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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Electrical Engineering in California

30 Ranked Colleges
2,475 Degrees Awarded
$15,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor's in California

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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” 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” ranking looked at 30 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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

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” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree ee students.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Electrical Engineering in California

#6 in overall quality

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 EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. San Luis Obispo, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s EE degrees to 130 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $21,595 for california bachelor’s degree ee students per year to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read more about Electrical Engineering at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

#2 in overall quality

Out of the 30 schools in the Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #2 spot on the list. UC Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 452 bachelors’s EE degrees to qualified students.

UC Berkeley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $15,329 for california bachelor’s degree ee students per year to attend University of California - Berkeley.

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 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at UC Berkeley

#3

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#5 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s EE degrees to 155 students in 2019-2020.

UCLA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $14,279 for california bachelor’s degree ee students per year to attend UCLA.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Full University of California - Los Angeles Electrical Engineering Report

#21 in overall quality

Out of the 30 schools in the Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fresno landed the #4 spot on the list. Fresno State is a large school located in Fresno, California that handed out 43 bachelors’s EE degrees in 2019-2020.

Fresno State also took the #21 spot in our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fresno is $5,464 for California Bachelor’s Degree EE students.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Fresno State Electrical Engineering Report

#17 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Long Beach. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. CSULB is a large school located in Long Beach, California that handed out 169 bachelors’s EE degrees in 2019-2020.

CSULB also took the #17 spot in our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Long Beach is $9,622 for california bachelor’s degree ee students.

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 student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at CSULB

#23 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, California State University - Northridge did quite well on the 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. This large school is located in Northridge, California, and it awarded 85 bachelors’s EE degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUN also took the #23 spot in our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CSUN is $8,414 for california bachelor’s degree ee students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full CSUN Electrical Engineering Report

#19 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, California State University - Chico did quite well on the 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. 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 $15,017 for california bachelor’s degree ee students 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

#14 in overall quality

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Cal Poly Pomona is located in Pomona, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 115 bachelors’s EE degrees to qualified students.

Cal Poly Pomona also made our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #14. The estimated yearly cost for Cal Poly Pomona is $12,734 for California Bachelor’s Degree EE students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national 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 more about Electrical Engineering at Cal Poly Pomona

#9

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 ranking, coming in at #9. San Diego, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s EE degrees to 132 students in 2019-2020.

SDSU also took the #13 spot in our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Diego State University is $14,788 for California Bachelor’s Degree EE students.

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.

Full San Diego State University Electrical Engineering Report

#10

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#15 in overall quality

San Jose State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. San Jose State is a large school located in San Jose, California that handed out 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. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State University is $14,928 for California Bachelor’s Degree EE 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%. 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 more about Electrical Engineering at San Jose State

#9 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, University of California - San Diego did quite well on the 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. 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.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSD, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,232 for california bachelor’s degree ee students per year to attend UCSD.

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

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at University of California - San Diego

#12

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#10 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well in the 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #12. University of California - Santa Barbara is a large school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 52 bachelors’s EE degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree ee students list, UCSB has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Santa Barbara is $15,884 for California Bachelor’s Degree EE students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The low student loan default rate of 1.5% 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 more about Electrical Engineering at UCSB

#22 in overall quality

With a ranking of #13, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on the 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. California State University - Sacramento is a public institution located in Sacramento, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 96 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Sac State, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Sacramento is $9,979 for california bachelor’s degree ee 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 Electrical Engineering Report

#11 in overall quality

University of California - Irvine landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. University of California - Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 100 bachelors’s EE degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Irvine is $14,783 for California Bachelor’s Degree EE students.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read more about Electrical Engineering at University of California - Irvine

#25 in overall quality

California State University - Fullerton ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. This large school is located in Fullerton, California, and it awarded 74 bachelors’s EE degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree ee students list, Cal State Fullerton has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cal State Fullerton is $7,991 for california bachelor’s degree ee students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, 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%.

Full California State University - Fullerton Electrical Engineering Report

California State University - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #16. Cal State LA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 110 bachelors’s EE degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $2,768 for california bachelor’s degree ee students per year to attend California State University - Los Angeles.

The low 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 Electrical Engineering at Cal State LA

California State University - Bakersfield landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. This fairly large school is located in Bakersfield, California, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s EE degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Bakersfield is $5,318 for California Bachelor’s Degree EE students.

Full California State University - Bakersfield Electrical Engineering Report

#18

National University

La Jolla, California
#16 in overall quality

With a ranking of #18, National University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. National University is located in La Jolla, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13 bachelors’s EE degrees to qualified students.

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

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Electrical Engineering at National University

#19

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California

With a ranking of #19, San Francisco State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. San Francisco State University 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.

The estimated yearly cost for San Francisco State University is $15,113 for California Bachelor’s Degree EE students.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at San Francisco State University

#20

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California
#18 in overall quality

University of California - Riverside did quite well in the 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #20. University of California - Riverside is a large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 73 bachelors’s EE degrees 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. The yearly cost to attend UCR is $12,871 for california bachelor’s degree ee students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. 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%.

Read more about Electrical Engineering at University of California - Riverside

#21

Sonoma State University

Rohnert Park, California

Sonoma State University landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. 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 $17,478 for California Bachelor’s Degree EE students.

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%.

Full SSU Electrical Engineering Report

#22

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#20 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Cruz landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Santa Cruz, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s EE degrees to 58 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree ee students list, UC Santa Cruz has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $18,186 for california bachelor’s degree ee students per year to attend UC Santa Cruz.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at UC Santa Cruz

Southern California Institute of Technology ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Southern California Institute of Technology is a small school located in Anaheim, California that handed out 56 bachelors’s EE degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Southern California Institute of Technology is $27,143 for california bachelor’s degree ee students.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at Southern California Institute of Technology

#24

Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, California
#8 in overall quality

Loyola Marymount University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s EE degrees to 13 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Loyola Marymount, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Loyola Marymount University is $42,861 for California Bachelor’s Degree EE students.

The low student loan default rate of 1.6% 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%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Electrical Engineering at Loyola Marymount

#25

University of the Pacific

Stockton, California
#24 in overall quality

University of the Pacific landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. University of the Pacific is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stockton, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Pacific not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #24 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $28,929 for California Bachelor’s Degree EE students per year to attend Pacific.

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 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%.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at Pacific

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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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