2026 Best Value Trasportation Engineering Schools in California
[Trasportation Engineering](/majors/engineering/civil-engineering/transportation-highway-engineering/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 2 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for trasportation engineering students.
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2026 Best Value Trasportation Engineering Schools in California
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in trasportation engineering, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Trasportation Engineering Schools
University Of California Davis tops our 2026 list of the best value trasportation engineering schools in California. University Of California Davis is a very large public school located in the suburb of Davis. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $15,804, while out-of-state students pay about $47,692. Trasportation Engineering graduates carry a median of $16,101 in student loans. Soon after graduation, trasportation engineering degree recipients from University Of California Davis generally make around $81,037. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. University Of California Davis admits about 42% of applicants.
University Of Southern California came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best value trasportation engineering schools. Set in the city of Los Angeles, University Of Southern California is a very large private not-for-profit institution. Students from in state pay about $71,647 in tuition and fees. Students borrow a median of $8,125 to complete the trasportation engineering program here. Soon after graduation, trasportation engineering degree recipients from University Of Southern California generally make around $88,144. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. University Of Southern California admits about 10% of applicants.
Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 2 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 2 ranked schools only.
- 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
