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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Mechanical Engineering (Income Over $110k) in California

29 Ranked Colleges
4,047 Degrees Awarded
$26,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Vallue General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making Over $110k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Vallue General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 47,598 people earned their degree in general mechanical engineering, making the major the 12th most popular in the United States.

Across California, there were 5,259 general mechanical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 4,047 general mechanical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

This year’s “Best Vallue General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k” ranking analyzed 29 colleges that offered a degree in general mechanical engineering. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality general mechanical engineering programs that also have a lower cost than 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 mechanical engineering program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank General Mechanical Engineering Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Vallue General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

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Best Vallue General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Vallue General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Mechanical Engineering (Income Over $110k) in California

#20 in overall quality

Out of the 29 schools in the Best Vallue General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fullerton landed the #1 spot on the list. Cal State Fullerton is a public institution located in Fullerton, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 231 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal State Fullerton, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fullerton is $7,991 for california bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students whose families make more than $110k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at Cal State Fullerton

Out of the 29 schools in the Best Vallue General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Los Angeles landed the #2 spot on the list. Cal State LA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 144 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $2,768 for california bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend Cal State LA.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Mechanical Engineering at Cal State LA

#24 in overall quality

Out of the 29 schools in the Best Vallue General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fresno landed the #3 spot on the list. Fresno State is a public institution located in Fresno, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 86 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Fresno State also made our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #24. The estimated yearly cost for Fresno State is $5,464 for california bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students whose families make more than $110k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 4.7% 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 General Mechanical Engineering at California State University - Fresno

#18 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Long Beach. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Vallue General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k list. CSULB is a large public school situated in Long Beach, California. It awarded 193 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSULB, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $9,622 for california bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend CSULB.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at CSULB

#17 in overall quality

Out of the 29 schools in the Best Vallue General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona landed the #5 spot on the list. Cal Poly Pomona is a large school located in Pomona, California that handed out 225 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal Poly Pomona, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $12,734 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend Cal Poly Pomona.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The low 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%.

Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona

#5 in overall quality

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo ranked #6 on this year’s Best Vallue General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k list. San Luis Obispo, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees to 308 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students whose families make more than $110k list, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $21,595 for california bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo.

The low student loan default rate of 1.1% 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 94%.

Full Cal Poly San Luis Obispo General Mechanical Engineering Report

#23 in overall quality

California State University - Northridge landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Vallue General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking. CSUN is a public institution located in Northridge, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 226 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSUN, the school also landed the #23 spot in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Northridge is $8,414 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students whose families make more than $110k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.0% 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 Mechanical Engineering at CSUN

#8

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#15 in overall quality

San Diego State University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Vallue General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking. SDSU is located in San Diego, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 306 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SDSU, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Diego State University is $14,788 for california bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students whose families make more than $110k.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Mechanical Engineering at SDSU

#8 in overall quality

California State University Maritime Academy ranked #9 on this year’s Best Vallue General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k list. Cal Maritime is a small school located in Vallejo, California that handed out 44 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal Maritime did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California State University Maritime Academy is $20,597 for california bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students whose families make more than $110k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Mechanical Engineering at Cal Maritime

#25 in overall quality

California State University - Sacramento ranked #10 on this year’s Best Vallue General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k list. This large school is located in Sacramento, California, and it awarded 204 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Sac State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #25 on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $9,979 for california bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend Sac State.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Mechanical Engineering at Sac State

#11

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#16 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, San Jose State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Vallue General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k list. This large school is located in San Jose, California, and it awarded 193 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

San Jose State also made our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #16. It costs about $14,928 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend San Jose State University.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full San Jose State General Mechanical Engineering Report

#12

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#6 in overall quality

University of California - Los Angeles landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Vallue General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 137 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,279 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend UCLA.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of California - Los Angeles General Mechanical Engineering Report

#19 in overall quality

With a ranking of #13, California State University - Chico did quite well on the 2022 Best Vallue General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k list. Chico, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees to 102 students in 2019-2020.

Chico State also made our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #19. The estimated yearly cost for Chico State is $15,017 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students whose families make more than $110k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.3% 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 Chico State General Mechanical Engineering Report

#14

University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley, California
#2 in overall quality

With a ranking of #14, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on the 2022 Best Vallue General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k list. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees to 177 students in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley also took the #2 spot in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Berkeley is $15,329 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students whose families make more than $110k.

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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at UC Berkeley

#12 in overall quality

University of California - San Diego ranked #15 on this year’s Best Vallue General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k list. Located in La Jolla, California, this large public school handed out 179 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s general mechanical engineering students in 2019-2020.

UCSD not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UCSD is $14,232 for california bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students whose families make more than $110k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The 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 University of California - San Diego General Mechanical Engineering Report

#16

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Vallue General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking. San Francisco State University is a large school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 97 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $15,113 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend San Francisco State University.

Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at SFSU

#9 in overall quality

With a ranking of #17, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2022 Best Vallue General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k list. UC Davis is located in Davis, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 176 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students whose families make more than $110k list, UC Davis has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Davis is $14,669 for california bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students whose families make more than $110k.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at University of California - Davis

#11 in overall quality

With a ranking of #18, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2022 Best Vallue General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k list. Irvine, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees to 263 students in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine also made our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #11. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Irvine is $14,783 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students whose families make more than $110k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Mechanical Engineering at University of California - Irvine

#19

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California
#22 in overall quality

With a ranking of #19, University of California - Riverside did quite well on the 2022 Best Vallue General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k list. Located in Riverside, California, this large public school handed out 145 degrees to qualified bachelors’s general mechanical engineering students in 2019-2020.

UCR also took the #22 spot in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $12,871 for california bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend UCR.

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 low student loan default rate of 2.1% 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 Mechanical Engineering at University of California - Riverside

#20

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#13 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well in the 2022 Best Vallue General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking, coming in at #20. UCSB is a large school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 88 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Santa Barbara is $15,884 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students whose families make more than $110k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.5% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at UCSB

#21

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

With a ranking of #21, Stanford University did quite well on the 2022 Best Vallue General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k list. Stanford is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 54 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students whose families make more than $110k list, Stanford has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford University is $11,496 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students whose families make more than $110k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Stanford University General Mechanical Engineering Report

University of California - Merced did quite well in the 2022 Best Vallue General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking, coming in at #22. University of California - Merced is a medium-sized school located in Merced, California that handed out 146 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UC Merced is $13,896 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students whose families make more than $110k.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low 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%.

Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at University of California - Merced

#23

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, California
#3 in overall quality

California Institute of Technology ranked #23 on this year’s Best Vallue General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k list. This small school is located in Pasadena, California, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Caltech did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $24,274 for california bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend California Institute of Technology.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Caltech General Mechanical Engineering Report

#24

California Baptist University

Riverside, California

California Baptist University did quite well in the 2022 Best Vallue General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking, coming in at #24. Located in Riverside, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 35 degrees to qualified bachelors’s general mechanical engineering students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California Baptist University is $24,707 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students whose families make more than $110k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at Cal Baptist

#25

University of the Pacific

Stockton, California
#21 in overall quality

University of the Pacific did quite well in the 2022 Best Vallue General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking, coming in at #25. Pacific is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stockton, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Pacific also made our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #21. It costs about $28,929 for california bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend Pacific.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, 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 87%.

Read full report on General Mechanical Engineering at University of the 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

Footnotes

  • *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.

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