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2024 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 looked at 34 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Engineering Schools in California ranking. 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

Best Engineering Schools in California 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

Bachelor's Degrees in Engineering
Master's Degrees in Engineering
Doctor's Degrees in Engineering

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

1
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,121 Engineering Degrees Awarded
$97,378 Median Starting Salary

Stanford University is a good option for students pursuing a degree in engineering. Located in the large suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #3 out of 2,217 schools 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 program at Stanford University earn $24,547 above the standard graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in engineering from Stanford University

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,815 Engineering Degrees Awarded
$85,983 Median Starting Salary

Every student pursuing a degree in engineering needs to look into University of Southern California. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #11 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 1815 engineering students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year. Those engineering students who get their degree from University of Southern California receive $13,152 more than the typical engineering graduate.

More information about a degree in engineering from University of Southern California

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,982 Engineering Degrees Awarded
$79,799 Median Starting Salary

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 #18 out of 2,217 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 year we have data available. Degree recipients from the engineering program at University of California - Berkeley make $6,968 above the average graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in engineering from University of California - Berkeley

4
SCU crest
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
429 Engineering Degrees Awarded
$86,877 Median Starting Salary

Santa Clara University is a great decision for students pursuing a degree in engineering. SCU is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Santa Clara. A Best Colleges rank of #50 out of 2,217 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 data year. Those engineering students who get their degree from Santa Clara University earn $14,046 more than the average engineering graduate.

More information about a degree in engineering from Santa Clara University

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,342 Engineering Degrees Awarded
6.0% Growth in Graduates

UCLA is a very large public university located in the city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #26 out of 2,217 schools 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 receive $13,839 more than the average engineering grad.

More information about a degree in engineering from University of California - Los Angeles

6
Harvey Mudd College crest
Harvey Mudd College
Claremont, CA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
58 Engineering Degrees Awarded
$81,948 Median Starting Salary

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 #35 out of 2,217 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 program at Harvey Mudd College get $9,117 more than the average college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in engineering from Harvey Mudd College

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2,047 Engineering Degrees Awarded
12.2% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #38 out of 2,217 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 year we have data available. Engineering degree recipients from University of California - San Diego get an earnings boost of approximately $3,078 above the average earnings of engineering majors.

More information about a degree in engineering from University of California - San Diego

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,248 Engineering Degrees Awarded
3.1% Growth in Graduates

UC Davis is a very large public university located in the suburb of Davis. A Best Colleges rank of #52 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC Davis is a great university overall.

There were approximately 1248 engineering students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, engineering degree recipients typically make around $67,837 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in engineering from University of California - Davis

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,403 Engineering Degrees Awarded
$76,532 Median Starting Salary

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo. A Best Colleges rank of #95 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a great university overall.

There were roughly 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 program at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo get $3,702 more than the standard college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in engineering from California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,418 Engineering Degrees Awarded
1.1% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #61 out of 2,217 colleges 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 data year. Soon after graduating, engineering degree recipients generally earn around $58,563 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in engineering from University of California - Irvine

Best Engineering Colleges in the Far Western US Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 37 3,544
Oregon 37 2,267
Hawaii 36 301
Nevada 35 888
Alaska 33 178

View All Rankings >

Engineering Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Mechanical Engineering 5,137
Electrical Engineering 4,697
Computer Engineering 3,389
Civil Engineering 3,198
Biomedical Engineering 1,744
General Engineering 1,386
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering 1,275
Chemical Engineering 1,136
Systems Engineering 537
Materials Engineering 497

View All Engineering Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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