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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Electrical Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in California

30 Ranked Colleges
2,475 Degrees Awarded
$7,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making $0-$30k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 29,892 people earned their degree in electrical engineering, making the major the 26th most popular in the United States.

Across California, there were 4,610 electrical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,475 electrical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 30 colleges that offered a degree in electrical engineering. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality electrical 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 electrical engineering program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value EE 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.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

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

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree ee students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Electrical Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in California

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. Stanford is a fairly large school located in Stanford, California that handed out 46 bachelors’s EE degrees in 2019-2020.

Stanford did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford University is $-1,387 for california bachelor’s degree ee 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.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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%.

Full Stanford University Electrical Engineering Report

#2

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, California
#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Institute of Technology. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. California Institute of Technology is a small school located in Pasadena, California that handed out 15 bachelors’s EE degrees in 2019-2020.

Caltech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Caltech is $5,456 for california bachelor’s degree ee students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its 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%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at Caltech

#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. UC Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 452 bachelors’s EE degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $8,392 for California Bachelor’s Degree EE students whose families make $0-$30k 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 student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of California - Berkeley Electrical Engineering Report

#4

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#5 in overall quality

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 EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. University of California - Los Angeles is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 155 bachelors’s EE degrees to qualified students.

UCLA also took the #5 spot in our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $8,553 for california bachelor’s degree ee students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UCLA.

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 Electrical Engineering at UCLA

Out of the 30 schools in the Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Los Angeles landed the #5 spot on the list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 110 bachelors’s EE degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Cal State LA is $1,379 for california bachelor’s degree ee students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at California State University - Los Angeles

#11 in overall quality

University of California - Irvine did quite well in the 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. University of California - Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 100 bachelors’s EE degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Irvine, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Irvine is $9,558 for California Bachelor’s Degree EE students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UC Irvine Electrical Engineering Report

#21 in overall quality

California State University - Fresno did quite well in the 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. Fresno State is located in Fresno, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 43 bachelors’s EE degrees to qualified students.

Fresno State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Fresno State is $3,264 for california bachelor’s degree ee students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at Fresno State

#8

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#13 in overall quality

San Diego State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. SDSU is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 132 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SDSU also made our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #13. The estimated yearly cost for SDSU is $8,870 for California Bachelor’s Degree EE 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Electrical Engineering at SDSU

#25 in overall quality

California State University - Fullerton landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Fullerton, California, and it awarded 74 bachelors’s EE degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State Fullerton did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #25 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $4,291 for California Bachelor’s Degree EE students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Cal State Fullerton.

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.

Full California State University - Fullerton Electrical Engineering Report

#9 in overall quality

University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #10. University of California - San Diego is located in La Jolla, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 159 bachelors’s EE degrees to qualified students.

UCSD also took the #9 spot in our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - San Diego is $9,280 for california bachelor’s degree ee students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at UCSD

#17 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, California State University - Long Beach did quite well on the 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school awarded 169 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s EE students in 2019-2020.

CSULB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Long Beach is $6,364 for California Bachelor’s Degree EE 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 student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at CSULB

#12

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California
#18 in overall quality

University of California - Riverside ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Riverside, California, this large public school awarded 73 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s EE students in 2019-2020.

UCR not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $8,366 for California Bachelor’s Degree EE students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UCR.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UCR Electrical Engineering Report

#6 in overall quality

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is located in San Luis Obispo, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 130 bachelors’s EE degrees to qualified students.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also made our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #6. The estimated yearly cost for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is $12,475 for california bachelor’s degree ee students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 Electrical Engineering at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

#23 in overall quality

California State University - Northridge landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. California State University - Northridge is a public institution located in Northridge, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 85 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSUN, the school also landed the #23 spot in our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Northridge is $5,945 for california bachelor’s degree ee 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%.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at California State University - Northridge

#15

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#10 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Barbara ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Santa Barbara, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s EE degrees to 52 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSB, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Santa Barbara is $10,316 for California Bachelor’s Degree EE students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national 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.

Full University of California - Santa Barbara Electrical Engineering Report

California State University - Bakersfield did quite well in the 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #16. This fairly large school is located in Bakersfield, California, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s EE degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend CSUB is $3,423 for California Bachelor’s Degree EE students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Electrical Engineering at CSUB

#22 in overall quality

With a ranking of #17, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on the 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Sacramento, California, and it awarded 96 bachelors’s EE degrees in 2019-2020.

Sac State also made our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #22. The yearly cost to attend Sac State is $6,819 for California Bachelor’s Degree EE 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%.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at Sac State

#14 in overall quality

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Cal Poly Pomona is a large public school situated in Pomona, California. It awarded 115 bachelors’s EE degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly Pomona also took the #14 spot in our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cal Poly Pomona is $8,596 for california bachelor’s degree ee 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 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona

#19

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California
#4 in overall quality

University of Southern California did quite well in the 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #19. USC is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 60 bachelors’s EE degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at USC, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend USC is $14,668 for California Bachelor’s Degree EE students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.

Read more about Electrical Engineering at University of Southern California

#20

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#20 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Cruz came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Santa Cruz, California, and it awarded 58 bachelors’s EE degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Santa Cruz also made our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #20. It costs about $10,872 for California Bachelor’s Degree EE students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Santa Cruz.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Electrical Engineering at UC Santa Cruz

#21

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#15 in overall quality

San Jose State University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. San Jose State is a large public school situated in San Jose, California. It awarded 96 bachelors’s EE degrees in 2019-2020.

San Jose State also made our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #15. It costs about $10,940 for California Bachelor’s Degree EE students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend San Jose State.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at San Jose State University

#19 in overall quality

California State University - Chico did quite well in the 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #22. Chico State is a public institution located in Chico, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Chico State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $10,260 for California Bachelor’s Degree EE students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Chico State.

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 more about Electrical Engineering at Chico State

#23

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. SFSU is a public institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 52 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $11,123 for California Bachelor’s Degree EE students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend SFSU.

Read more about Electrical Engineering at SFSU

#24

Sonoma State University

Rohnert Park, California

Sonoma State University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. SSU is a medium-sized public school situated in Rohnert Park, California. It awarded 14 bachelors’s EE degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for SSU is $12,263 for california bachelor’s degree ee students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at SSU

#25

National University

La Jolla, California
#16 in overall quality

With a ranking of #25, National University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. National University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in La Jolla, California. It awarded 13 bachelors’s EE degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree ee students whose families make $0-$30k list, National University has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.

The low student loan default rate of 4.5% 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%.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at National University

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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 NASA.

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