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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Electrical Engineering (Income $48-$75k) in California

30 Ranked Colleges
2,475 Degrees Awarded
$68,800 Avg Salary
Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making $48-$75k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2019-2020, 30,670 people earned their degree in electrical engineering, making the major the 31st most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, electrical engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $70,098 and had an average of $23,581 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 4,736 electrical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $76,979 and $20,468 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.

For this year’s “Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, we looked at 30 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 for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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 for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Electrical Engineering (Income $48-$75k) in California

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Stanford is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 46 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Stanford also took the #1 spot in our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Stanford is $1,959 for California Bachelor’s Degree EE students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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 low student loan default rate of 0.5% 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 Stanford University

#2

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, California
#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California Institute of Technology. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k. This small school is located in Pasadena, California, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s EE degrees in 2019-2020.

Caltech also made our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for California Institute of Technology is $8,042 for California Bachelor’s Degree EE students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 California Institute of Technology

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school awarded 452 degrees to qualified bachelors’s EE students in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley also made our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Berkeley is $13,081 for California Bachelor’s Degree EE students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The low student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 UC Berkeley Electrical Engineering Report

#4

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

Out of the 30 schools in the Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #4 spot on the list. UCLA 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 did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UCLA is $13,081 for California Bachelor’s Degree EE students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 full report on Electrical Engineering at University of California - Los Angeles

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Los Angeles. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 110 degrees to qualified bachelors’s EE students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $5,644 for california bachelor’s degree ee students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend California State University - Los Angeles.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Electrical Engineering at California State University - Los Angeles

With a ranking of #6, California State University - Fresno did quite well on the 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. California State University - Fresno 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.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Fresno State, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Fresno State is $7,549 for california bachelor’s degree ee students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%. 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 full report on Electrical Engineering at Fresno State

University of California - San Diego came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 159 bachelors’s EE degrees in 2019-2020.

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. The yearly cost to attend UCSD is $14,071 for california bachelor’s degree ee students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 1.5% 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 UCSD

University of California - Irvine landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. UC Irvine is located in Irvine, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 100 bachelors’s EE degrees to qualified students.

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. It costs about $13,648 for California Bachelor’s Degree EE students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of California - Irvine.

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

Read more about Electrical Engineering at University of California - Irvine

California State University - Fullerton ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Cal State Fullerton is a large public school situated in Fullerton, California. It awarded 74 bachelors’s EE degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State Fullerton also made our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #25. The yearly cost to attend Cal State Fullerton is $9,427 for california bachelor’s degree ee students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

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

California State University - Long Beach did quite well in the 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #10. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school handed out 169 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s EE students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree ee students whose families make $48-$75k list, CSULB has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend CSULB is $10,807 for California Bachelor’s Degree EE students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at CSULB

#11

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California

University of California - Riverside landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Riverside, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s EE degrees to 73 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree ee students whose families make $48-$75k list, UCR has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCR is $12,290 for california bachelor’s degree ee students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, 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 students.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at University of California - Riverside

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well in the 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #12. This large school is located in San Luis Obispo, California, and it awarded 130 bachelors’s EE degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also took the #6 spot in our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is $19,407 for California Bachelor’s Degree EE students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo Electrical Engineering Report

#13

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

University of California - Santa Barbara came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. 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.

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 UCSB is $15,343 for california bachelor’s degree ee students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Full UCSB Electrical Engineering Report

California State University - Northridge ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. This large school is located in Northridge, California, and it awarded 85 bachelors’s EE degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUN also made our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #23. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Northridge is $10,783 for california bachelor’s degree ee students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 more about Electrical Engineering at California State University - Northridge

#15

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 132 bachelors’s EE degrees in 2019-2020.

SDSU also took the #13 spot in our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,730 for California Bachelor’s Degree EE students whose families make $48-$75k 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 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 full report on Electrical Engineering at San Diego State University

California State University - Bakersfield ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. California State University - Bakersfield is a fairly large school located in Bakersfield, California that handed out 26 bachelors’s EE degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Bakersfield is $7,564 for california bachelor’s degree ee students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Electrical Engineering at CSUB

California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #17. Sacramento, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s EE degrees to 96 students in 2019-2020.

Sac State also made our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #22. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $11,413 for california bachelor’s degree ee students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%.

Read more about Electrical Engineering at California State University - Sacramento

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well in the 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #18. This large school is located in Pomona, California, and it awarded 115 bachelors’s EE degrees in 2019-2020.

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 $14,012 for California Bachelor’s Degree EE students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its 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%.

Full Cal Poly Pomona Electrical Engineering Report

#19

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California did quite well in the 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #19. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s EE degrees to 60 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree ee students whose families make $48-$75k list, USC has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Southern California is $20,050 for California Bachelor’s Degree EE students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full University of Southern California Electrical Engineering Report

#20

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California

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 $48-$75k ranking. University of California - Santa Cruz is a public institution located in Santa Cruz, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 58 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Santa Cruz, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $15,253 for california bachelor’s degree ee students whose families make $48-$75k 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

San Jose State University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. San Jose State University is a large public school situated in San Jose, California. It awarded 96 bachelors’s EE degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at San Jose State, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State University is $16,397 for California Bachelor’s Degree EE students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full San Jose State University Electrical Engineering Report

#19 in overall quality

California State University - Chico came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Chico, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s EE degrees to 27 students in 2019-2020.

Chico State also took the #19 spot in our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Chico is $16,116 for california bachelor’s degree ee students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.3% 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%.

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

#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 $48-$75k 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.

The yearly cost to attend San Francisco State University is $16,661 for california bachelor’s degree ee students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full SFSU Electrical Engineering Report

#24

National University

La Jolla, California
#16 in overall quality

National University landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. National University is a fairly large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 13 bachelors’s EE degrees in 2019-2020.

National University also made our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #16.

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

#25

Sonoma State University

Rohnert Park, California

With a ranking of #25, Sonoma State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k 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 Sonoma State University is $17,644 for california bachelor’s degree ee students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 Electrical Engineering at Sonoma State 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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