2022 Best Value Civil Eng 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 Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2019-2020, 21,561 people earned their degree in civil engineering, making the major the 45th most popular in the United States. 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” 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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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 Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California.
Top 23 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Civil Engineering in California
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California 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.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is $21,595 for California Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students.
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 low student loan default rate of 1.1% 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 Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
Out of the 23 schools in the Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fresno landed the #2 spot on the list. 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 also took the #18 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $5,464 for California Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students per year to attend Fresno State.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. 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 Civil Engineering at California State University - Fresno
Out of the 23 schools in the Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona landed the #3 spot on the list. Pomona, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s civil eng degrees to 235 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree civil eng students list, Cal Poly Pomona has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cal Poly Pomona is $12,734 for California Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students.
The 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.
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 Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California. CSULB is a large school located in Long Beach, California that handed out 127 bachelors’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.
CSULB also made our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #17. The estimated yearly cost for CSULB is $9,622 for California Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng 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 full report on Civil Engineering at California State University - Long Beach
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend San Jose State University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California. This large school is located in San Jose, California, and it awarded 138 bachelors’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.
San Jose State also made our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #11. The yearly cost to attend San Jose State University is $14,928 for california bachelor’s degree civil eng students.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 3.7% 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 Civil Engineering at San Jose State University
California State University - Chico ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Chico State is a fairly large school located in Chico, California that handed out 57 bachelors’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.
Chico State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Chico is $15,017 for California Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students.
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%.
Full California State University - Chico Civil Engineering Report
California State University - Northridge landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Located in Northridge, California, this large public school awarded 141 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s civil eng students in 2019-2020.
CSUN did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Northridge is $8,414 for California Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students.
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 - Los Angeles landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 87 bachelors’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.
UCLA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $14,279 for California Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students 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%.
With a ranking of #9, San Diego State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Located in San Diego, California, this large public school handed out 191 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s civil eng students in 2019-2020.
SDSU also took the #13 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SDSU is $14,788 for California Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Civil Engineering at San Diego State University
California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #10. Sac State is a large public school situated in Sacramento, California. It awarded 174 bachelors’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.
Sac State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Sacramento is $9,979 for california bachelor’s degree civil eng 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%.
Full California State University - Sacramento Civil Engineering Report
University of California - Davis landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Located in Davis, California, this large public school handed out 146 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s civil eng students in 2019-2020.
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 estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $14,669 for california bachelor’s degree civil eng students.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.
Read full report on Civil Engineering at University of California - Davis
San Francisco State University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. San Francisco State University is a large school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 59 bachelors’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree civil eng students list, SFSU has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Francisco State University is $15,113 for California Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students.
Full San Francisco State University Civil Engineering Report
University of California - Irvine landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. UC Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 93 bachelors’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.
UC Irvine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Irvine is $14,783 for California Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
California State University - Fullerton ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. This large school is located in Fullerton, California, and it awarded 113 bachelors’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.
Cal State Fullerton also made our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #20. The yearly cost to attend Cal State Fullerton is $7,991 for California Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
University of California - San Diego came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. This large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 102 bachelors’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.
UCSD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UCSD is $14,232 for California Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students.
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%.
With a ranking of #16, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. UC Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 81 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UC Berkeley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $15,329 for California Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students per year to attend University of California - Berkeley.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Full University of California - Berkeley Civil Engineering Report
California State University - Los Angeles landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. 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 $2,768 for california bachelor’s degree civil eng students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
California Baptist University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #18. Riverside, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s civil eng degrees to 15 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree civil eng students list, Cal Baptist has also earned the #23 rank in our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California Baptist University is $24,707 for California Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students.
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%.
University of the Pacific did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #19. This medium-sized school is located in Stockton, California, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.
Pacific did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of the Pacific is $28,929 for California Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
Read more about Civil Engineering at University of the Pacific
Loyola Marymount University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 27 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s civil eng students in 2019-2020.
Loyola Marymount did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Loyola Marymount University is $42,861 for California Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng 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%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Santa Clara University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #21. Santa Clara University is located in Santa Clara, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 17 bachelors’s civil eng degrees to qualified students.
SCU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Santa Clara University is $38,327 for California Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
Stanford University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #22. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Stanford, California. It awarded 6 bachelors’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree civil eng students list, Stanford has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford University is $11,496 for California Bachelor’s Degree Civil Eng students.
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. 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
University of Southern California ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Civil Eng Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 25 bachelors’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree civil eng students list, USC has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $29,528 for california bachelor’s degree civil eng students per year to attend USC.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Full University of Southern California Civil Engineering Report
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Notes and References
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
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 Master Sgt. Roger Parsons.
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