2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in California
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Engineering School for You
In 2020-2021, engineering students earned 25,076 degrees and certificates from a California school, making the subject the 8th in the state.
It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. 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 Best Value Engineering Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 30 schools in California to see which programs offered the best value experiences for engineering students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
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2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in California
The following schools top our list of the Best Value Engineering Colleges.
Top 10 Best Engineering Schools
Our analysis found California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo to be the best value school for engineering students who want to pursue a degree in California. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo are $10,195 a year. After completing their degree, engineering graduates from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo carry an average student debtload of $20,507. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $455, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Engineering Schools in California list.
Full Engineering at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend California State University - Chico. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools in California list. Chico State is a large public school located in the medium-sized city of Chico.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Chico State are $7,864 per year. The average amount in student loans that engineering majors at Chico State take out is $22,250.
The excellent programs at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best engineering schools in California. Located in the suburb of Pomona, Cal Poly Pomona is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cal Poly Pomona are $7,439 a year. The average amount in student loans that engineering majors at Cal Poly Pomona take out is $22,518. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $183.
The excellent programs at San Jose State University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best engineering schools in California. San Jose State is a fairly large public school located in the city of San Jose.
San Jose State undergraduate students pay an average of $7,852 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
In addition to its great value ranking, San Jose State is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Engineering Schools in California list.
The excellent programs at California State University - Long Beach helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best engineering schools in California. CSULB is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Long Beach.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at CSULB are $6,846 a year. Engineering majors at CSULB take out an average of $19,310 in student loans while working on their egree.
Full Engineering at California State University - Long Beach Report
With a ranking of #6, San Diego State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for engineering students. Located in the large city of San Diego, SDSU is a public school with a very large student population.
SDSU undergraduate students pay an average of $8,136 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Engineering majors at SDSU take out an average of $20,714 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.
California State University - Sacramento ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools in California list. Located in the city of Sacramento, Sac State is a public school with a very large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Sac State are $7,392 per year. While working on their degree, engineering majors at Sac State accumulate an average of around $19,807 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $174.
California State University - Fresno landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value engineering programs. Located in the large city of Fresno, Fresno State is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Fresno State are $6,653 a year. While working on their degree, engineering majors at Fresno State accumulate an average of around $16,612 in student debt.
Read full report on Engineering at California State University - Fresno
National University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools in California list. Located in the city of La Jolla, National University is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
National University undergraduate students pay an average of $13,320 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, engineering majors at National University accumulate an average of around $35,500 in student debt.
University of California - Berkeley did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for engineering students. It came in at #10 on the list. UC Berkeley is a fairly large public school located in the city of Berkeley.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UC Berkeley are $14,226 a year. The average amount in student loans that engineering majors at UC Berkeley take out is $13,535. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $370.
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 engineering in California.
Best Value Engineering Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Value Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Washington | 3,545 |
| Oregon | 2,281 |
| Hawaii | 301 |
| Nevada | 900 |
| Alaska | 178 |
More Engineering Rankings in California
Majors Related to Engineering
Engineering Majors to Study
Most Popular Majors Related to Engineering
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Computer & Information Sciences | 254,454 |
| Biological & Biomedical Sciences | 177,778 |
| Engineering Technologies | 85,188 |
| Mathematics & Statistics | 52,396 |
| Physical Sciences | 50,306 |
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 Petty Officer 3rd Class Declan Barnes.
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More about our data sources and methodologies.
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