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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Mechanical Engineering in California (With Aid)

29 Ranked Colleges
4,047 Degrees Awarded
$14,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Getting Aid

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking - to help you make that decision.

General Mechanical Engineering is the 12th most popular major in the country with 47,598 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

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 Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” 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.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students with aid.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Mechanical Engineering in California (With Aid)

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Los Angeles. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Los Angeles 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 with aid per year to attend Cal State LA.

The low student loan default rate of 1.4% 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 Cal State LA

#2

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Stanford is a fairly large school located in Stanford, California that handed out 54 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Stanford, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford is $11,496 for california bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University

#24 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fresno. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Fresno State is a large school located in Fresno, California that handed out 86 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Fresno State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #24 on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fresno is $5,464 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students with aid.

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%. 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 full report on General Mechanical Engineering at Fresno State

#20 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fullerton. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid. California State University - 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.

Cal State Fullerton also took the #20 spot in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $7,991 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students with aid per year to attend California State University - Fullerton.

The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%. 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

#23 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Northridge. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. CSUN is a large public school situated in Northridge, California. It awarded 226 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUN also made our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #23. The estimated yearly cost for CSUN is $8,414 for california bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at CSUN

#6

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#6 in overall quality

University of California - Los Angeles landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of California - Los Angeles is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 137 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UCLA also made our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #6. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Los Angeles is $14,279 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at University of California - Los Angeles

#11 in overall quality

University of California - Irvine landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. UC Irvine is a public institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 263 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Irvine is $14,783 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students with aid.

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 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

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

#18 in overall quality

California State University - Long Beach did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #8. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees to 193 students in 2019-2020.

CSULB also made our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #18. The yearly cost to attend CSULB is $9,622 for california bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full CSULB General Mechanical Engineering Report

#9

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#15 in overall quality

San Diego State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #9. San Diego State University is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 306 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SDSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend SDSU is $14,788 for california bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full SDSU General Mechanical Engineering Report

#10

University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley, California
#2 in overall quality

University of California - Berkeley ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. UC Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 177 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley also took the #2 spot in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UC Berkeley is $15,329 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Mechanical Engineering at UC Berkeley

#12 in overall quality

University of California - San Diego landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in La Jolla, California, this large public school awarded 179 degrees to qualified bachelors’s general mechanical engineering students in 2019-2020.

UCSD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #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 with aid.

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 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at University of California - San Diego

#12

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California
#22 in overall quality

University of California - Riverside ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Riverside, California, and it awarded 145 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

UCR also took the #22 spot in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCR is $12,871 for california bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. 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%.

Full UCR General Mechanical Engineering Report

#17 in overall quality

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Cal Poly Pomona is a large school located in Pomona, California that handed out 225 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly Pomona also made our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #17. The estimated yearly cost for Cal Poly Pomona is $12,734 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Mechanical Engineering at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona

#9 in overall quality

University of California - Davis did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #14. Located in Davis, California, this large public school awarded 176 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s general mechanical engineering students in 2019-2020.

UC Davis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Davis is $14,669 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UC Davis General Mechanical Engineering Report

#25 in overall quality

California State University - Sacramento ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Sacramento, California, this large public school handed out 204 degrees to qualified bachelors’s general mechanical engineering students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students with aid list, Sac State has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Sacramento is $9,979 for california bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 4.6% 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 Mechanical Engineering at Sac State

#5 in overall quality

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in San Luis Obispo, California, and it awarded 308 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is $21,595 for california bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national 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.

Read full report on General Mechanical Engineering at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

#17

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#16 in overall quality

San Jose State University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid 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 took the #16 spot in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,928 for california bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students with aid per year to attend San Jose State University.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 3.7% 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 San Jose State University

#18

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#13 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. UCSB is located in Santa Barbara, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 88 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSB, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Santa Barbara is $15,884 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, 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 91%.

Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at University of California - Santa Barbara

#19 in overall quality

California State University - Chico ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Chico is located in Chico, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 102 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees to qualified students.

Chico State also took the #19 spot in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Chico is $15,017 for california bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students with aid.

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%.

Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at Chico State

#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #20, California State University Maritime Academy did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Cal Maritime is located in Vallejo, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 44 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees to qualified students.

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 with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Mechanical Engineering at California State University Maritime Academy

#21

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in San Francisco, California, this large public school awarded 97 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s general mechanical engineering students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $15,113 for california bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students with aid per year to attend SFSU.

Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at SFSU

University of California - Merced ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. University of California - Merced is a medium-sized public school situated in Merced, California. It awarded 146 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend University of California - Merced is $13,896 for california bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students with aid.

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%.

Full University of California - Merced General Mechanical Engineering Report

#23

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, California
#3 in overall quality

California Institute of Technology landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. California Institute of Technology is a small school located in Pasadena, California that handed out 15 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Caltech, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California Institute of Technology is $24,274 for california bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Caltech General Mechanical Engineering Report

#24

California Baptist University

Riverside, California

California Baptist University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Riverside, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 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 with aid.

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 California Baptist University

#25

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California
#4 in overall quality

University of Southern California ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 96 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

USC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for USC is $29,528 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students with aid.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full USC General Mechanical Engineering Report

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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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