University graduates carry a median of $39,515 in student loans.
Read more about the software engineering program at Ashford University
California Baptist University came in at #11 for software engineering this year. California Baptist University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Riverside. About 62% of students finish within six years. California Baptist University awarded about 10 software engineering degrees in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, software engineering degree recipients from California Baptist University generally make around $75,087. Typical student debt for the program is $27,000.
Get the full software engineering details for California Baptist University
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Notes and References
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and program quality, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 24 schools evaluated.
- 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.
