2023 Best Value Colleges for Electrical Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in California
28
Ranked Colleges
4,553
Degrees Awarded
$9,200
Avg Net Price*
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2020-2021, 28,166 people earned their degree in electrical engineering, making the major the 30th most popular in the United States.
Across California, there were 4,553 electrical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 28 colleges that offer a degree in electrical engineering. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great electrical engineering programs and cost less that 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
More Ways to Rank Electrical Engineering Schools
The ee school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k”.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. 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 EE Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Electrical Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in California
Out of the 28 schools in the Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #1 spot on the list. Stanford is located in Stanford, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 259 ’s EE degrees to qualified students.
Stanford also made our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford University is $1,233 for California EE students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Electrical Engineering at Stanford University
Out of the 28 schools in the Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #2 spot on the list. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 729 ’s EE degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Berkeley also made our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $8,450 for California EE students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UC Berkeley.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Electrical Engineering at UC Berkeley
Out of the 28 schools in the Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 360 ’s EE degrees in 2020-2021.
UCLA also made our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $9,037 for california ee students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Los Angeles.
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%. 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 Electrical Engineering at University of California - Los Angeles
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - San Diego. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s EE degrees to 289 students in 2020-2021.
UCSD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - San Diego is $9,823 for california ee students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full UCSD Electrical Engineering Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Southern California. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s EE degrees to 630 students in 2020-2021.
USC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend USC is $17,287 for california ee students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergraduate 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.
Read full report on Electrical Engineering at USC
California State University - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2023 Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 118 ’s EE degrees in 2020-2021.
Cal State LA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #24 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Cal State LA is $1,887 for California EE students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full California State University - Los Angeles Electrical Engineering Report
University of California - Irvine landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UC Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 149 ’s EE degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california ee students whose families make $0-$30k list, UC Irvine has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Irvine is $6,540 for California EE students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of California - Irvine Electrical Engineering Report
California State University - Long Beach came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 165 ’s EE degrees in 2020-2021.
CSULB also took the #15 spot in our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend CSULB is $6,663 for california ee students whose families make $0-$30k.
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.
Read more about Electrical Engineering at CSULB
With a ranking of #9, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2023 Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Davis, California, and it awarded 69 ’s EE degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Davis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Davis is $10,006 for California EE students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Electrical Engineering at University of California - Davis
University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well in the 2023 Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #10. University of California - Santa Barbara is a public institution located in Santa Barbara, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 152 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california ee students whose families make $0-$30k list, UCSB has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $10,568 for California EE students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UCSB.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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 University of California - Santa Barbara Electrical Engineering Report
With a ranking of #11, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well on the 2023 Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in San Luis Obispo, California, this large public school handed out 161 diplomas to qualified ’s EE students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california ee students whose families make $0-$30k list, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is $12,173 for California EE students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Electrical Engineering Report
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is a large public school situated in Pomona, California. It awarded 165 ’s EE degrees in 2020-2021.
Cal Poly Pomona also made our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #14. The yearly cost to attend Cal Poly Pomona is $10,349 for California 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 undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Electrical Engineering Report
San Diego State University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. San Diego State University is located in San Diego, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 145 ’s EE degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at SDSU, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $7,169 for california ee students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend San Diego State University.
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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Electrical Engineering at SDSU
California State University - Fullerton came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Fullerton, California, and it awarded 73 ’s EE degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california ee students whose families make $0-$30k list, Cal State Fullerton has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $4,590 for California EE students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Fullerton.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Electrical Engineering at Cal State Fullerton
University of California - Riverside ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Riverside, California, and it awarded 129 ’s EE degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCR, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $6,810 for California EE students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Riverside.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%.
Full UCR Electrical Engineering Report
California State University - Sacramento landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. California State University - Sacramento is located in Sacramento, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 113 ’s EE degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Sac State, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Sacramento is $8,163 for california ee students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%.
Full Sac State Electrical Engineering Report
California State University - Northridge came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. California State University - Northridge is a large school located in Northridge, California that handed out 98 ’s EE degrees in 2020-2021.
CSUN did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Northridge is $6,266 for california ee students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Electrical Engineering at California State University - Northridge
California State University - Fresno did quite well in the 2023 Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #18. California State University - Fresno is a large public school situated in Fresno, California. It awarded 19 ’s EE degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $3,859 for california ee students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Fresno State.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.2% 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%.
Read more about Electrical Engineering at California State University - Fresno
San Jose State University landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. San Jose State University is a large school located in San Jose, California that handed out 286 ’s EE degrees in 2020-2021.
San Jose State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State is $12,158 for California EE students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national 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.
Read full report on Electrical Engineering at San Jose State University
With a ranking of #20, University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well on the 2023 Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. UC Santa Cruz is located in Santa Cruz, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 78 ’s EE degrees to qualified students.
UC Santa Cruz not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Santa Cruz is $11,038 for California EE students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Electrical Engineering at University of California - Santa Cruz
California State University - Chico did quite well in the 2023 Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #21. Located in Chico, California, this fairly large public school awarded 36 degrees to qualified ’s EE students in 2020-2021.
Chico State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #23 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Chico is $11,754 for california ee students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Chico State Electrical Engineering Report
California State University - Bakersfield did quite well in the 2023 Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #22. Located in Bakersfield, California, this fairly large public school handed out 24 degrees to qualified ’s EE students in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for CSUB is $5,238 for california ee students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read more about Electrical Engineering at CSUB
Sonoma State University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Rohnert Park, California, this medium-sized public school handed out 24 diplomas to qualified ’s EE students in 2020-2021.
SSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Sonoma State University is $12,803 for california ee students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%.
Full SSU Electrical Engineering Report
San Francisco State University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. San Francisco State University is located in San Francisco, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 44 ’s EE degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for San Francisco State University is $10,705 for california ee students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%.
Read more about Electrical Engineering at SFSU
Santa Clara University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #25. SCU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Santa Clara, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 20 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
SCU also took the #6 spot in our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Santa Clara University is $26,428 for California EE students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, 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 undergraduate students.
Full Santa Clara University Electrical Engineering Report
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