2023 Best Value Colleges for General Engineering (Income $48-$75k) in California
13
Ranked Colleges
475
Degrees Awarded
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 Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
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.
For this year’s “Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, we looked at 13 colleges that offer a degree in general engineering. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great general 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 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 $48-$75k”.
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 when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k.
Top 13 Best Value Colleges for General Engineering (Income $48-$75k) in California
Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Davis landed the #1 spot on the list. Davis, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 123 students in 2020-2021.
UC Davis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best General Engineering Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Davis is $14,193 for California Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.
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 more about General Engineering at University of California - Davis
Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Harvey Mudd College landed the #2 spot on the list. This small school is located in Claremont, California, and it awarded 58 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Harvey Mudd College also took the #1 spot in our “Best General Engineering Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $18,077 for california engineering students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Harvey Mudd College.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about General Engineering at Harvey Mudd College
Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #3 spot on the list. 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 not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best General Engineering Schools in California” list. It costs about $13,423 for california engineering students whose families make $48-$75k 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 General Engineering at University of California - Berkeley
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k. 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 $12,644 for california engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fresno. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k. 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 did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best General Engineering Schools in California” list. It costs about $8,030 for california engineering students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Fresno State.
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%. 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
San Jose State University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in San Jose, California, this large public school awarded 54 diplomas to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.
San Jose State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best General Engineering Schools in California” list. It costs about $17,338 for california engineering students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend San Jose State University.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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 more about General Engineering at San Jose State
University of California - Riverside ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. UCR is a large public school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 52 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
UCR also made our “Best General Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #10. The yearly cost to attend UCR is $11,126 for california engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.
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 $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #8. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a large public school situated in San Luis Obispo, California. It awarded 8 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best General Engineering Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is $17,340 for California Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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%.
Full California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo General Engineering Report
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Cal Poly Pomona is a large school located in Pomona, California that handed out 9 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california engineering students whose families make $48-$75k list, Cal Poly Pomona has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best General Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cal Poly Pomona is $15,958 for california engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. 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%.
Read full report on General Engineering at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona
Santa Clara University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #10. SCU is located in Santa Clara, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.
SCU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best General Engineering Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for SCU is $29,618 for California Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Engineering at SCU
San Francisco State University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. San Francisco State University is a public institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 29 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at SFSU, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best General Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend San Francisco State University is $16,065 for california engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Engineering at San Francisco State University
University of San Diego landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. USD is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 7 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california engineering students whose families make $48-$75k list, USD has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best General Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for USD is $28,214 for California Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% 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%.
Read more about General Engineering at University of San Diego
University of the Pacific ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Stockton, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 34 degrees to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.
Pacific also made our “Best General Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend Pacific is $25,543 for California Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%. 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 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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