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2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k

13 Ranked Colleges
1,120 Degrees Awarded
$11,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2020-2021, 12,690 people earned their degree in chemical engineering, making the major the 64th most popular in the United States.

Across California, there were 1,120 chemical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 13 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in chemical engineering. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent chemical engineering programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the chemical engineering program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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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 Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k” list to help you make the college decision.

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 by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for california chem eng students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 13 Best Value Colleges for Chemical Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in California

1
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k. Stanford University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Stanford, California. It awarded 65 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Stanford, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $1,581 for california chem eng students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Stanford.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full Stanford University Chemical Engineering Report

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k. University of California - Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 175 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Berkeley also took the #2 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Berkeley is $9,999 for California Chem Eng students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Full University of California - Berkeley Chemical Engineering Report

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school awarded 119 diplomas to qualified ’s chem eng students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCLA is $9,891 for California Chem Eng students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full UCLA Chemical Engineering Report

4

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Davis landed the #4 spot on the list. UC Davis is a public institution located in Davis, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 104 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Davis also took the #5 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Davis is $11,598 for California Chem Eng students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Chemical Engineering at UC Davis

5

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - San Diego landed the #5 spot on the list. UCSD is a public institution located in La Jolla, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 130 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UCSD also made our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #6. The estimated yearly cost for UCSD is $11,176 for california chem eng students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Chemical Engineering at UCSD

6

University of California - Irvine did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #6. UC Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 77 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” list. It costs about $8,449 for California Chem Eng students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UC Irvine.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Chemical Engineering at UC Irvine

7

With a ranking of #7, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. UCSB is a large public school situated in Santa Barbara, California. It awarded 59 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california chem eng students whose families make $30-$48k list, UCSB has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $11,606 for California Chem Eng students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UCSB.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, 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 UCSB Chemical Engineering Report

8
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #8. USC is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 68 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

USC also made our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for USC is $17,345 for California Chem Eng students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad 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%.

Read more about Chemical Engineering at USC

9

California State University - Long Beach landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. California State University - Long Beach is a public institution located in Long Beach, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 74 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

CSULB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Long Beach is $7,573 for California Chem Eng students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, 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.

Read full report on Chemical Engineering at CSULB

10

University of California - Riverside landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of California - Riverside is a public institution located in Riverside, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 88 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UCR also made our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #10. It costs about $8,193 for California Chem Eng students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of California - Riverside.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full UCR Chemical Engineering Report

11

With a ranking of #11, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Cal Poly Pomona is a public institution located in Pomona, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 73 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california chem eng students whose families make $30-$48k list, Cal Poly Pomona has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cal Poly Pomona is $12,992 for california chem eng students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Cal Poly Pomona Chemical Engineering Report

12
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

San Jose State University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in San Jose, California, and it awarded 49 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california chem eng students whose families make $30-$48k list, San Jose State has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State University is $13,378 for California Chem Eng students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

Read full report on Chemical Engineering at San Jose State

13
Cal Baptist crest
California Baptist University
Riverside, California

California Baptist University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Cal Baptist is a fairly large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 16 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.

Cal Baptist also took the #13 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California Baptist University is $22,162 for california chem eng students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% 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 full report on Chemical Engineering at Cal Baptist

Notes and References

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