2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Mechanical Engineering in California
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” ranking.
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” ranking looked at 29 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the general mechanical engineering program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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The general mechanical 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 “Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California”.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. 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
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Mechanical Engineering in California
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University Maritime Academy. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. California State University Maritime Academy is a small school located in Vallejo, California that handed out 44 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.
Cal Maritime also made our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #8. It costs about $20,597 for california bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students per year to attend California State University Maritime Academy.
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 more about General Mechanical Engineering at California State University Maritime Academy
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California. Located in San Luis Obispo, California, this large public school handed out 308 degrees to qualified bachelors’s general mechanical engineering students in 2019-2020.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also took the #5 spot in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is $21,595 for california bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Long Beach. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. California State University - Long Beach is a large public school situated in Long Beach, California. It awarded 193 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students list, CSULB has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Long Beach is $9,622 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Northridge. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. CSUN is a large school located in Northridge, California that handed out 226 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students list, CSUN has also earned the #23 rank in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CSUN is $8,414 for california bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at California State University - Northridge
Out of the 29 schools in the Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fresno landed the #5 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.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students list, Fresno State has also earned the #24 rank in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Fresno State is $5,464 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students.
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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at Fresno State
University of California - Los Angeles ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 137 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.
UCLA also took the #6 spot in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Los Angeles is $14,279 for california bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students.
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%.
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Located in Pomona, California, this large public school handed out 225 degrees to qualified bachelors’s general mechanical engineering students 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. The estimated yearly cost for Cal Poly Pomona is $12,734 for california bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students.
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
California State University - Chico landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Located in Chico, California, this fairly large public school awarded 102 degrees to qualified bachelors’s general mechanical engineering students in 2019-2020.
Chico State also took the #19 spot in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $15,017 for california bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students per year to attend Chico State.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full California State University - Chico General Mechanical Engineering Report
San Jose State University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. San Jose, 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.
San Jose State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State is $14,928 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at San Jose State University
San Diego State University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. San Diego, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees to 306 students in 2019-2020.
SDSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $14,788 for california bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students per year to attend San Diego State University.
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 low student loan default rate of 2.8% 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 Diego State University
University of California - Berkeley landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. 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 made our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend UC Berkeley is $15,329 for california bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. 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 UC Berkeley
With a ranking of #12, California State University - Fullerton did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. California State University - Fullerton is a large public school situated in Fullerton, California. It awarded 231 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.
Cal State Fullerton not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $7,991 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students per year to attend California State University - Fullerton.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
Read full report on General Mechanical Engineering at Cal State Fullerton
University of California - San Diego landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. UCSD is a public institution located in La Jolla, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 179 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students list, UCSD has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - San Diego is $14,232 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
With a ranking of #14, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California 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.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Irvine, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,783 for california bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students per year to attend UC Irvine.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, 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 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of California - Irvine General Mechanical Engineering Report
University of California - Davis did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #15. UC Davis is a large school located in Davis, California that handed out 176 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students list, UC Davis has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Davis is $14,669 for california bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of California - Davis General Mechanical Engineering Report
University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. This large school is located in Santa Barbara, California, and it awarded 88 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.
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. It costs about $15,884 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students per year to attend University of California - Santa Barbara.
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.
San Francisco State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #17. This large school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 97 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for San Francisco State University is $15,113 for california bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students.
Full San Francisco State University General Mechanical Engineering Report
California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #18. California State University - Sacramento is a large public school situated in Sacramento, California. It awarded 204 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.
Sac State also made our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #25. It costs about $9,979 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students per year to attend California State University - Sacramento.
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 full report on General Mechanical Engineering at Sac State
California State University - Los Angeles landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 144 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Los Angeles is $2,768 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students.
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%.
University of California - Riverside came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. UCR is located in Riverside, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 145 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees to qualified students.
UCR did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $12,871 for california bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students per year to attend University of California - Riverside.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
University of California - Merced ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. University of California - Merced is located in Merced, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 146 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $13,896 for california bachelor’s degree general mechanical engineering students per year to attend University of California - Merced.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
With a ranking of #22, California Baptist University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. California Baptist University is located in Riverside, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 35 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend Cal Baptist is $24,707 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students.
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%.
University of the Pacific did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #23. Pacific is located in Stockton, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 20 bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees to qualified students.
Pacific also took the #21 spot in our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Pacific is $28,929 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students.
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 1.8% 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 Pacific
With a ranking of #24, Loyola Marymount University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s general mechanical engineering degrees to 38 students in 2019-2020.
Loyola Marymount did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Loyola Marymount is $42,861 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students.
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%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read more about General Mechanical Engineering at Loyola Marymount University
University of San Diego ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value General Mechanical Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. University of San Diego is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 71 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
USD not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best General Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $32,460 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Mechanical Engineering students per year to attend University of San Diego.
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 University of San Diego
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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.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Michel Villeneuve.
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