2023 Best Value Mechanical Engineering Schools in California
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Mechanical Engineering 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.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Value Mechanical Engineering Schools in California to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 28 schools in California to see which 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 Schools
Our analysis found California State University Maritime Academy to be the best value school for mechanical engineering students who want to pursue a degree in California. Cal Maritime is a small public school located in the medium-sized city of Vallejo.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cal Maritime are $7,116 per year. ME majors at Cal Maritime take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
Full Mechanical Engineering at California State University Maritime Academy Report
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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 mechanical engineering schools in California. Located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public school with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo are $10,195 a year. On average, ME graduates from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo take out $20,500 in student loans while working on their 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 Schools in California list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Mechanical Engineering 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. ME majors at Cal Poly Pomona take out an average of $20,500 in student loans while working on their egree. 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 Schools in California list. Located in the 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. On average, ME graduates from Chico State take out $23,250 in student loans while working on their degree.
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means San Jose State University is a great value for mechanical engineering students. Located in the large 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.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, San Jose State also is in the top 20% of our Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in California ranking.
Full Mechanical Engineering at San Jose State University Report
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With a ranking of #6, San Diego State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for mechanical engineering students. SDSU is a very large public school located in the city of San Diego.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SDSU are $8,136 per year. ME majors at SDSU take out an average of $20,496 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $252, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Full Mechanical Engineering at San Diego State University Report
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California State University - Long Beach ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Mechanical Engineering Schools in California list. Located in the large city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public school with a very large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CSULB are $6,846 per year. ME majors at CSULB take out an average of $16,500 in student loans while working on their egree.
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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. CSUN is a very large public school located in the large city of Northridge.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at CSUN are $7,043 a year. ME majors at CSUN take out an average of $20,417 in student loans while working on their egree.
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San Francisco State University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Mechanical Engineering Schools in California list. SFSU is a very large public school located in the large city of San Francisco.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SFSU are $7,304 a year. On average, ME graduates from SFSU take out $25,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
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With a ranking of #9, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on this year’s best value schools for mechanical engineering students. Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public school with a fairly large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UC Berkeley are $14,226 per year. On average, ME graduates from UC Berkeley take out $13,000 in student loans while working on their degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $392.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, UC Berkeley is ranked #3 for overall quality for ME in California.
Full Mechanical Engineering at University of California - Berkeley Report
Request InformationBest Value Mechanical Engineering Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Value 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 |
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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