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Best Computer Engineering Schools in California

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2023 Best Computer Engineering Schools in California

25 Colleges
$78,872 Avg Salary
$20,954 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Computer Engineering School for You

With 3,384 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, computer engineering is the #38 most popular major in California.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. 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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Computer Engineering Schools in California to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 25 schools in California to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Computer Engineering Schools in California

The colleges and universities below are the best for CE majors pursuing a .

Top 10 Best Computer Engineering Schools

Our analysis found University of California - Los Angeles to be the best school for computer engineering students who want to pursue a degree in California. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average amount in student loans that CE majors at UCLA take out is $15,693.

Read full report on Computer Engineering at University of California - Los Angeles

#2

Santa Clara University

Santa Clara, CA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Santa Clara University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Computer Engineering Schools in California list. SCU is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Santa Clara.

After completing their degree, CE graduates from SCU carry an average student debtload of $25,667.

Full Computer Engineering at Santa Clara University Report

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of Southern California is a great place for computer engineering students. USC is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.

The average amount in student loans that CE majors at USC take out is $9,625.

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The excellent programs at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best computer engineering schools in California. Located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public college with a fairly large student population.

After completing their degree, CE graduates from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo carry an average student debtload of $19,500. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $446.

Full Computer Engineering at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Jose State University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Computer Engineering Schools in California list. Located in the city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public school with a very large student population.

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University of California - Santa Barbara came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Computer Engineering Schools in California ranking. Located in the suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public college with a very large student population.

After completing their degree, CE graduates from UCSB carry an average student debtload of $16,817.

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University of California - Davis came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Computer Engineering Schools in California ranking. Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public college with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that CE majors at UC Davis take out is $14,083. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $283.

Read full report on Computer Engineering at University of California - Davis

University of California - San Diego did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for computer engineering students. It came in at #8 on the list. UCSD is a very large public school located in the city of La Jolla.

The average amount in student loans that CE majors at UCSD take out is $19,900.

Full Computer Engineering at University of California - San Diego Report

University of California - Irvine ranked #9 on this year’s Best Computer Engineering Schools in California list. Located in the large city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average amount in student loans that CE majors at UC Irvine take out is $20,000. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $218, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Computer Engineering at University of California - Irvine Report

University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for computer engineering students. It came in at #10 on the list. UC Santa Cruz is a fairly large public school located in the city of Santa Cruz.

On average, CE graduates from UC Santa Cruz take out $21,493 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $396, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

Best Computer Engineering Colleges in the Far Western US Region

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

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 123
Oregon 43
Nevada 187
Hawaii 22
Alaska 6

Computer Engineering is one of 40 different types of programs to choose from.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Mechanical Engineering 46,178
Electrical Engineering 28,844
Civil Engineering 21,388
Chemical Engineering 12,917
Biomedical Engineering 12,811

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 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).

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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