College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2024 Best Value Colleges for Industrial Engineering in California

5 Ranked Colleges
464 Degrees Awarded
$23,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value IE Schools in California

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value IE Schools in California” ranking - to help you make that decision.

Industrial Engineering is the 87th most popular major in the country with 9,072 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, industrial engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $68,960 and had an average of $24,268 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 464 industrial engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $68,454 and $23,127 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value IE Schools in California” ranking analyzed 5 colleges that offered a degree in industrial engineering. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great industrial 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 industrial engineering program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Industrial Engineering Schools

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More IE Rankings Other Ranking Categories

The ie 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 IE Schools in California”.

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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value IE Schools in California

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value IE Schools in California.

Top 5 Best Value Colleges for Industrial Engineering in California

1

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value IE Schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo landed the #1 spot on the list. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a large public school situated in San Luis Obispo, California. It awarded 104 ’s ie degrees in 2020-2021.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is $20,677 for California IE students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. 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%.

Read full report on Industrial Engineering at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value IE Schools in California. Located in Pomona, California, this large public school awarded 83 degrees to qualified ’s ie students in 2020-2021.

Cal Poly Pomona also took the #4 spot in our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,304 for california ie students per year to attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Cal Poly Pomona Industrial Engineering Report

3
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Jose State University. It ranked #3 on our 2024 Best Value IE Schools in California list. Located in San Jose, California, this large public school handed out 105 diplomas to qualified ’s ie students in 2020-2021.

San Jose State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools in California” list. It costs about $16,542 for California IE students per year to attend San Jose State.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 Industrial Engineering at San Jose State

4
USD crest
University of San Diego
San Diego, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of San Diego. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value IE Schools in California. Located in San Diego, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 38 diplomas to qualified ’s ie students in 2020-2021.

USD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of San Diego is $34,139 for California IE students.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.

Read full report on Industrial Engineering at USD

5
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value IE Schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Southern California landed the #5 spot on the list. University of Southern California is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 107 ’s ie degrees to qualified students.

USC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Southern California is $32,569 for california ie students.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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%.

Full University of Southern California Industrial Engineering Report

Switch to a Similar Major

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options