2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k
13
Ranked Colleges
1,136
Degrees Awarded
$10,100
Avg Net Price*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.
Chemical Engineering is the 70th most popular major in the country with 12,917 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, chemical engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $65,870 and had an average of $23,285 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 1,136 chemical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $58,086 and $17,925 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” 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.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the chemical engineering program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
One Size Does Not Fit All
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 $0-$30k” 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 $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 13 Best Value Colleges for Chemical Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in California
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Stanford, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s chem eng degrees to 65 students in 2020-2021.
Stanford did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” list. It costs about $1,233 for california chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Stanford University.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Read more about Chemical Engineering at Stanford University
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 $0-$30k. UC Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 175 ’s chem eng degrees to qualified students.
UC Berkeley also took the #2 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $8,450 for California Chem Eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Berkeley.
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%. 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 University of California - Berkeley
Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #3 spot on the list. University of California - Los Angeles is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 119 ’s chem eng degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our california chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k list, UCLA has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Los Angeles is $9,037 for california chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full UCLA Chemical Engineering Report
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 $0-$30k list. Davis, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s chem eng degrees to 120 students in 2020-2021.
UC Davis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” list. It costs about $10,006 for california chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UC Davis.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
Read full report on Chemical Engineering at UC Davis
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 $0-$30k. UCSD is a large public school situated in La Jolla, California. It awarded 130 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.
UCSD also took the #6 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - San Diego is $9,823 for california chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Chemical Engineering at UCSD
University of California - Irvine did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. This large school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 77 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k list, UC Irvine has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Irvine is $6,540 for California Chem Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full UC Irvine Chemical Engineering Report
University of Southern California did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 68 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k list, USC has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $17,287 for california chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend USC.
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 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 full report on Chemical Engineering at University of Southern California
University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. UCSB is a public institution located in Santa Barbara, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 59 ’s 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. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Santa Barbara is $10,568 for california chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of California - Santa Barbara Chemical Engineering Report
With a ranking of #9, California State University - Long Beach did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. CSULB is a large public school situated in Long Beach, California. It awarded 74 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.
CSULB also made our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #12. The estimated yearly cost for CSULB is $6,663 for California Chem Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Chemical Engineering at CSULB
University of California - Riverside did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #10. This large school is located in Riverside, California, and it awarded 88 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.
UCR also took the #10 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCR is $6,810 for California Chem Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Chemical Engineering at UCR
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Pomona, California, this large public school awarded 73 diplomas to qualified ’s chem eng students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california chem eng students whose families make $0-$30k list, Cal Poly Pomona has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $10,349 for California Chem Eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. 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%.
Full Cal Poly Pomona Chemical Engineering Report
With a ranking of #12, San Jose State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in San Jose, California, this large public school handed out 49 degrees to qualified ’s chem eng students in 2020-2021.
San Jose State also took the #9 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State is $12,158 for California Chem Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Chemical Engineering at San Jose State
California Baptist University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Chem Eng Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Cal Baptist is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 16 ’s chem eng degrees in 2020-2021.
Cal Baptist not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California Baptist University is $21,769 for California Chem Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full California Baptist University Chemical Engineering Report
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Notes and References
References
- 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).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
- *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Mikulova.
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