2023 Best Value Civil Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools in California
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Civil Engineering Bachelor's Degree 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 Value Civil Engineering Bachelor's Degree 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 value bachelor's degree programs for civil eng students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
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.
Top 10 Best Civil Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools
Our 2023 rankings named California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo the best value school in California for civil engineering 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 very large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo are $10,195 per year. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $315.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also is in the top 10% of our Best Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California ranking.
Full Civil Engineering at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo Report
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. Cal Poly Pomona is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Pomona.
Cal Poly Pomona undergraduate students pay an average of $7,439 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their Bachelor's Degree, civil eng majors at Cal Poly Pomona accumulate an average of around $19,731 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $189, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means San Jose State University is a great value for civil engineering students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public college with a very large student population.
San Jose State undergraduate students pay an average of $7,852 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at California State University - Chico helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best value civil engineering schools in California. Located in the midsize city of Chico, Chico State is a public school with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Chico State are $7,864 a year. The average amount in student loans that civil eng majors at Chico State take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $20,741.
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Out of the 23 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Sacramento landed the # 5 spot on the list. Sac State is a very large public school located in the city of Sacramento.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Sac State are $7,392 a year. While working on their Bachelor's Degree, civil eng majors at Sac State accumulate an average of around $21,866 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $156.
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California State University - Long Beach ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the large city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public school with a fairly large student population.
CSULB undergraduate students pay an average of $6,846 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Civil Eng majors at CSULB take out an average of $19,717 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.
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California State University - Fresno did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for civil engineering students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #7 on the list. Fresno State is a very large public school located in the city of Fresno.
Fresno State undergraduate students pay an average of $6,653 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Civil Eng majors at Fresno State take out an average of $18,146 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.
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San Diego State University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California ranking. SDSU is a fairly large public school located in the large city of San Diego.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SDSU are $8,136 a year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, civil eng graduates from SDSU carry an average student debtload of $20,256.
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With a ranking of #9, San Francisco State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for civil engineering students working on their bachelor’s degree. SFSU is a fairly large public school located in the city of San Francisco.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SFSU are $7,304 a year. Civil Eng majors at SFSU take out an average of $18,614 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.
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California State University - Los Angeles landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree civil engineering programs. Cal State LA is a very large public school located in the large city of Los Angeles.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cal State LA are $6,785 per year.
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Request InformationBest Value Civil Engineering Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Value 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 |
More Civil Engineering Rankings in California
Majors Related to Civil Eng
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.
- 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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