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Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools in California

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2023 Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools in California

28 Colleges
$64,776 Avg Salary
$23,989 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's Degree School for You

With 5,137 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, mechanical engineering is the #24 most popular major in California.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 28 schools in California to see which bachelor's degree programs offered the best educational experiences for students. To come up with a school's ranking, we analyzed numerous factors related to post-graduation wages, the quality of education offered by the school, average accumulated student debt, and more.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California

The following schools top our list of the Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's Degree Colleges.

Top 10 Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools

Our analysis found California State University Maritime Academy to be the best school for mechanical engineering students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in California. Cal Maritime is a fairly small public school located in the city of Vallejo.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, ME graduates from Cal Maritime carry an average student debtload of $29,280.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public college with a very large student population.

On average, ME graduates from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo take out $19,650 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $418.

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Out of the 28 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public college with a fairly large student population.

When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $392.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at University of California - Berkeley

#4

Stanford University

Stanford, CA

Out of the 28 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Stanford is a large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Stanford.

Full Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University Report

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at University of Southern California helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best mechanical engineering schools in California. USC is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, ME graduates from USC carry an average student debtload of $17,131. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $444.

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#6

Santa Clara University

Santa Clara, CA

Santa Clara University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for mechanical engineering students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #6 on the list. SCU is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Santa Clara.

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With a ranking of #7, University of California - Los Angeles did quite well on this year’s best schools for mechanical engineering students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public school with a very large student population.

Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $440.

Full Mechanical Engineering at University of California - Los Angeles Report

University of California - Santa Barbara ranked #8 on this year’s Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public college with a very large student population.

Full Mechanical Engineering at University of California - Santa Barbara Report

#9

Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, CA

With a ranking of #9, Loyola Marymount University did quite well on this year’s best schools for mechanical engineering students working on their bachelor’s degree. Loyola Marymount is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.

Full Mechanical Engineering at Loyola Marymount University Report

University of California - Davis landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree mechanical engineering programs. Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average amount in student loans that ME majors at UC Davis take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $14,166. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $304.

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

Best Mechanical Engineering Colleges in the Far Western US Region

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

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 1,078
Oregon 646
Nevada 270
Hawaii 90
Alaska 66

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

Majors Similar to ME

Related Major Annual Graduates
Electrical Engineering 28,844
Civil Engineering 21,388
Computer Engineering 17,987
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).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Michel Villeneuve.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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