Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Civil Engineering

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k

23 Ranked Colleges
2,147 Degrees Awarded
$10,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making $0-$30k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Civil Engineering is the 45th most popular major in the country with 21,561 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, civil engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $60,122 and had an average of $23,807 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 3,291 civil engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $65,300 and $21,468 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,147 civil engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 23 colleges that offered a degree in civil engineering. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent civil 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 civil 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.

More Ways to Rank Civil Engineering Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” 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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 23 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Civil Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in California

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Stanford University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Stanford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford is $-1,387 for California Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students whose families make $0-$30k. A negative average net price may seem strange, but it generally means that financial aid will more than cover the cost to attend the school.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 4 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 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Civil 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 Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s civil eng degrees to 81 students in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley also took the #4 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Berkeley is $8,392 for california bachelor’s degree civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

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

Out of the 23 schools in the Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Irvine landed the #3 spot on the list. UC Irvine is located in Irvine, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 93 bachelors’s civil eng degrees to qualified students.

UC Irvine also took the #8 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UC Irvine is $9,558 for California Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. 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 UC Irvine Civil Engineering Report

#4

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. University of California - Los Angeles is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 87 bachelors’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Los Angeles is $8,553 for California Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Civil Engineering at University of California - Los Angeles

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Los Angeles. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s civil eng degrees to 59 students in 2019-2020.

Cal State LA also made our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #22. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Los Angeles is $1,379 for California Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 full report on Civil Engineering at California State University - Los Angeles

California State University - Fresno landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. California State University - Fresno is a public institution located in Fresno, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 81 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Fresno State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fresno is $3,264 for california bachelor’s degree civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Fresno Civil Engineering Report

#7

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. San Diego, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s civil eng degrees to 191 students in 2019-2020.

SDSU also made our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #13. The yearly cost to attend San Diego State University is $8,870 for California Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, 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 89%.

Full San Diego State University Civil Engineering Report

California State University - Fullerton did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. California State University - Fullerton is located in Fullerton, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 113 bachelors’s civil eng degrees to qualified students.

Cal State Fullerton also made our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #20. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fullerton is $4,291 for California Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Civil Engineering at California State University - Fullerton

University of California - Davis landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of California - Davis is located in Davis, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 146 bachelors’s civil eng degrees to qualified students.

UC Davis not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Davis is $9,842 for california bachelor’s degree civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Civil Engineering at University of California - Davis

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is located in San Luis Obispo, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 159 bachelors’s civil eng degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k list, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is $12,475 for california bachelor’s degree civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

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

Read more about Civil Engineering at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

California State University - Long Beach came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. California State University - Long Beach is a large public school situated in Long Beach, California. It awarded 127 bachelors’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSULB, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Long Beach is $6,364 for california bachelor’s degree civil 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 low student loan default rate of 1.6% 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 Civil Engineering at CSULB

With a ranking of #12, California State University - Northridge did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - Northridge is a public institution located in Northridge, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 141 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUN also took the #21 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend CSUN is $5,945 for California Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Northridge Civil Engineering Report

University of California - San Diego came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 102 bachelors’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSD also took the #10 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCSD is $9,280 for california bachelor’s degree civil 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 student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UCSD Civil Engineering Report

California State University - Sacramento came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. California State University - Sacramento is a large school located in Sacramento, California that handed out 174 bachelors’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k list, Sac State has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $6,819 for California Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Sacramento.

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%.

Full California State University - Sacramento Civil Engineering Report

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is a large public school situated in Pomona, California. It awarded 235 bachelors’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k list, Cal Poly Pomona has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cal Poly Pomona is $8,596 for california bachelor’s degree civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Full California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Civil Engineering Report

#16

San Jose State University

San Jose, California

San Jose State University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. San Jose State University is a public institution located in San Jose, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 138 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

San Jose State also took the #11 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $10,940 for california bachelor’s degree civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend San Jose State.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Full San Jose State Civil Engineering Report

#17

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 25 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s civil eng students in 2019-2020.

USC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend USC is $14,668 for California Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, 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 91%. 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.

Read more about Civil Engineering at USC

California State University - Chico came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. California State University - Chico 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.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k list, Chico State has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Chico is $10,260 for california bachelor’s degree civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

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

#19

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #19. SFSU is located in San Francisco, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 59 bachelors’s civil eng degrees to qualified students.

SFSU also made our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #19. The yearly cost to attend San Francisco State University is $11,123 for California Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full SFSU Civil Engineering Report

#20

University of the Pacific

Stockton, California

University of the Pacific ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Pacific is located in Stockton, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 14 bachelors’s civil eng degrees to qualified students.

Pacific also made our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #14. The yearly cost to attend University of the Pacific is $21,972 for california bachelor’s degree civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Pacific Civil Engineering Report

#21

Santa Clara University

Santa Clara, California

Santa Clara University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Santa Clara, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s civil eng degrees to 17 students in 2019-2020.

SCU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $22,356 for california bachelor’s degree civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Santa Clara University.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, 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%.

Read more about Civil Engineering at SCU

#22

California Baptist University

Riverside, California

California Baptist University landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Riverside, California, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal Baptist not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #23 on our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California Baptist University is $20,277 for california bachelor’s degree civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.6% 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 Cal Baptist Civil Engineering Report

#23

Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, California

Loyola Marymount University landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s civil eng degrees to 27 students in 2019-2020.

Loyola Marymount also took the #9 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Loyola Marymount University is $32,367 for california bachelor’s degree civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

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. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Civil Engineering at Loyola Marymount

Switch to a Similar Major

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

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

Featured Engineering Schools

Find Schools Near You