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2024 Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools in California

28 Colleges in California
3,935 Bachelor's Degrees
$65,678 Avg Early-Career Salary
Mechanical Engineering is of the hottest bachelor's degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #17 most popular major in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 28 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools in California ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 3,935 bachelor's degrees in mechanical engineering during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Mechanical Engineering School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools in California The me bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality me program can vary widely even among the top schools. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Early-Career Earnings

One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of bachelor's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their bachelor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for mechanical engineering students working on their bachelor's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More ME Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools in California 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. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Mechanical Engineering in California

Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for mechanical engineering students seeking a a bachelor's degree.

10 Top California Schools for a Bachelor's in ME

1
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, CA

Stanford University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. Stanford is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Stanford.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the me program make about $67,007 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Stanford University

2
96 Annual Graduates
$74,693 Median Starting Salary
$17,500 Median Student Debt

University of Southern California is a wonderful choice for individuals pursuing a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Los Angeles.

Mechanical Engineering bachelor's degree recipients from University of Southern California earn a boost of about $9,015 above the typical income of mechanical engineering majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from University of Southern California

3
170 Annual Graduates
$73,836 Median Starting Salary
$13,200 Median Student Debt

It is hard to beat University of California - Berkeley if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. UC Berkeley is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Berkeley.

Those mechanical engineering students who get their bachelor's degree from University of California - Berkeley earn $8,158 more than the average me grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from University of California - Berkeley

4
154 Annual Graduates
$68,857 Median Starting Salary
$17,000 Median Student Debt

It is hard to beat University of California - Los Angeles if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a very large student population.

Those mechanical engineering students who get their bachelor's degree from University of California - Los Angeles earn $3,179 more than the typical me grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from University of California - Los Angeles

5
SCU crest
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, CA
57 Annual Graduates
$74,547 Median Starting Salary
$19,500 Median Student Debt

Located in the medium-sized city of Santa Clara, SCU is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.

Those mechanical engineering students who get their bachelor's degree from Santa Clara University make $8,869 more than the average me graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Santa Clara University

6
293 Annual Graduates
$74,806 Median Starting Salary
$20,500 Median Student Debt

Located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public university with a very large student population.

Mechanical Engineering bachelor's degree recipients from California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo receive an earnings boost of approximately $9,128 over the typical income of mechanical engineering graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

7
234 Annual Graduates
$64,370 Median Starting Salary
$15,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public university with a very large student population.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the me program earn around $64,370 for their early career.

More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from University of California - Davis

8
287 Annual Graduates
$59,868 Median Starting Salary
$14,500 Median Student Debt

UC Irvine is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Irvine.

Soon after graduating, me bachelor's recipients usually earn about $59,868 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from University of California - Irvine

9
232 Annual Graduates
$62,687 Median Starting Salary
$20,000 Median Student Debt

UCSD is a fairly large public university located in the city of La Jolla.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the me program earn about $62,687 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from University of California - San Diego

10
73 Annual Graduates
$68,678 Median Starting Salary
$15,908 Median Student Debt

Located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a very large student population.

Those mechanical engineering students who get their bachelor's degree from University of California - Santa Barbara make $3,000 more than the standard me student.

More information about a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from University of California - Santa Barbara

Best Mechanical Engineering Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Mechanical Engineering Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 226 724
Oregon 185 560
Nevada 129 250
Hawaii 112 75
Alaska 75 59

View All Rankings >

One of 41 majors within the Engineering area of study, Mechanical Engineering has other similar majors worth exploring.

ME Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
General Mechanical Engineering 3,935

Majors Similar to ME

Related Major Annual Graduates
Electrical Engineering 2,496
Civil Engineering 2,163
Computer Engineering 2,137
Biomedical Engineering 1,078
Chemical Engineering 872
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering 805
Industrial Engineering 408
Environmental Engineering 258
General Engineering 209
Materials Engineering 189

Notes and References

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