2023 Best Engineering Schools in California
34
Colleges in California
25,212
Engineering Degrees Awarded
$72,831
Avg Early-Career Salary
Engineering is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #7 most popular degree program in the country. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.
College Factual reviewed 34 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of engineering. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 25,212 degrees in engineering during the 2020-2021 academic year.
What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great Engineering School
The engineering program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Engineering rankings. For our Best Overall Engineering School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.
In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.
Pick Your Engineering Degree Level
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 the Best Engineering Schools in California.
You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.
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.
When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.
More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.
Best Schools for Engineering in California
If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the engineering degrees they offer, see the list below.
10 Top California Schools in Engineering
Stanford University is a good decision for students pursuing a degree in engineering. Located in the suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #2 out of 2,241 colleges nationwide means Stanford is a great university overall.
There were approximately 1121.0000000000002 engineering students who graduated with this degree at Stanford in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the engineering degree program at Stanford University earn $24,547 more than the average college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a degree in engineering from Stanford University
It's difficult to beat University of California - Berkeley if you wish to pursue a degree in engineering. Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #17 out of 2,241 schools nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.
There were about 1982 engineering students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the engineering program at University of California - Berkeley make $6,968 above the typical college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a degree in engineering from University of California - Berkeley
Any student pursuing a degree in engineering has to look into University of Southern California. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #18 out of 2,241 schools nationwide means USC is a great university overall.
There were roughly 1815 engineering students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent year we have data available. Those engineering students who get their degree from University of Southern California receive $13,152 more than the typical engineering grad.
More information about a degree in engineering from University of Southern California
Harvey Mudd College is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in engineering. Located in the large suburb of Claremont, Harvey Mudd College is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #31 out of 2,241 colleges nationwide means Harvey Mudd College is a great college overall.
There were approximately 58 engineering students who graduated with this degree at Harvey Mudd College in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the engineering degree program at Harvey Mudd College earn $9,117 above the standard college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
More information about a degree in engineering from Harvey Mudd College
SCU is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Santa Clara. A Best Colleges rank of #70 out of 2,241 schools nationwide means SCU is a great university overall.
There were approximately 429 engineering students who graduated with this degree at SCU in the most recent year we have data available. Those engineering students who get their degree from Santa Clara University make $14,046 more than the typical engineering student.
More information about a degree in engineering from Santa Clara University
UCLA is a very large public university located in the large city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #29 out of 2,241 colleges nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.
There were about 1342 engineering students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent data year. Those engineering students who get their degree from University of California - Los Angeles earn $13,839 more than the average engineering graduate.
More information about a degree in engineering from University of California - Los Angeles
Located in the large city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #49 out of 2,241 schools nationwide means UCSD is a great university overall.
There were approximately 2047 engineering students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent data year. Engineering degree recipients from University of California - San Diego receive an earnings boost of approximately $3,078 above the typical income of engineering majors.
More information about a degree in engineering from University of California - San Diego
UC Davis is a fairly large public university located in the small suburb of Davis. A Best Colleges rank of #57 out of 2,241 schools nationwide means UC Davis is a great university overall.
There were roughly 1248 engineering students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, engineering degree recipients generally earn an average of $67,837 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a degree in engineering from University of California - Davis
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo. A Best Colleges rank of #97 out of 2,241 colleges nationwide means Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a great university overall.
There were approximately 1403 engineering students who graduated with this degree at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the engineering major at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo make $3,702 above the standard college grad in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a degree in engineering from California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
Located in the large city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #77 out of 2,241 schools nationwide means UC Irvine is a great university overall.
There were about 1418 engineering students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, engineering degree recipients typically make about $58,563 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a degree in engineering from University of California - Irvine
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