2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Getting Aid
13
Ranked Colleges
1,386
Degrees Awarded
$20,700
Avg Net Price*
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2020-2021, 11,796 people earned their degree in general engineering, making the major the 79th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, general engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $68,873 and had an average of $20,557 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 1,386 general engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $85,262 and $12,259 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 13 colleges that offered 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.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the general 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 General Engineering Schools
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. 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 Getting Aid
The colleges and universities below are the best for california engineering students with aid.
Top 13 Best Value Colleges for General Engineering in California (With Aid)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Davis. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Getting Aid. University of California - Davis is a public institution located in Davis, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 123 ’s degrees 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. It costs about $15,768 for california engineering students with aid per year to attend UC Davis.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full UC Davis General Engineering Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Getting Aid. 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.
UCLA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best General Engineering Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UCLA is $15,023 for california engineering students with aid.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about General Engineering at UCLA
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fresno. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Fresno, California, and it awarded 17 ’s engineering 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 estimated yearly cost for Fresno State is $6,230 for California Engineering students with aid.
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.
Read more about General Engineering at California State University - Fresno
Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools 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. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 5 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Berkeley also took the #3 spot in our “Best General Engineering Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $16,032 for California Engineering students with aid per year to attend UC Berkeley.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Full UC Berkeley General Engineering Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend San Jose State University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Getting Aid. San Jose, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 54 students in 2020-2021.
San Jose State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best General Engineering Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State is $16,542 for california engineering 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%.
Read full report on General Engineering at San Jose State
University of California - Riverside did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #6. University of California - Riverside is a large public school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 52 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
UCR not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best General Engineering Schools in California” list. It costs about $11,822 for california engineering students with aid per year to attend University of California - Riverside.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. 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%.
Read more about General Engineering at University of California - Riverside
With a ranking of #7, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. Cal Poly Pomona is located in Pomona, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 9 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.
Cal Poly Pomona also took the #12 spot in our “Best General Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cal Poly Pomona is $14,304 for California Engineering students with aid.
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
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. California Polytechnic State University - 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 also made our “Best General Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #7. It costs about $20,677 for California Engineering students with aid per year to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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 full report on General Engineering at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
San Francisco State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. SFSU is a large school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 29 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
SFSU also took the #13 spot in our “Best General Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SFSU is $14,459 for california engineering students with aid.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% 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%.
Full SFSU General Engineering Report
With a ranking of #10, Harvey Mudd College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. Claremont, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 58 students in 2020-2021.
Harvey Mudd College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best General Engineering Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Harvey Mudd College is $33,467 for California Engineering students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Full Harvey Mudd College General Engineering Report
University of the Pacific ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. Stockton, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 34 students in 2020-2021.
Pacific not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best General Engineering Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Pacific is $28,380 for california engineering students with aid.
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 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Pacific General Engineering Report
Santa Clara University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #12. 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. It costs about $42,614 for california engineering students with aid per year to attend SCU.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 SCU General Engineering Report
University of San Diego ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. University of San Diego is located in San Diego, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 7 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.
USD also made our “Best General Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #8. The yearly cost to attend USD is $34,139 for California Engineering students with aid.
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 full report on General Engineering at University of San Diego
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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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