2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k
13
Ranked Colleges
475
Degrees Awarded
$14,300
Avg Net Price*
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
General Engineering is the 96th most popular major in the country with 9,018 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.
Across California, there were 475 general engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 13 colleges that offered a degree in general engineering. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality general engineering programs that also have a lower cost than 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 general engineering program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
One Size Does Not Fit All
The engineering 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 Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k”.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. 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 Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k
The colleges and universities below are the best for california engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
Top 13 Best Value Colleges for General Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in California
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k. University of California - Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Berkeley also made our “Best General Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $9,999 for California Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UC Berkeley.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on General Engineering at University of California - Berkeley
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Davis. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. UC Davis is located in Davis, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 123 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.
UC Davis not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best General Engineering Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $11,598 for California Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on General Engineering at University of California - Davis
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 58 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best General Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCLA is $9,891 for California Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. 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%.
Read full report on General Engineering at University of California - Los Angeles
Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fresno landed the #4 spot on the list. California State University - Fresno is a public institution located in Fresno, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 17 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Fresno State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best General Engineering Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fresno is $4,655 for california engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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 General Engineering Report
Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, San Jose State University landed the #5 spot on the list. This large school is located in San Jose, California, and it awarded 54 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california engineering students whose families make $30-$48k list, San Jose State has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best General Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State University is $13,378 for california engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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%.
Read full report on General Engineering at San Jose State
With a ranking of #6, University of California - Riverside did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of California - Riverside is a large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 52 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCR, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best General Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Riverside is $8,193 for california engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on General Engineering at University of California - Riverside
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #7. California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is located in San Luis Obispo, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 8 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best General Engineering Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is $13,194 for california engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about General Engineering at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Cal Poly Pomona is a large school located in Pomona, California that handed out 9 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Cal Poly Pomona not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best General Engineering Schools in California” list. It costs about $12,992 for california engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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%.
Read more about General Engineering at Cal Poly Pomona
Santa Clara University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Santa Clara University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Santa Clara, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 5 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california engineering students whose families make $30-$48k list, SCU has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best General Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Santa Clara University is $23,508 for california engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full SCU General Engineering Report
Harvey Mudd College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Claremont, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 58 diplomas to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Harvey Mudd College, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best General Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Harvey Mudd College is $20,829 for California Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Harvey Mudd College General Engineering Report
With a ranking of #11, San Francisco State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. San Francisco State University is a large public school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 29 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
SFSU also made our “Best General Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #13. The yearly cost to attend SFSU is $11,862 for california engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
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%.
Full SFSU General Engineering Report
With a ranking of #12, University of San Diego did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. USD is a medium-sized school located in San Diego, California that handed out 7 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
USD also made our “Best General Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #8. The estimated yearly cost for USD is $22,334 for California Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Engineering at USD
University of the Pacific landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k 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 34 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Pacific also made our “Best General Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #9. The estimated yearly cost for Pacific is $23,162 for California Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The low undergrad 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%.
Read more about General 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
- *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 Rémi Kaupp.
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