2023 Best Value ME Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k
28
Ranked Colleges
5,137
Degrees Awarded
$9,900
Avg Net Price*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value ME Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 46,178 people earned their degree in mechanical engineering, making the major the 21st most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, mechanical engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $69,007 and had an average of $23,944 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 5,137 mechanical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $73,918 and $19,735 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value ME Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 28 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent mechanical engineering programs, but they also 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 mechanical engineering program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
One Size Does Not Fit All
When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value ME Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Best Value ME Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for california me students whose families make $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Mechanical Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in California
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value ME Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Stanford, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s ME degrees to 253 students in 2020-2021.
Stanford also took the #1 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford is $1,233 for California ME students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Stanford
Out of the 28 schools in the Best Value ME Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #2 spot on the list. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 320 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Berkeley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Berkeley is $8,450 for California ME students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of California - Berkeley Mechanical Engineering Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value ME Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ME degrees to 252 students in 2020-2021.
UCLA also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $9,037 for california me students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Los Angeles.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at University of California - Los Angeles
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - San Diego. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value ME Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. University of California - San Diego is a public institution located in La Jolla, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 379 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UCSD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - San Diego is $9,823 for california me students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at UCSD
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Davis. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value ME Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Davis, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ME degrees to 274 students in 2020-2021.
UC Davis not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in California” list. It costs about $10,006 for California ME students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UC Davis.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad 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%.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at UC Davis
University of California - Irvine landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of California - Irvine is a large school located in Irvine, California that handed out 359 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Irvine also took the #9 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UC Irvine is $6,540 for california me students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of California - Irvine Mechanical Engineering Report
California State University - Los Angeles landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Cal State LA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 173 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california me students whose families make $0-$30k list, Cal State LA has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Los Angeles is $1,887 for California ME students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Cal State LA Mechanical Engineering Report
California State University - Fullerton ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value ME Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Cal State Fullerton is a large school located in Fullerton, California that handed out 211 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
Cal State Fullerton also took the #18 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fullerton is $4,590 for California ME students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Cal State Fullerton Mechanical Engineering Report
University of Southern California came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. USC is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 217 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
USC also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $17,287 for California ME students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend USC.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The undergrad 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 more about Mechanical Engineering at USC
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value ME Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. San Luis Obispo, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ME degrees to 321 students in 2020-2021.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is $12,173 for california me students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, 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 94%.
Full Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Mechanical Engineering Report
San Diego State University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. SDSU is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 243 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california me students whose families make $0-$30k list, SDSU has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Diego State University is $7,169 for california me students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at SDSU
California State University - Northridge landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. CSUN is located in Northridge, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 234 ’s ME degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our california me students whose families make $0-$30k list, CSUN has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Northridge is $6,266 for California ME students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at California State University - Northridge
University of California - Santa Barbara came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UCSB is a large school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 93 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
UCSB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UCSB is $10,568 for California ME students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Full UCSB Mechanical Engineering Report
California State University - Long Beach did quite well in the 2023 Best Value ME Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #14. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school awarded 194 diplomas to qualified ’s ME students in 2020-2021.
CSULB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Long Beach is $6,663 for California ME students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%.
Full California State University - Long Beach Mechanical Engineering Report
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Pomona, California, and it awarded 247 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
Cal Poly Pomona not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Cal Poly Pomona is $10,349 for california me students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
Full California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Mechanical Engineering Report
California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2023 Best Value ME Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #16. California State University - Sacramento is a large public school situated in Sacramento, California. It awarded 229 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california me students whose families make $0-$30k list, Sac State has also earned the #22 rank in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Sac State is $8,163 for california me students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at Sac State
University of California - Riverside ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value ME Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Riverside, California, and it awarded 144 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
UCR also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #16. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Riverside is $6,810 for California ME students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, 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 91%.
Full UCR Mechanical Engineering Report
With a ranking of #18, California State University - Fresno did quite well on the 2023 Best Value ME Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Fresno, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ME degrees to 71 students in 2020-2021.
It costs about $3,859 for California ME students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Fresno.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.2% 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 Fresno State Mechanical Engineering Report
San Jose State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value ME Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #19. San Jose State University is located in San Jose, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 209 ’s ME degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at San Jose State, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $12,158 for California ME students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend San Jose State.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full San Jose State Mechanical Engineering Report
California State University - Chico did quite well in the 2023 Best Value ME Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #20. California State University - Chico is a fairly large school located in Chico, California that handed out 72 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Chico State, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Chico is $11,754 for california me students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Mechanical Engineering at Chico State
California State University Maritime Academy came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value ME Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Vallejo, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ME degrees to 19 students in 2020-2021.
Cal Maritime also took the #20 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $13,474 for California ME students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University Maritime Academy.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at California State University Maritime Academy
University of California - Merced ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value ME Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. UC Merced is a medium-sized school located in Merced, California that handed out 171 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Merced also took the #24 spot in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $10,363 for california me students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Merced.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, 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%.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at UC Merced
Santa Clara University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value ME Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #23. Santa Clara University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Santa Clara, California. It awarded 71 ’s ME degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california me students whose families make $0-$30k list, SCU has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Santa Clara University is $26,428 for California ME students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at SCU
San Francisco State University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value ME Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. SFSU is located in San Francisco, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 102 ’s ME degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend San Francisco State University is $10,705 for california me students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at San Francisco State University
California Baptist University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value ME Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Riverside, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 58 diplomas to qualified ’s ME students in 2020-2021.
Cal Baptist also made our “Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #23. The estimated yearly cost for Cal Baptist is $21,769 for california me students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full California Baptist University Mechanical Engineering Report
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