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Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools in California

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2023 Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools in California

30 Colleges
$73,918 Avg Salary
$19,735 Avg Student Debt

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.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools in California ranking. This report analyzed 30 schools in California to see which ones were the most popular programs for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Mechanical Engineering program at each school on the list.

Check out the ME programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in California.

Our 2023 rankings named University of California - San Diego the most popular school in California for mechanical engineering students. UCSD is a fairly large public school located in the city of La Jolla.

After completing their degree, ME graduates from UCSD carry an average student debt load of $20,167.

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Out of the 30 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Irvine landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the large city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public college with a fairly large student population.

ME majors at UC Irvine take out an average of $16,500 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $304.

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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 #3 on this year’s Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools in California list. Located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public school with a very large student population.

ME majors at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo take out an average of $20,500 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $418.

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

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means University of California - Berkeley is a great place for mechanical engineering students. Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public college with a fairly large student population.

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.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of California - Davis. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools in California list. Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public college with a fairly large student population.

ME majors at UC Davis take out an average of $12,250 in student loans while working on their egree. 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

#6

Stanford University

Stanford, CA

Stanford University ranked #6 on this year’s Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools in California list. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Stanford.

While working on their degree, ME majors at Stanford accumulate an average of around $11,204 in student debt.

Full Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University Report

University of California - Los Angeles ranked #7 on this year’s Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools in California list. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public school with a fairly large student population.

While working on their degree, ME majors at UCLA accumulate an average of around $18,204 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $440.

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California State Polytechnic University - Pomona came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools in California ranking. Cal Poly Pomona is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Pomona.

The average amount in student loans that ME majors at Cal Poly Pomona take out is $20,500. 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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#9

San Diego State University

San Diego, CA

San Diego State University ranked #9 on this year’s Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools in California list. SDSU is a fairly large public school located in the large city of San Diego.

While working on their degree, ME majors at SDSU accumulate an average of around $20,496 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $252, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Mechanical Engineering at San Diego State University

California State University - Northridge ranked #10 on this year’s Most Popular Mechanical Engineering Schools in California list. CSUN is a very large public school located in the city of Northridge.

ME majors at CSUN take out an average of $20,417 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Mechanical Engineering at California State University - Northridge Report

Best Mechanical Engineering Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Most Popular 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

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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