2023 Best Value Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools in California
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
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 Value 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 value experiences for ME students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. 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.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 10 Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools
Our analysis found California State University Maritime Academy to be the best value school for mechanical engineering students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in California. Cal Maritime is a small public school located in the medium-sized city of Vallejo.
Cal Maritime undergraduate students pay an average of $7,116 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, ME graduates from Cal Maritime carry an average student debtload of $29,280.
In addition to its great value ranking, Cal Maritime is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list.
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The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best value mechanical engineering schools in California. Located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo undergraduate students pay an average of $10,195 in in-state tuition and fees each year. 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.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also claimed a spot on our Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
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The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value mechanical engineering schools in California. Cal Poly Pomona is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Pomona.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cal Poly Pomona are $7,439 per year. On average, ME graduates from Cal Poly Pomona take out $21,005 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $177, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend California State University - Chico. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the midsize city of Chico, Chico State is a public school with a fairly large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Chico State are $7,864 per year. ME majors at Chico State take out an average of $22,529 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend San Jose State University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the large 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.
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San Diego State University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree mechanical engineering programs. 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, ME graduates from SDSU carry an average student debtload of $20,923. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $252, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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California State University - Long Beach came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California ranking. Located in the large city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public college with a very large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CSULB are $6,846 per year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, ME graduates from CSULB carry an average student debtload of $19,267.
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With a ranking of #8, California State University - Northridge did quite well on this year’s best value schools for mechanical engineering students working on their bachelor’s degree. CSUN is a very large public school located in the city of Northridge.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CSUN are $7,043 per year. While working on their Bachelor's Degree, ME majors at CSUN accumulate an average of around $22,274 in student debt.
Full Mechanical Engineering at California State University - Northridge Report
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University of California - Berkeley ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public college with a very large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UC Berkeley are $14,226 per year. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $392.
UC Berkeley also claimed a spot on our Best Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
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San Francisco State University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. SFSU is a fairly large public school located in the city of San Francisco.
SFSU undergraduate students pay an average of $7,304 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, ME graduates from SFSU take out $23,493 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.
Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at San Francisco State University
Request InformationBest Value Mechanical Engineering Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Value Mechanical Engineering Colleges 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 |
More Mechanical Engineering Rankings in California
Mechanical Engineering Related Majors for ME
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.
- 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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