2022 Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking.
Chemical Engineering is the 66th most popular major in the country with 13,610 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, chemical engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $62,963 and had an average of $22,564 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 1,196 chemical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $54,945 and $17,612 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 903 chemical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 14 colleges that offer a degree 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.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the chemical engineering program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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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 for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” 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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k.
Top 14 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Chemical Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in California
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Stanford University is located in Stanford, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 11 bachelors’s chem eng degrees to qualified students.
Stanford also took the #1 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Stanford University is $1,145 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chem Eng students whose families make $30-$48k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a 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 excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school handed out 112 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s chem eng students in 2019-2020.
UC Berkeley also made our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #4. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Berkeley is $9,130 for California Bachelor’s Degree 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 96%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Chemical Engineering at University of California - Berkeley
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Institute of Technology. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. California Institute of Technology is located in Pasadena, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 9 bachelors’s chem eng degrees to qualified students.
Caltech did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Caltech is $3,756 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chem Eng students whose families make $30-$48k.
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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read more about Chemical Engineering at California Institute of Technology
Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #4 spot on the list. University of California - Los Angeles is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 74 bachelors’s chem eng degrees in 2019-2020.
UCLA also made our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $9,254 for california bachelor’s degree chem eng students whose families make $30-$48k 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 student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Irvine. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. UC Irvine is located in Irvine, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 68 bachelors’s chem eng degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Irvine, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Irvine is $10,373 for california bachelor’s degree chem eng students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read full report on Chemical Engineering at University of California - Irvine
California State University - Long Beach ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. California State University - Long Beach is a public institution located in Long Beach, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 91 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSULB, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Long Beach is $7,595 for california bachelor’s degree chem eng students whose families make $30-$48k.
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 student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Chemical Engineering at California State University - Long Beach
University of California - Riverside landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in Riverside, California, and it awarded 69 bachelors’s chem eng degrees in 2019-2020.
UCR did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Riverside is $9,151 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chem Eng students whose families make $30-$48k.
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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of California - Davis ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of California - Davis is a large public school situated in Davis, California. It awarded 130 bachelors’s chem eng degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Davis, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $10,769 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chem Eng students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of California - Davis.
The low student loan default rate of 1.9% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #9. UCSB is located in Santa Barbara, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 54 bachelors’s chem eng degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSB, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Santa Barbara is $11,895 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chem Eng students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive 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 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read more about Chemical Engineering at University of California - Santa Barbara
University of California - San Diego came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. UCSD is located in La Jolla, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 105 bachelors’s chem eng degrees to qualified students.
UCSD also made our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #8. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - San Diego is $9,974 for california bachelor’s degree chem eng students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
University of Southern California ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 41 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s chem eng students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree chem eng students whose families make $30-$48k list, USC has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $16,252 for california bachelor’s degree chem eng students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend USC.
The low student loan default rate of 1.2% 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%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Cal Poly Pomona is a large public school situated in Pomona, California. It awarded 79 bachelors’s chem eng degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal Poly Pomona, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is $9,630 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chem Eng students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
San Jose State University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in San Jose, California, this large public school awarded 50 degrees to qualified bachelors’s chem eng students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at San Jose State, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $11,752 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chem Eng students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend San Jose State University.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
California Baptist University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Chem Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Cal Baptist is located in Riverside, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 10 bachelors’s chem eng degrees to qualified students.
Cal Baptist not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $21,716 for California Bachelor’s Degree Chem Eng students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Cal Baptist.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
- Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Chemical Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in the Far Western US Region
- Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Chemical Engineering (Income $30-$48k)
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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
Footnotes
- *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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