2023 Best Value Colleges for Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in California
32
Ranked Colleges
25,212
Degrees Awarded
$9,300
Avg Net Price*
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 198,468 engineering students received their degree, making the major the 7th most popular in the country. In 2019-2020, engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $68,653 and had an average of $23,855 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 25,212 engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $72,831 and $20,014 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 32 colleges that offered a degree in engineering. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent 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 engineering program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
More Ways to Rank Engineering Schools
The 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 Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k”.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in California
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. Stanford, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 1,121 students in 2020-2021.
Stanford also took the #1 spot in our “Best Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Stanford University is $1,233 for California Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The impressive undergraduate 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. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Engineering at Stanford University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. University of California - Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 1,982 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Engineering Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Berkeley is $8,450 for california engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Full UC Berkeley 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 Engineering 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 engineering degrees to 1,342 students in 2020-2021.
UCLA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Engineering Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UCLA is $9,037 for california engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% 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 96%.
Read more about Engineering at UCLA
Out of the 32 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - San Diego landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 2,047 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california engineering students whose families make $0-$30k list, UCSD has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - San Diego is $9,823 for California Engineering 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%.
Full UCSD Engineering Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Davis. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in Davis, California, and it awarded 1,248 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california engineering students whose families make $0-$30k list, UC Davis has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Davis is $10,006 for california engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad 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 - Davis Engineering Report
With a ranking of #6, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - Irvine is a public institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1,418 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Irvine also made our “Best Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #10. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Irvine is $6,540 for California Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 low undergrad 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 full report on Engineering at University of California - Irvine
With a ranking of #7, California State University - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - Los Angeles is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 387 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend Cal State LA is $1,887 for california engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%.
Full Cal State LA Engineering Report
University of Southern California came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Southern California is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1,815 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california engineering students whose families make $0-$30k list, USC has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Southern California is $17,287 for California Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Full University of Southern California Engineering Report
California State University - Fullerton did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #9. Fullerton, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 611 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california engineering students whose families make $0-$30k list, Cal State Fullerton has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fullerton is $4,590 for California Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, 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 full report on Engineering at California State University - Fullerton
With a ranking of #10, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Engineering 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 engineering degrees to 1,403 students in 2020-2021.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Engineering Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is $12,173 for California Engineering 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 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%.
Read full report on Engineering at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
San Diego State University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. San Diego State University is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 777 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
SDSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Engineering Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend San Diego State University is $7,169 for California Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, 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 undergraduate students.
Full San Diego State University Engineering Report
California State University - Long Beach landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school handed out 786 degrees to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.
CSULB also took the #18 spot in our “Best Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Long Beach is $6,663 for california engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, 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 more about Engineering at California State University - Long Beach
Harvey Mudd College landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Claremont, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 58 degrees to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Harvey Mudd College, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Engineering Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $15,492 for california engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Harvey Mudd College.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Full Harvey Mudd College Engineering Report
University of California - Santa Barbara came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of California - Santa Barbara is located in Santa Barbara, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 366 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.
UCSB also made our “Best Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #12. The yearly cost to attend UCSB is $10,568 for california engineering 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 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full UCSB Engineering Report
California State University - Fresno did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #15. Fresno, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 226 students in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fresno is $3,859 for California Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, 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 more about Engineering at Fresno State
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is located in Pomona, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,089 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our california engineering students whose families make $0-$30k list, Cal Poly Pomona has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cal Poly Pomona is $10,349 for california engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Engineering at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona
California State University - Northridge landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Northridge, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 539 students in 2020-2021.
CSUN also made our “Best Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #22. It costs about $6,266 for California Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend CSUN.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Engineering at CSUN
San Jose State University landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. San Jose State University is a large school located in San Jose, California that handed out 1,943 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
San Jose State also made our “Best Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #11. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State University is $12,158 for California Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Engineering at San Jose State University
California State University - Sacramento landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Sacramento, California, and it awarded 597 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Sac State, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Sacramento is $8,163 for california engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Sac State Engineering Report
University of California - Riverside landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of California - Riverside is a large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 691 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
UCR also made our “Best Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #17. It costs about $6,810 for California Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UCR.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Engineering at UCR
University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #21. University of California - Santa Cruz is a public institution located in Santa Cruz, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 221 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Santa Cruz, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UC Santa Cruz is $11,038 for california engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of California - Santa Cruz Engineering Report
With a ranking of #22, California State University - Chico did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - Chico is a fairly large public school situated in Chico, California. It awarded 230 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Chico State also took the #23 spot in our “Best Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Chico State is $11,754 for California Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.0% 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%.
Full California State University - Chico Engineering Report
California State University - Bakersfield came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Bakersfield, California, and it awarded 70 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $5,238 for California Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Bakersfield.
Read full report on Engineering at CSUB
University of California - Merced did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #24. UC Merced is located in Merced, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 468 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.
UC Merced not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #24 on our “Best Engineering Schools in California” list. It costs about $10,363 for California Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UC Merced.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad 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 Engineering at UC Merced
Santa Clara University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #25. SCU is located in Santa Clara, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 429 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our california engineering students whose families make $0-$30k list, SCU has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Engineering Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $26,428 for california engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend SCU.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
Full SCU Engineering Report
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