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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Civil Engineering in California

22 Ranked Colleges
2,032 Degrees Awarded
$17,000 Avg Net Price*
Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools for a Bachelor's in California

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 General Civil Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 20,913 people earned their degree in general civil engineering, making the major the 36th most popular in the United States.

Across California, there were 2,969 general civil engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,032 general civil engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” ranking looked at 22 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general civil engineering. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality general civil engineering programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the general civil 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.

More Ways to Rank General Civil Engineering Schools

The general civil engineering school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California”.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California.

Top 22 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Civil Engineering in California

#3 in overall quality

Out of the 22 schools in the Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo landed the #1 spot on the list. California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is a large public school situated in San Luis Obispo, California. It awarded 159 bachelors’s general civil engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also took the #3 spot in our “Best General Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is $21,595 for california bachelor’s degree general civil engineering students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, 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 General Civil Engineering at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

#17 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fresno. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Fresno State is a large school located in Fresno, California that handed out 81 bachelors’s general civil engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Fresno State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best General Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fresno is $5,464 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Civil Engineering students.

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 low student loan default rate of 4.7% 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%.

Read full report on General Civil Engineering at California State University - Fresno

#11 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Cal Poly Pomona is a public institution located in Pomona, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 235 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly Pomona did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best General Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is $12,734 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Civil Engineering students.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Read more about General Civil Engineering at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona

#16 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Long Beach. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California. CSULB is a public institution located in Long Beach, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 127 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

CSULB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best General Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Long Beach is $9,622 for california bachelor’s degree general civil engineering students.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Read more about General Civil Engineering at California State University - Long Beach

#5

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#10 in overall quality

Out of the 22 schools in the Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, San Jose State University landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in San Jose, California, this large public school handed out 138 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s general civil engineering students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree general civil engineering students list, San Jose State has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best General Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State University is $14,928 for california bachelor’s degree general civil engineering students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full San Jose State University General Civil Engineering Report

#14 in overall quality

California State University - Chico came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Chico State is a public institution located in Chico, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 57 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Chico State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best General Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Chico State is $15,017 for california bachelor’s degree general civil engineering students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Civil Engineering at California State University - Chico

#20 in overall quality

California State University - Northridge landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Located in Northridge, California, this large public school handed out 141 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s general civil engineering students in 2019-2020.

CSUN also took the #20 spot in our “Best General Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CSUN is $8,414 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Civil Engineering students.

The low student loan default rate of 2.0% 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%.

Read full report on General Civil Engineering at CSUN

#8

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#5 in overall quality

University of California - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #8. UCLA is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 87 bachelors’s general civil engineering degrees to qualified students.

UCLA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best General Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Los Angeles is $14,279 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Civil Engineering students.

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%.

Read more about General Civil Engineering at University of California - Los Angeles

#9

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#12 in overall quality

San Diego State University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. San Diego State University is a large public school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 191 bachelors’s general civil engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

SDSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best General Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $14,788 for california bachelor’s degree general civil engineering students per year to attend SDSU.

The low student loan default rate of 2.8% 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%. 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 more about General Civil Engineering at San Diego State University

#15 in overall quality

California State University - Sacramento landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. California State University - Sacramento is a large public school situated in Sacramento, California. It awarded 174 bachelors’s general civil engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Sac State, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best General Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $9,979 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Civil Engineering students.

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%.

Read full report on General Civil Engineering at Sac State

#7 in overall quality

University of California - Davis did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #11. Davis, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s general civil engineering degrees to 146 students in 2019-2020.

UC Davis also took the #7 spot in our “Best General Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,669 for california bachelor’s degree general civil engineering students per year to attend University of California - Davis.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of California - Davis General Civil Engineering Report

#12

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California
#18 in overall quality

With a ranking of #12, San Francisco State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. San Francisco State University is a large school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 59 bachelors’s general civil engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

SFSU also made our “Best General Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #18. The estimated yearly cost for SFSU is $15,113 for california bachelor’s degree general civil engineering students.

Read more about General Civil Engineering at San Francisco State University

#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #13, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. This large school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 93 bachelors’s general civil engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree general civil engineering students list, UC Irvine has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best General Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Irvine is $14,783 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Civil Engineering students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on General Civil Engineering at UC Irvine

#19 in overall quality

With a ranking of #14, California State University - Fullerton did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Cal State Fullerton is a large public school situated in Fullerton, California. It awarded 113 bachelors’s general civil engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State Fullerton also took the #19 spot in our “Best General Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fullerton is $7,991 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Civil Engineering students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, 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 more about General Civil Engineering at California State University - Fullerton

#15

University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley, California
#4 in overall quality

University of California - Berkeley came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. University of California - Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 81 bachelors’s general civil engineering degrees to qualified students.

UC Berkeley also took the #4 spot in our “Best General Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $15,329 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Civil Engineering students per year to attend University of California - Berkeley.

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 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%.

Read full report on General Civil Engineering at University of California - Berkeley

#21 in overall quality

California State University - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #16. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 59 degrees to qualified bachelors’s general civil engineering students in 2019-2020.

Cal State LA also took the #21 spot in our “Best General Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $2,768 for california bachelor’s degree general civil engineering students per year to attend California State University - Los Angeles.

The low student loan default rate of 1.4% 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%.

Read more about General Civil Engineering at California State University - Los Angeles

#17

California Baptist University

Riverside, California
#22 in overall quality

California Baptist University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #17. California Baptist University is located in Riverside, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 15 bachelors’s general civil engineering degrees to qualified students.

Cal Baptist not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #22 on our “Best General Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California Baptist University is $24,707 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Civil Engineering students.

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%.

Read more about General Civil Engineering at Cal Baptist

#18

University of the Pacific

Stockton, California
#13 in overall quality

University of the Pacific landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Pacific is a medium-sized school located in Stockton, California that handed out 14 bachelors’s general civil engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Pacific, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best General Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Pacific is $28,929 for california bachelor’s degree general civil engineering students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of the Pacific General Civil Engineering Report

#19

Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, California
#9 in overall quality

Loyola Marymount University landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 27 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s general civil engineering students in 2019-2020.

Loyola Marymount also made our “Best General Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #9. It costs about $42,861 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Civil Engineering students per year to attend Loyola Marymount.

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%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on General Civil Engineering at Loyola Marymount University

#20

Santa Clara University

Santa Clara, California
#6 in overall quality

With a ranking of #20, Santa Clara University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Santa Clara University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Santa Clara, California. It awarded 17 bachelors’s general civil engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

SCU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best General Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for SCU is $38,327 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Civil Engineering students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The low 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%.

Read more about General Civil Engineering at Santa Clara University

#21

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

Stanford University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Stanford is located in Stanford, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 6 bachelors’s general civil engineering degrees to qualified students.

Stanford also made our “Best General Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #1. The yearly cost to attend Stanford University is $11,496 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Civil Engineering students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low student loan default rate of 0.5% 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%.

Full Stanford General Civil Engineering Report

#22

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California
#2 in overall quality

University of Southern California landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Civil Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s general civil engineering degrees to 12 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at USC, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best General Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend USC is $29,528 for california bachelor’s degree general civil engineering students.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on General Civil Engineering at USC

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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.

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