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2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid

30 Ranked Colleges
2,475 Degrees Awarded
$13,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Getting Aid

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Electrical Engineering is the 31st most popular major in the country with 30,670 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. 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.

This year’s “Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 30 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in electrical engineering. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent electrical engineering programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the electrical engineering program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Electrical Engineering Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid

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

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Electrical Engineering in California (With Aid)

Out of the 30 schools in the Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Los Angeles landed the #1 spot on the list. Cal State LA is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 110 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $2,768 for california bachelor’s degree ee students with aid per year to attend Cal State LA.

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 Cal State LA

#2

Stanford University

Stanford, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid. Stanford University is a fairly large school located in Stanford, California that handed out 46 bachelors’s EE degrees in 2019-2020.

Stanford also made our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $11,496 for California Bachelor’s Degree EE students with aid per year to attend Stanford.

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. 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 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Stanford Electrical Engineering Report

Out of the 30 schools in the Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fresno landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Fresno, California, this large public school handed out 43 degrees to qualified bachelors’s EE students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree ee students with aid list, Fresno State has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Fresno State is $5,464 for California Bachelor’s Degree EE students with aid.

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 student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Electrical Engineering at California State University - Fresno

Out of the 30 schools in the Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #4 spot on the list. UC Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 452 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

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 with aid per year to attend University of California - Berkeley.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, 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 more about Electrical Engineering at UC Berkeley

#5

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 155 degrees to qualified bachelors’s EE students in 2019-2020.

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 University of California - Los Angeles is $14,279 for california bachelor’s degree ee students with aid.

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 UCLA Electrical Engineering Report

California State University - Northridge did quite well in the 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #6. CSUN is a large public school situated in Northridge, California. 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 CSUN is $8,414 for california bachelor’s degree ee students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 2.0% 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 California State University - Northridge Electrical Engineering Report

With a ranking of #7, California State University - Fullerton did quite well on the 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Fullerton is a large public school situated in Fullerton, California. It awarded 74 bachelors’s EE degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State Fullerton not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #25 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Cal State Fullerton is $7,991 for California Bachelor’s Degree EE students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national 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 Cal State Fullerton

University of California - Irvine came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Irvine, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s EE degrees to 100 students in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $14,783 for California Bachelor’s Degree EE students with aid per year to attend University of California - Irvine.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at UC Irvine

California State University - Long Beach landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 169 bachelors’s EE degrees in 2019-2020.

CSULB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend CSULB is $9,622 for california bachelor’s degree ee students with aid.

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%. 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 CSULB Electrical Engineering Report

University of California - San Diego ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. University of California - San Diego is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 159 bachelors’s EE degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree ee students with aid list, UCSD has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - San Diego is $14,232 for California Bachelor’s Degree EE students with aid.

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%. 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 - San Diego

#11

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

With a ranking of #11, San Diego State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. San Diego State University is a large school located in San Diego, California that handed out 132 bachelors’s EE degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree ee students with aid list, SDSU has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SDSU is $14,788 for California Bachelor’s Degree EE students with aid.

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

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at SDSU

California State University - Bakersfield landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State University - Bakersfield is a public institution located in Bakersfield, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Bakersfield is $5,318 for california bachelor’s degree ee students with aid.

Full California State University - Bakersfield Electrical Engineering Report

#12

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California

University of California - Riverside landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. UCR 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 University of California - Riverside is $12,871 for california bachelor’s degree ee students with aid.

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 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

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

California State University - Sacramento ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid 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.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree ee students with aid list, Sac State has also earned the #22 rank 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 with aid.

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 full report on Electrical Engineering at Sac State

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Pomona, California, this large public school handed out 115 degrees to qualified bachelors’s EE students 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 $12,734 for california bachelor’s degree ee students with aid.

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

Read more about Electrical Engineering at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona

#16

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

University of California - Santa Barbara came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. 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.

UCSB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UCSB is $15,884 for california bachelor’s degree ee students with aid.

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

Full University of California - Santa Barbara Electrical Engineering Report

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is a large school located in San Luis Obispo, California that handed out 130 bachelors’s EE degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is $21,595 for California Bachelor’s Degree EE students with aid.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Electrical Engineering at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

#18

San Jose State University

San Jose, California

San Jose State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #18. San Jose State is a large school located in San Jose, California that handed out 96 bachelors’s EE degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree ee students with aid list, San Jose State has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend San Jose State is $14,928 for California Bachelor’s Degree EE students with aid.

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

Read more about Electrical Engineering at San Jose State University

#19 in overall quality

California State University - Chico came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. This fairly large school is located in Chico, California, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s EE degrees in 2019-2020.

Chico State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Chico State is $15,017 for California Bachelor’s Degree EE students with aid.

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 California State University - Chico

#20

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, California
#3 in overall quality

California Institute of Technology ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Caltech is located in Pasadena, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 15 bachelors’s EE degrees to qualified students.

Caltech did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California Institute of Technology is $24,274 for California Bachelor’s Degree EE students with aid.

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

Full Caltech Electrical Engineering Report

#21

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California

With a ranking of #21, University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well on the 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Santa Cruz, California, this fairly large public school awarded 58 degrees to qualified bachelors’s EE students 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. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Santa Cruz is $18,186 for California Bachelor’s Degree EE students with aid.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at UC Santa Cruz

#22

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #22. San Francisco State University is a large public school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 52 bachelors’s EE degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $15,113 for California Bachelor’s Degree EE students with aid per year to attend San Francisco State University.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at SFSU

#23

National University

La Jolla, California
#16 in overall quality

With a ranking of #23, National University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. National University is a private not-for-profit institution located in La Jolla, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

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

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

#24

Sonoma State University

Rohnert Park, California

With a ranking of #24, Sonoma State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. SSU is a medium-sized school located in Rohnert Park, California that handed out 14 bachelors’s EE degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Sonoma State University is $17,478 for California Bachelor’s Degree EE students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Sonoma State University Electrical Engineering Report

#25

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value EE Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. 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.

USC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Southern California is $29,528 for california bachelor’s degree ee students with aid.

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

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at USC

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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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