2023 Best Value Colleges for Civil Engineering (Income $48-$75k) in California
23
Ranked Colleges
3,198
Degrees Awarded
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Civil Eng Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
Civil Engineering is the 50th most popular major in the country with 21,388 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, civil engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $63,364 and had an average of $24,364 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 3,198 civil engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $68,987 and $19,554 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Civil Eng Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking looked at 23 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.
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 civil engineering program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Civil Eng Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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 Civil Eng Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k
The colleges and universities below are the best for california civil eng students whose families make $48-$75k.
Top 23 Best Value Colleges for Civil Engineering (Income $48-$75k) in California
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Civil Eng Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Stanford, California. It awarded 176 ’s civil eng degrees in 2020-2021.
Stanford did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford University is $7,081 for california civil eng students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 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 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Stanford University Civil Engineering Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Civil Eng Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school awarded 294 diplomas to qualified ’s civil eng students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california civil eng students whose families make $48-$75k list, UC Berkeley has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UC Berkeley is $13,423 for california civil eng students whose families make $48-$75k.
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 full report on Civil Engineering at University of California - Berkeley
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Civil Eng Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of California - Los Angeles is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 160 ’s civil eng degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Los Angeles is $12,644 for California Civil Eng students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%.
Read full report on Civil Engineering at UCLA
Out of the 23 schools in the Best Value Civil Eng Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Davis landed the #4 spot on the list. UC Davis is a public institution located in Davis, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 243 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Davis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Davis is $14,193 for california civil eng students whose families make $48-$75k.
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 Civil Engineering at University of California - Davis
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - San Diego. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Civil Eng Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of California - San Diego is a large public school situated in La Jolla, California. It awarded 192 ’s civil eng degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california civil eng students whose families make $48-$75k list, UCSD has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCSD is $14,310 for california civil eng students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Full University of California - San Diego Civil Engineering Report
California State University - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Civil Eng Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #6. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 95 ’s civil eng degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california civil eng students whose families make $48-$75k list, Cal State LA has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $5,700 for California Civil Eng students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend California State University - Los Angeles.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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 California State University - Los Angeles Civil Engineering Report
With a ranking of #7, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Civil Eng Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. UC Irvine is a public institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 142 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Irvine, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Irvine is $13,275 for California Civil Eng students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad 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 University of California - Irvine
California State University - Fresno ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Civil Eng Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Fresno, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s civil eng degrees to 102 students in 2020-2021.
Fresno State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in California” list. It costs about $8,030 for California Civil Eng students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Fresno State.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, 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%.
Read full report on Civil Engineering at Fresno State
California State University - Long Beach did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Civil Eng Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #9. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s civil eng degrees to 171 students in 2020-2021.
CSULB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Long Beach is $11,189 for California Civil Eng students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full California State University - Long Beach Civil Engineering Report
University of Southern California landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Civil Eng Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 84 ’s civil eng degrees in 2020-2021.
USC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in California” list. It costs about $22,826 for california civil eng students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend USC.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, 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. 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.
Full USC Civil Engineering Report
California State University - Fullerton landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Best Value Civil Eng Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This large school is located in Fullerton, California, and it awarded 161 ’s civil eng degrees in 2020-2021.
Cal State Fullerton also took the #16 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $9,017 for California Civil Eng students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend California State University - Fullerton.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full California State University - Fullerton Civil Engineering Report
California State University - Sacramento ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Civil Eng Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Sac State is a public institution located in Sacramento, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 179 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Sac State also took the #14 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Sacramento is $12,602 for california civil eng students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Civil Engineering at Sac State
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Civil Eng Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #13. Cal Poly Pomona is located in Pomona, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 268 ’s civil eng degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our california civil eng students whose families make $48-$75k list, Cal Poly Pomona has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $15,958 for california civil eng students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona.
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.
Read more about Civil Engineering at Cal Poly Pomona
San Diego State University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Best Value Civil Eng Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. SDSU is a large public school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 162 ’s civil eng degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at SDSU, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SDSU is $14,698 for california civil eng students whose families make $48-$75k.
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 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full San Diego State University Civil Engineering Report
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Civil Eng Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is a large public school situated in San Luis Obispo, California. It awarded 214 ’s civil eng degrees in 2020-2021.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also took the #6 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is $17,340 for california civil eng students whose families make $48-$75k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Civil Engineering Report
California State University - Northridge landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Best Value Civil Eng Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Northridge, California, this large public school handed out 117 diplomas to qualified ’s civil eng students in 2020-2021.
CSUN also made our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #19. The yearly cost to attend CSUN is $10,780 for California Civil Eng students whose families make $48-$75k.
The undergrad 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 California State University - Northridge Civil Engineering Report
San Jose State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Civil Eng Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #17. San Jose State is located in San Jose, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 169 ’s civil eng degrees to qualified students.
San Jose State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in California” list. It costs about $17,338 for california civil eng students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend San Jose State University.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Read more about Civil Engineering at San Jose State
With a ranking of #18, California State University - Chico did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Civil Eng Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. This fairly large school is located in Chico, California, and it awarded 78 ’s civil eng degrees in 2020-2021.
Chico State also took the #17 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Chico State is $16,738 for california civil eng students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full California State University - Chico Civil Engineering Report
San Francisco State University landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Best Value Civil Eng Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. San Francisco, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s civil eng degrees to 70 students in 2020-2021.
SFSU also made our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #23. The yearly cost to attend San Francisco State University is $16,065 for california civil eng students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full San Francisco State University Civil Engineering Report
Santa Clara University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Civil Eng Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Santa Clara, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s civil eng degrees to 24 students in 2020-2021.
SCU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend SCU is $29,618 for california civil eng students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, 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 93%.
Read full report on Civil Engineering at SCU
California Baptist University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Civil Eng Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #21. This fairly large school is located in Riverside, California, and it awarded 41 ’s civil eng degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal Baptist, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $25,553 for California Civil Eng students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Cal Baptist.
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%.
Read full report on Civil Engineering at California Baptist University
University of the Pacific ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Civil Eng Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Pacific is located in Stockton, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 18 ’s civil eng degrees to qualified students.
Pacific also took the #22 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $25,543 for california civil eng students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Pacific.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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.
Read full report on Civil Engineering at University of the Pacific
Loyola Marymount University landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Best Value Civil Eng Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 36 ’s civil eng degrees in 2020-2021.
Loyola Marymount not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in California” list. It costs about $37,292 for california civil eng students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Loyola Marymount University.
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 undergraduate 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 Civil Engineering at Loyola Marymount
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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.
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