College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k

13 Ranked Colleges
1,120 Degrees Awarded
Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Chemical Engineering is the 64th most popular major in the country with 12,690 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.

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 $48-$75k” ranking analyzed 13 colleges that offered a degree in chemical engineering. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great chemical engineering programs and 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Chemical Engineering Schools

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Chem Eng Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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.

Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 13 Best Value Colleges for Chemical Engineering (Income $48-$75k) 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 $48-$75k. 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 $7,081 for california chem eng students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Stanford.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Stanford University Chemical Engineering Report

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. 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 not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Berkeley is $13,423 for California Chem Eng students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Read full report on Chemical Engineering at UC Berkeley

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k. UCLA is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 119 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.

UCLA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Los Angeles is $12,644 for california chem eng students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Chemical Engineering at UCLA

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Davis. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Davis, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s chem eng degrees to 104 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Davis, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Davis is $14,193 for California Chem Eng students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Chemical Engineering at UC Davis

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - San Diego. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k. University of California - San Diego 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 $14,310 for california chem eng students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 1.0% 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%.

Full UCSD Chemical Engineering Report

6

University of California - Irvine came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. 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. The estimated yearly cost for UC Irvine is $13,275 for California Chem Eng students whose families make $48-$75k.

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.

Full University of California - Irvine Chemical Engineering Report

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 $48-$75k list. University of California - Santa Barbara is a large school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 59 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.

UCSB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” list. It costs about $14,583 for California Chem Eng students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UCSB.

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 91%.

Full UCSB Chemical Engineering Report

8
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

With a ranking of #8, University of Southern California did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. 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 not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Southern California is $22,826 for california chem eng students whose families make $48-$75k.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Chemical Engineering at USC

9

University of California - Riverside came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Riverside, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s chem eng degrees to 88 students in 2020-2021.

UCR did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” list. It costs about $11,126 for california chem eng students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of California - Riverside.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Full University of California - Riverside Chemical Engineering Report

10

California State University - Long Beach ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. CSULB is located in Long Beach, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 74 ’s chem eng degrees to qualified students.

CSULB also took the #12 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend CSULB is $11,189 for california chem eng students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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 89%.

Read full report on Chemical Engineering at California State University - Long Beach

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 $48-$75k list. California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is a large school located in Pomona, California that handed out 73 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.

Cal Poly Pomona also made our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #11. The yearly cost to attend Cal Poly Pomona is $15,958 for California Chem Eng students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Chemical Engineering at Cal Poly Pomona

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

San Jose State University landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. San Jose State is located in San Jose, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 49 ’s chem eng degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california chem eng students whose families make $48-$75k list, San Jose State has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend San Jose State University is $17,338 for California Chem Eng students whose families make $48-$75k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Chemical Engineering at San Jose State University

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 $48-$75k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Riverside, California, and it awarded 16 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.

Cal Baptist did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Cal Baptist is $25,553 for california chem eng students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 more about Chemical Engineering at California Baptist University

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

Credits

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options