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Best Value Engineering Schools in California

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2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in California

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

23 Colleges
$19,946 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$72,831 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Engineering School for You

Out of the majors we analyze each year, engineering was ranked 4th in California. In fact, 9,121 were awarded in the state in 2020-2021.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best 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.

The Best Value Engineering Schools in California ranking is one of many tools that Grad Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 23 schools in California to see which ones offered the best value programs for engineering students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. 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.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

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 2023 rankings named San Jose State University the best value school in California for engineering students. Located in the 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.

San Jose State also claimed a spot on our Best Engineering Schools in California list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

Full Engineering at San Jose State University Report

$10,195 Average Tuition & Fees

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 #2 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools in California list. Located in the 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.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also is in the top 15% of our Best Engineering Schools in California ranking.

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

$13,258 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at University of California - Los Angeles helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best engineering schools in California. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public college with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UCLA are $13,258 per year.

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

Read More…

$7,439 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools in California list. Cal Poly Pomona is a very 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.

Full Engineering at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Report

$14,226 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in California list. Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public college with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UC Berkeley are $14,226 a year.

UC Berkeley also took the #3 spot in our Best Engineering Schools in California rankings.

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#6

San Diego State University

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

San Diego State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for engineering students. It came in at #6 on the list. 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.

Full Engineering at San Diego State University Report

$6,846 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #7, California State University - Long Beach did quite well on this year’s best value schools for engineering students. Located in the large city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public college with a fairly large student population.

CSULB undergraduate students pay an average of $6,846 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Engineering at California State University - Long Beach

$6,976 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #8, California State University - Fullerton did quite well on this year’s best value schools for engineering students. Located in the large suburb of Fullerton, Cal State Fullerton is a public school with a fairly large student population.

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

Read full report on Engineering at California State University - Fullerton

$14,700 Average Tuition & Fees

University of California - San Diego landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value engineering programs. UCSD is a very 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.

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$7,392 Average Tuition & Fees

California State University - Sacramento did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for engineering students. It came in at #10 on the list. Sac State is a very large public school located in the large city of Sacramento.

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

Read More…

Best Value Engineering Colleges in the Far Western US Region

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

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 939
Oregon 555
Nevada 169
Hawaii 63
Alaska 32

Engineering Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Electrical Engineering 11,021
Mechanical Engineering 9,007
Civil Engineering 6,042
Computer Engineering 5,557
Biomedical Engineering 4,252
General Engineering 3,548
Systems Engineering 3,068
Industrial Engineering 3,028
Chemical Engineering 2,662
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering 2,375
Other Engineering 1,820
Materials Engineering 1,810
Operations Research 1,191
Electrical and Computer Engineering. 928
Environmental Engineering 919
Robotics Engineering 560
Engineering Science 451
Nuclear Engineering 437
Manufacturing Engineering 423
Petroleum Engineering 401
Agricultural Engineering 332
Construction Engineering 288
Engineering Physics 286
Architectural Engineering 243
Geoscience Engineering 173
Polymer & Plastics Engineering 167
Engineering Mechanics 144
Mining Engineering 132
Ocean Engineering 112
Textile Engineering 96
Biological Engineering 80
Energy Systems Engineering 79
Marine Engineering 44
Metallurgical Engineering 40
Biochemical Engineering 21
Ceramic Engineering 20
Electromechanical Engineering 16
Surveying Engineering 11
Paper Science & Engineering 7

Related Major Annual Graduates
Computer & Information Sciences 60,971
Biological & Biomedical Sciences 28,851
Mathematics & Statistics 15,127
Physical Sciences 12,705
Engineering Technologies 7,672

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 23 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.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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