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Best Value Computer Engineering Schools in California

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2023 Best Value Computer Engineering Schools in California

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

14 Colleges
$19,642 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$78,872 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Computer Engineering School for You

In 2020-2021, 1,247 degrees and certificates were awarded to computer engineering students who went to a California college or university. This makes it the #21 most popular major in the state.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Grad Degree Search has created the Best Value Computer Engineering Schools in California to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 14 schools in California to see which ones offered the best value programs for CE students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

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.

2023 Best Value Computer Engineering Schools in California

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Computer Engineering Colleges.

Top 10 Best Computer Engineering Schools

$7,852 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found San Jose State University to be the best value school for computer engineering students who want to pursue a degree in California. Located in the large city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at San Jose State are $7,852 a year.

San Jose State excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Computer Engineering Schools in California list.

Read full report on Computer Engineering at San Jose State University

$13,258 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Computer Engineering Schools in California list. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public school with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UCLA are $13,258 a year.

In addition to its great value ranking, UCLA is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Computer Engineering Schools in California list.

Read full report on Computer Engineering at University of California - Los Angeles

$14,700 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of California - San Diego. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Computer Engineering Schools in California list. UCSD is a fairly large public school located in the large city of La Jolla.

UCSD undergraduate students pay an average of $14,700 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Computer Engineering at University of California - San Diego Report

#4

San Diego State University

San Diego, CA
$8,136 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 14 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, San Diego State University landed the # 4 spot on the list. SDSU is a fairly large public school located in the city of San Diego.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SDSU are $8,136 a year.

Read More…

$7,392 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at California State University - Sacramento helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best computer engineering schools in California. Sac State is a fairly large public school located in the city of Sacramento.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Sac State are $7,392 per year.

Full Computer Engineering at California State University - Sacramento Report

$7,043 Average Tuition & Fees

California State University - Northridge ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Computer Engineering Schools in California list. CSUN is a fairly large public school located in the city of Northridge.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CSUN are $7,043 per year.

Full Computer Engineering at California State University - Northridge Report

$6,976 Average Tuition & Fees

California State University - Fullerton landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value computer engineering programs. Located in the large suburb of Fullerton, Cal State Fullerton is a public school with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cal State Fullerton are $6,976 a year.

Full Computer Engineering at California State University - Fullerton Report

$13,775 Average Tuition & Fees

University of California - Irvine ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Computer Engineering Schools in California list. Located in the large city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public college with a fairly large student population.

UC Irvine undergraduate students pay an average of $13,775 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Computer Engineering at University of California - Irvine Report

#9

Santa Clara University

Santa Clara, CA
$55,860 Average Tuition & Fees

Santa Clara University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value computer engineering programs. SCU is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Santa Clara.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SCU are $55,860 a year.

SCU also took the #5 spot in our Best Computer Engineering Schools in California rankings.

Full Computer Engineering at Santa Clara University Report

$14,070 Average Tuition & Fees

University of California - Santa Cruz came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Computer Engineering Schools in California ranking. UC Santa Cruz is a large public school located in the small city of Santa Cruz.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UC Santa Cruz are $14,070 a year.

Read More…

Best Value Computer Engineering Colleges in the Far Western US Region

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

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 4
Oregon 13
Nevada 39

Computer Engineering is one of 39 different types of programs to choose from.

Majors Similar to CE

Related Major Annual Graduates
Electrical Engineering 11,021
Mechanical Engineering 9,007
Civil Engineering 6,042
Biomedical Engineering 4,252
General Engineering 3,548

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 14 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).

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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