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2023 Best Value Colleges for Electrical Engineering in California (With Aid)

29 Ranked Colleges
4,697 Degrees Awarded
$14,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Getting Aid

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking.

Electrical Engineering is the 39th most popular major in the country with 28,844 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, electrical engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $74,380 and had an average of $24,114 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 4,697 electrical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $83,119 and $20,327 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 29 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.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the electrical engineering program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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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 Getting Aid”.

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. 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 Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Getting Aid.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Electrical Engineering in California (With Aid)

1
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

Out of the 29 schools in the Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #1 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Stanford, California, and it awarded 259 ’s EE degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california ee students with aid list, Stanford has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford is $12,894 for california ee students with aid.

The low undergrad 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%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. 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 Stanford

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Getting Aid. University of California - Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 730 ’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 $16,032 for California EE students with aid per year to attend UC Berkeley.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The 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%.

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

3

Out of the 29 schools in the Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #3 spot on the list. University of California - Los Angeles is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 367 ’s EE degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $15,023 for California EE students with aid per year to attend University of California - Los Angeles.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad 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%.

Full University of California - Los Angeles Electrical Engineering Report

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - San Diego. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. UCSD is a public institution located in La Jolla, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 410 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSD, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - San Diego is $15,240 for California EE students with aid.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Full UCSD Electrical Engineering Report

5

Out of the 29 schools in the Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Los Angeles landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 118 diplomas to qualified ’s EE students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal State LA, the school also landed the #24 spot in our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Los Angeles is $3,302 for California EE students with aid.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at Cal State LA

6

With a ranking of #6, California State University - Long Beach did quite well on the 2023 Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Long Beach is a large school located in Long Beach, California that handed out 165 ’s EE degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSULB, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $10,054 for california ee students with aid per year to attend California State University - Long Beach.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, 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 89%.

Read more about Electrical Engineering at California State University - Long Beach

7

With a ranking of #7, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2023 Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. University of California - 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 with aid list, UC Irvine has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Irvine is $12,209 for california ee students with aid.

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%. 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 full report on Electrical Engineering at University of California - Irvine

8

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is located in Pomona, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 165 ’s EE degrees to qualified students.

Cal Poly Pomona did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Cal Poly Pomona is $14,304 for california ee students with aid.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, 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 undergraduate students.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at Cal Poly Pomona

9

University of California - Davis landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Davis, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s EE degrees to 69 students 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 $15,768 for california ee students with aid.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at UC Davis

9

California State University - Northridge ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Northridge is located in Northridge, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 98 ’s EE degrees to qualified students.

CSUN also made our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #20. It costs about $8,523 for California EE students with aid per year to attend CSUN.

The low undergrad 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%.

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

11

California State University - Fullerton ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Fullerton is a large school located in Fullerton, California that handed out 73 ’s EE degrees in 2020-2021.

Cal State Fullerton also made our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #21. The yearly cost to attend Cal State Fullerton is $8,003 for california ee students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at Cal State Fullerton

12

California State University - Sacramento came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Sac State is a large school located in Sacramento, California that handed out 113 ’s EE degrees in 2020-2021.

Sac State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Sac State is $11,178 for california ee students with aid.

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

13

California State University - Fresno ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. Fresno State is a large school located in Fresno, California that handed out 19 ’s EE degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fresno is $6,230 for california 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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at Fresno State

14
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

San Jose State University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in San Jose, California, and it awarded 286 ’s EE degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california ee students with aid list, San Jose State has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State University is $16,542 for california ee students with aid.

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

Full San Jose State Electrical Engineering Report

15

With a ranking of #15, University of California - Riverside did quite well on the 2023 Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. Riverside, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s EE degrees to 129 students 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. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Riverside is $11,822 for california ee students with aid.

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 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%.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at UCR

16
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

San Diego State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #16. SDSU is a large public school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 145 ’s EE degrees in 2020-2021.

SDSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for San Diego State University is $13,845 for california ee students with aid.

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%. 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 SDSU Electrical Engineering Report

17

University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well in the 2023 Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #17. Santa Barbara, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s EE degrees to 152 students in 2020-2021.

UCSB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Santa Barbara is $16,252 for california ee students with aid.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Electrical Engineering at University of California - Santa Barbara

18

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value EE Schools 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 161 ’s EE degrees in 2020-2021.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also made our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #7. It costs about $20,677 for california ee students with aid per year to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo.

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

Read more about Electrical Engineering at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

19

University of California - Santa Cruz landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Getting Aid 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 78 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Santa Cruz, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Santa Cruz is $17,930 for california ee students with aid.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at UC Santa Cruz

20

California State University - Bakersfield did quite well in the 2023 Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #20. Located in Bakersfield, California, this fairly large public school awarded 24 degrees to qualified ’s EE students in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for CSUB is $7,454 for california ee students with aid.

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

21

California State University - Chico came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Chico State is located in Chico, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 36 ’s EE degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california ee students with aid list, Chico State has also earned the #23 rank in our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $16,218 for California EE students with aid per year to attend Chico State.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at Chico State

22
SFSU crest
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #22. This large school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 44 ’s EE degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $14,459 for California EE students with aid per year to attend San Francisco State University.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at San Francisco State University

23
SSU crest
Sonoma State University
Rohnert Park, California

Sonoma State University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. SSU is a medium-sized public school situated in Rohnert Park, California. It awarded 24 ’s EE degrees in 2020-2021.

SSU also took the #22 spot in our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SSU is $17,563 for California EE students with aid.

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%.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at SSU

24
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. 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 estimated yearly cost for University of Southern California is $32,569 for California EE students with aid.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an impressive undergrad 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 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full USC Electrical Engineering Report

25
National University crest
National University
La Jolla, California

National University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value EE Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. National University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in La Jolla, California. It awarded 19 ’s EE degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california ee students with aid list, National University has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend National University is $20,722 for california ee students with aid.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at National University

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