Best Civil Engineering Programs in California (2026)
Updated
Part of Best Engineering Colleges in California
This page ranks the 22 Civil Engineering programs in California by median earnings of Civil Engineering graduates four years after completing. University of California-Berkeley leads the list at $108,548, followed by University of Southern California at $106,308 and Santa Clara University at $105,594.
Across the listed schools, the median figure is $95,860, with a spread of $33,703 from $108,548 to $74,845.
Public institutions account for 17 of the 22 programs, or 77%. University of California-San Diego ranks 1st on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, the strongest showing on the page.
California State University-Los Angeles posts the lowest average net price at $3,967.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of California-Berkeley · Berkeley, CA | $108,548 | $13,481 | $5,311 | 11.0% |
| University of California-Berkeley reports median earnings of $108,548 for its Civil Engineering graduates four years after completing, the highest on this list. | |||||
| 2 | University of Southern California · Los Angeles, CA | $106,308 | $32,740 | $13,516 | 9.8% |
| A private nonprofit university in Los Angeles, University of Southern California admits 10% of applicants and its Civil Engineering graduates earn a median of $106,308 four years after completing. | |||||
| 3 | Santa Clara University · Santa Clara, CA | $105,594 | $50,062 | $22,985 | 48.0% |
| Santa Clara University ranks 3rd on this list, and graduates across all fields who borrowed left with a median of $19,162 in federal loans. | |||||
| 4 | Loyola Marymount University · Los Angeles, CA | $103,223 | $48,381 | $32,268 | 45.1% |
| With an average net price of $32,268 for families earning under $30,000, Loyola Marymount University posts median earnings of $103,223 for its Civil Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 5 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo · San Luis Obispo, CA | $101,072 | $16,665 | $7,529 | 31.3% |
| California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo ranks 58th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports median earnings of $101,072 for its Civil Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 6 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona · Pomona, CA | $97,790 | $11,531 | $7,851 | 75.2% |
| Admitting 75% of applicants, California State Polytechnic University-Pomona reports a median federal debt of $16,500 among Civil Engineering completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 7 | California State University-Northridge · Northridge, CA | $97,123 | $7,021 | $4,905 | 93.5% |
| Graduates of California State University-Northridge earn a median of $97,123 four years after completing, above the list median of $95,860. | |||||
| 8 | University of California-Los Angeles · Los Angeles, CA | $97,092 | $12,548 | $5,579 | 9.0% |
| University of California-Los Angeles admits 9% of applicants and its Civil Engineering graduates earn a median of $97,092 four years after completing. | |||||
| 9 | University of California-Irvine · Irvine, CA | $96,354 | $14,251 | $8,123 | 28.6% |
| Ranking 9th on this list, University of California-Irvine reports median earnings of $96,354 for its Civil Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 10 | University of California-Davis · Davis, CA | $95,939 | $14,741 | $9,211 | 41.8% |
| University of California-Davis reports an average net price of $14,741 and median earnings of $95,939 for its Civil Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 11 | San Diego State University · San Diego, CA | $95,865 | $15,364 | $9,910 | 36.2% |
| San Diego State University has a median federal debt of $19,832 among Civil Engineering completers who borrowed and reports median earnings of $95,865 four years after completing. | |||||
| 12 | California State University-Fullerton · Fullerton, CA | $95,854 | $6,555 | $3,315 | 90.5% |
| California State University-Fullerton ranks 6th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and carries an average net price of $6,555. | |||||
| 13 | California State University-Los Angeles · Los Angeles, CA | $94,760 | $3,967 | $2,877 | 91.3% |
| An average net price of $3,967 and a median federal debt of $16,500 among Civil Engineering completers who borrowed are reported at California State University-Los Angeles. | |||||
| 14 | California State University-Sacramento · Sacramento, CA | $93,973 | $9,338 | $6,501 | 94.0% |
| Median earnings reach $93,973 for Civil Engineering graduates of California State University-Sacramento four years after completing, drawn from a cohort of 145. | |||||
| 15 | California State University-Chico · Chico, CA | $92,472 | $14,480 | $9,902 | 92.7% |
| An admission rate of 93% coincides with an Azimuth composite rank of 91st among nonprofit four-year institutions at California State University-Chico. | |||||
| 16 | University of California-San Diego · La Jolla, CA | $91,745 | $12,470 | $7,525 | 26.7% |
| University of California-San Diego holds an admission rate of 27% and an average net price of $7,525 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 17 | San Francisco State University · San Francisco, CA | $90,894 | $12,278 | $9,341 | 96.4% |
| San Francisco State University ranks 17th on this list, with median earnings of $90,894 four years after completing and a median federal debt of $17,500 among Civil Engineering completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 18 | University of the Pacific · Stockton, CA | $90,510 | $25,447 | $17,004 | 71.3% |
| A private nonprofit university in Stockton, University of the Pacific reports median earnings of $90,510 for its Civil Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 19 | California Baptist University · Riverside, CA | $90,251 | $26,285 | $22,298 | 84.9% |
| California Baptist University posts a median federal debt of $27,000 among Civil Engineering completers who borrowed and an average net price of $26,285. | |||||
| 20 | California State University-Long Beach · Long Beach, CA | $89,457 | $10,440 | $7,183 | 46.3% |
| Ranking 5th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, California State University-Long Beach reports median earnings of $89,457 for its Civil Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 21 | California State University-Fresno · Fresno, CA | $87,627 | $7,000 | $5,105 | 95.3% |
| An average net price of $5,105 for families earning under $30,000 and a median federal debt of $15,267 among Civil Engineering completers who borrowed are reported at California State University-Fresno. | |||||
| 22 | San Jose State University · San Jose, CA | $74,845 | $13,760 | $9,730 | 84.6% |
| San Jose State University reports median earnings of $74,845 for its Civil Engineering graduates four years after completing, with an admission rate of 85%. | |||||
How this list is ordered
Programs are ordered by the median earnings of their Civil Engineering graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only programs with a reported earnings cohort in California appear. The figure captures federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled four years after finishing the program. For 1 of the 22 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one. The metric does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost, or who enrolls, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. The gap between first-ranked University of California-Berkeley and second-ranked University of Southern California is $2,240, while the spread from the top of the list to the bottom reaches $33,703.
Job market context in California
Civil Engineering graduates in California are linked to occupations such as Civil Engineers and Engineers, All Other. The median annual wage across those occupations is $125,278, and a quarter of workers in those occupations earn less than $97,232. Projections for 2024 to 2034 show about 7,830 openings a year, or about 360 openings a year for every hundred graduates, with more projected openings than graduates. Projections for 2024 to 2034 put employment in those occupations about 6.9% higher. Wages and top occupations exclude management occupations; openings include them. The ranking above uses graduate earnings four years after completing, not the broader occupational wage figures shown here.
Related rankings
- Best Civil Engineering Programs in the United States
- Best Colleges in California
- Best Civil Engineering Programs in Texas
- Best Civil Engineering Programs in Florida
- Best Civil Engineering Programs in Pennsylvania
- Best Civil Engineering Programs in Ohio
- Best Engineering Colleges in California
- Engineering Colleges in California for Social Mobility