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2023 Best Value Colleges for Chemical Engineering (Income Over $110k) in California

13 Ranked Colleges
1,120 Degrees Awarded
$31,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Vallue Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Vallue Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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 Vallue Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k” ranking looked at 13 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Vallue Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

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Best Vallue Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k

The colleges and universities below are the best for california chem eng students whose families make more than $110k.

Top 13 Best Value Colleges for Chemical Engineering (Income Over $110k) in California

1

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Vallue Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #1 spot on the list. 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. It costs about $15,023 for California Chem Eng students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend University of California - Los Angeles.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. 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%.

Read more about Chemical Engineering at UCLA

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Vallue Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k list. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 175 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Berkeley also made our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $16,032 for california chem eng students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend University of California - Berkeley.

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 96%.

Full UC Berkeley Chemical Engineering Report

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Long Beach. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Vallue Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k 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.

In addition to being on our california chem eng students whose families make more than $110k list, CSULB has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Long Beach is $10,054 for california chem eng students whose families make more than $110k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, 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 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Chemical Engineering at CSULB

4

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Vallue Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - San Diego landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in La Jolla, California, this large public school handed out 130 degrees to qualified ’s chem eng students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california chem eng students whose families make more than $110k list, UCSD has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $15,240 for california chem eng students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend UCSD.

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

5

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Vallue Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Davis landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Davis, California, this large public school awarded 104 degrees to qualified ’s chem eng students in 2020-2021.

UC Davis also took the #5 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $15,768 for California Chem Eng students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend University of California - Davis.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% 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 93%.

Full UC Davis Chemical Engineering Report

6

With a ranking of #6, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well on the 2023 Best Vallue Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k list. Located in Pomona, California, this large public school awarded 73 diplomas to qualified ’s chem eng students in 2020-2021.

Cal Poly Pomona did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is $14,304 for california chem eng students whose families make more than $110k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Cal Poly Pomona Chemical Engineering Report

7
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

San Jose State University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Vallue Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking. San Jose State University 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.

San Jose State also made our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #9. It costs about $16,542 for california chem eng students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend San Jose State.

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.

Full San Jose State University Chemical Engineering Report

8

University of California - Irvine ranked #8 on this year’s Best Vallue Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k list. Located in Irvine, California, this large public school awarded 77 degrees to qualified ’s chem eng students in 2020-2021.

UC Irvine also made our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #7. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Irvine is $12,209 for California Chem Eng students whose families make more than $110k.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Full University of California - Irvine Chemical Engineering Report

9

University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Vallue Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking. Santa Barbara, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s chem eng degrees to 59 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSB, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $16,252 for california chem eng students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend UCSB.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of California - Santa Barbara Chemical Engineering Report

10

University of California - Riverside came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Vallue Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k 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 also took the #10 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $11,822 for California Chem Eng students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend UCR.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Chemical Engineering at UCR

11
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

Stanford University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Vallue Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking. Stanford University is located in Stanford, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 65 ’s chem eng degrees to qualified students.

Stanford also took the #1 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Stanford is $12,894 for California Chem Eng students whose families make more than $110k.

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 undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Full Stanford Chemical Engineering Report

12
Cal Baptist crest
California Baptist University
Riverside, California

California Baptist University landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Best Vallue Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking. Cal Baptist is a fairly large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 16 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california chem eng students whose families make more than $110k list, Cal Baptist has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $26,719 for california chem eng students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend California Baptist University.

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%.

Full California Baptist University Chemical Engineering Report

13
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Vallue Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s chem eng degrees to 68 students in 2020-2021.

USC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Southern California is $32,569 for California Chem Eng students whose families make more than $110k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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.

Read full report on Chemical Engineering at University of Southern California

Notes and References

References

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