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2023 Most Popular Colleges for General Engineering in California

105 Ranked Colleges
1,386 Degrees Awarded
$34,400 Avg Cost*
Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California” ranking - to help you make that 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 “Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California” ranking analyzed 105 colleges that offered a degree in general engineering. This ranking identifies schools that graduate the most students in general engineering.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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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 “Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California”.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California”.

1

Out of the 105 schools in the Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Davis landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Davis, California, and it awarded 123 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

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%.

Read full report on General Engineering at University of California - Davis

2
Harvey Mudd College crest
Harvey Mudd College
Claremont, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Harvey Mudd College. The school came in at #2 for the Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California. Harvey Mudd College is located in Claremont, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 58 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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.

Read full report on General Engineering at Harvey Mudd College

2

Out of the 105 schools in the Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #2 spot on the 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.

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 more about General Engineering at UCLA

4
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

Out of the 105 schools in the Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, San Jose State University landed the #4 spot on the list. San Jose State is located in San Jose, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 54 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

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 86%.

Read full report on General Engineering at San Jose State

5

Out of the 105 schools in the Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Riverside landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Riverside, California, this large public school awarded 52 diplomas to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.

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

6
Cerritos College crest
Cerritos College
Norwalk, California

With a ranking of #6, Cerritos College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California list. Norwalk, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 43 students in 2020-2021.

Full Cerritos College General Engineering Report

7
Clovis Community College crest
Clovis Community College
Fresno, California

Clovis Community College ranked #7 on this year’s Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California list. Located in Fresno, California, this medium-sized public school handed out 71 diplomas to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.

Full Clovis Community College General Engineering Report

8
Norco College crest
Norco College
Norco, California

Norco College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California ranking, coming in at #8. Located in Norco, California, this medium-sized public school awarded 41 degrees to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on General Engineering at Norco College

9
Orange Coast College crest
Orange Coast College
Costa Mesa, California

Orange Coast College ranked #9 on this year’s Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California list. Located in Costa Mesa, California, this fairly large public school handed out 36 diplomas to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on General Engineering at Orange Coast College

10
Pacific crest
University of the Pacific
Stockton, California

University of the Pacific came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California ranking. Pacific is located in Stockton, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 34 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

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

Read full report on General Engineering at Pacific

11
El Camino College crest
El Camino College
Torrance, California

El Camino College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California ranking, coming in at #11. El Camino College is a public institution located in Torrance, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 33 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Full El Camino College General Engineering Report

12
San Diego Miramar College crest
San Diego Miramar College
San Diego, California

San Diego Miramar College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California ranking. San Diego, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 32 students in 2020-2021.

Read more about General Engineering at San Diego Miramar College

13
Ventura College crest
Ventura College
Ventura, California

Ventura College ranked #13 on this year’s Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California list. Ventura College is located in Ventura, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 69 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

Full Ventura College General Engineering Report

14
SFSU crest
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California ranking, coming in at #14. San Francisco State University is a large school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 29 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

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%.

Full San Francisco State University General Engineering Report

15
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Santa Barbara City College
Santa Barbara, California

Santa Barbara City College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California ranking. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this fairly large public school awarded 28 diplomas to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on General Engineering at Santa Barbara City College

16
Cabrillo College crest
Cabrillo College
Aptos, California

With a ranking of #16, Cabrillo College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California list. Cabrillo College is a medium-sized public school situated in Aptos, California. It awarded 27 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about General Engineering at Cabrillo College

17
American River crest
American River College
Sacramento, California

American River College ranked #17 on this year’s Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California list. American River is a large school located in Sacramento, California that handed out 23 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on General Engineering at American River

18
Antelope Valley College crest
Antelope Valley College
Lancaster, California

With a ranking of #18, Antelope Valley College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California list. This fairly large school is located in Lancaster, California, and it awarded 21 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about General Engineering at Antelope Valley College

19
Diablo Valley crest
Diablo Valley College
Pleasant Hill, California

With a ranking of #19, Diablo Valley College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California list. Diablo Valley College is a fairly large school located in Pleasant Hill, California that handed out 20 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Diablo Valley General Engineering Report

19
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Santa Rosa Junior College
Santa Rosa, California

Santa Rosa Junior College landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California ranking. Located in Santa Rosa, California, this fairly large public school awarded 20 degrees to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on General Engineering at Santa Rosa Junior College

19
Allan Hancock College crest
Allan Hancock College
Santa Maria, California

Allan Hancock College ranked #19 on this year’s Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California list. Santa Maria, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 20 students in 2020-2021.

Read more about General Engineering at Allan Hancock College

22
Moorpark College crest
Moorpark College
Moorpark, California

Moorpark College landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California ranking. Moorpark, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 26 students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on General Engineering at Moorpark College

23
Bakersfield College crest
Bakersfield College
Bakersfield, California

With a ranking of #23, Bakersfield College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California list. Bakersfield, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 17 students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on General Engineering at Bakersfield College

23
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College of the Canyons
Santa Clarita, California

With a ranking of #23, College of the Canyons did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California list. College of the Canyons is a public institution located in Santa Clarita, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 17 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Full College of the Canyons General Engineering Report

23

California State University - Fresno came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Engineering Major in California ranking. Fresno State is a large school located in Fresno, California that handed out 17 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

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 3.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Engineering at California State University - Fresno

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References

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