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Best Civil Engineering Schools in California

2023 Best Civil Engineering Schools in California

23 Colleges
$68,987 Avg Salary
$19,554 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Civil Engineering School for You

Civil Engineering is the #41 most popular major in California with 3,198 degrees and certificates awarded 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 Civil Engineering Schools in California ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 23 schools in California to see which ones offered the best programs for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Civil Engineering Schools in California

Check out the civil eng programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.

Top 10 Best Civil Engineering Schools

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, CA

Our 2023 rankings named Stanford University the best school in California for civil engineering students. Stanford is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Stanford.

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The excellent programs at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best civil engineering schools in California. Located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public school with a fairly large student population.

After completing their degree, civil eng graduates from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo carry an average student debtload of $20,368. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $315.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Southern California. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Civil Engineering Schools in California list. USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.

After completing their degree, civil eng graduates from USC carry an average student debtload of $11,362.

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Out of the 23 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Civil Eng majors at UC Berkeley take out an average of $14,342 in student loans while working on their egree.

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#5

Santa Clara University

Santa Clara, CA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Santa Clara University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Civil Engineering Schools in California list. SCU is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Santa Clara.

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#6

Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, CA

With a ranking of #6, Loyola Marymount University did quite well on this year’s best schools for civil engineering students. Loyola Marymount is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.

While working on their degree, civil eng majors at Loyola Marymount accumulate an average of around $25,500 in student debt.

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University of California - Los Angeles ranked #7 on this year’s Best Civil Engineering Schools in California list. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public college with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that civil eng majors at UCLA take out is $19,551.

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University of California - Davis did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for civil engineering students. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average amount in student loans that civil eng majors at UC Davis take out is $16,202.

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San Jose State University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Civil Engineering Schools in California list. Located in the city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public college with a very large student population.

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University of California - San Diego ranked #10 on this year’s Best Civil Engineering Schools in California list. UCSD is a very large public school located in the city of La Jolla.

After completing their degree, civil eng graduates from UCSD carry an average student debtload of $20,000.

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Best Civil Engineering Colleges in the Far Western US Region

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

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 581
Oregon 327
Nevada 179
Hawaii 98
Alaska 54

One of 40 majors within the area of study, civil engineering has other similar majors worth exploring.

Majors Similar to Civil Eng

Related Major Annual Graduates
Mechanical Engineering 46,178
Electrical Engineering 28,844
Computer Engineering 17,987
Chemical Engineering 12,917
Biomedical Engineering 12,811

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 23 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • 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 Master Sgt. Roger Parsons.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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