Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Best Value Computer Science Bachelor's Degree Schools in California

Find Schools Near

2023 Best Value Computer Science Bachelor's Degree Schools in California

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

41 Colleges
$8,813 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$65,643 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Computer Science Bachelor's Degree School for You

Out of the majors we analyze each year, computer science was ranked 9th in California. In fact, 13,148 were awarded in the state in 2020-2021.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

The Best Value Computer Science Bachelor's Degree Schools in California ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 41 schools in California to see which bachelor's degree programs offered the best value experiences for compsci students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California

The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for compsci majors pursuing a bachelor's degree.

Top 10 Best Computer Science Bachelor's Degree Schools

Our 2023 rankings named California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo the best value school in California for computer science students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo are $10,195 a year. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $464.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also is in the top 10% of our Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California ranking.

Read full report on Computer Science at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means University of California - Berkeley is a great value for computer science students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public school with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UC Berkeley are $14,226 a year. The average amount in student loans that compsci majors at UC Berkeley take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $14,717. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $386.

UC Berkeley excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list.

Read full report on Computer Science at University of California - Berkeley

Out of the 41 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Channel Islands landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the suburb of Camarillo, CSUCI is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CSUCI are $6,817 per year. The average amount in student loans that compsci majors at CSUCI take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $22,127.

Read full report on Computer Science at California State University - Channel Islands

Out of the 41 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Long Beach landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public school with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CSULB are $6,846 per year. CompSci majors at CSULB take out an average of $18,120 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

Read full report on Computer Science at California State University - Long Beach

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is a great value for computer science students working on their bachelor’s degree. Cal Poly Pomona is a very large public school located in the suburb of Pomona.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cal Poly Pomona are $7,439 a year. While working on their Bachelor's Degree, compsci majors at Cal Poly Pomona accumulate an average of around $18,459 in student debt.

Full Computer Science at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Report

With a ranking of #6, California State University - Chico did quite well on this year’s best value schools for computer science students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the medium-sized city of Chico, Chico State is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Chico State undergraduate students pay an average of $7,864 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, compsci graduates from Chico State take out $20,453 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

Full Computer Science at California State University - Chico Report

San Jose State University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree computer science programs. Located in the city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public college with a fairly large student population.

San Jose State undergraduate students pay an average of $7,852 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read More…

California State University - Monterey Bay came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California ranking. CSUMB is a medium-sized public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Seaside.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CSUMB are $7,218 per year. While working on their Bachelor's Degree, compsci majors at CSUMB accumulate an average of around $16,556 in student debt.

Full Computer Science at California State University - Monterey Bay Report

California State University - Northridge did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for computer science students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #9 on the list. CSUN is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Northridge.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at CSUN are $7,043 a year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, compsci graduates from CSUN carry an average student debtload of $19,348.

Full Computer Science at California State University - Northridge Report

California State University - Sacramento did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for computer science students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #10 on the list. Sac State is a very large public school located in the large city of Sacramento.

Sac State undergraduate students pay an average of $7,392 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, compsci graduates from Sac State take out $19,221 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

Read full report on Computer Science at California State University - Sacramento

Best Value Computer Science Colleges in the Far Western US Region

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

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 1,551
Oregon 1,282
Nevada 152
Hawaii 152
Alaska 31

Computer Science is one of 10 different types of programs to choose from.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Computer Information Systems 88,434
Information Technology 40,555
Information Science 18,325
Computer Systems Networking 14,700
Computer Software & Applications 14,336

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Negative Space.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Featured Schools

Find Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited colleges across the U.S.