2026 Best Manufacturing Engineering Schools in California
Manufacturing Engineering programs are offered at a focused set of schools across the country. While the number of schools offering the program varies, there are still top-quality ones to be found.
For its 2026 ranking, College Factual looked at 10 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for manufacturing engineering students pursuing a degree.
What’s on this page:
Best Schools for Manufacturing Engineering in California
If you are not interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the manufacturing engineering degrees they offer, see the list below.
Top Schools in Manufacturing Engineering
No school ranked higher than California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo this year for manufacturing engineering. Located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo, California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo is a very large public university. California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo graduates 86% of students within six years. California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo awarded about 28 manufacturing engineering degrees in the most recent data year. Graduates of the manufacturing engineering program make about $61,010 in their early career. California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo graduates carry a median of $19,273 in student loans.
Read more about the manufacturing engineering program at California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo
Students looking for a strong manufacturing engineering program will find one at California State Polytechnic University Pomona, which ranked #2. Set in the suburb of Pomona, California State Polytechnic University Pomona is a very large public institution. The six-year graduation rate is 68%. About 29 manufacturing engineering degrees were awarded at California State Polytechnic University Pomona in the most recent year. Students who receive their manufacturing engineering degree from California State Polytechnic University Pomona earn around $79,549 in the first couple years of their career. Typical student debt for the program is $17,083.
See the full manufacturing engineering program report for California State Polytechnic University Pomona
California State University Northridge came in at #3 on our 2026 list of the best manufacturing engineering schools. This very large public university is located in the city of Northridge. About 57% of students finish within six years. California State University Northridge awarded about 22 manufacturing engineering degrees in the most recent data year. Students who receive their manufacturing engineering degree from California State University Northridge earn around $48,437 in the first couple years of their career. Typical student debt for the program is $16,202.
Read more about the manufacturing engineering program at California State University Northridge
Students looking for a strong manufacturing engineering program will find one at National University, which ranked #4. National University is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of San Diego. The six-year graduation rate is 50%. National University awarded about 11 manufacturing engineering degrees in the most recent data year. Graduates of the manufacturing engineering program make about $69,080 in their early career. Students borrow a median of $30,426 to complete this degree.
See the full manufacturing engineering program report for National University
More Manufacturing Engineering Rankings
View All Manufacturing Engineering Rankings >
Notes and References
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on a blend of student outcomes (graduation rate, post-graduation earnings), affordability, and program focus, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 10 schools evaluated.
- 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
