Best Computer Engineering Programs in the West (2026)
Updated
Part of Best Engineering Colleges in the West
Regional list from Computer Engineering Programs in the United States
This page ranks the 38 Computer Engineering programs in the West by median earnings of Computer Engineering graduates four years after completing. University of California-Los Angeles ranks 1st on this list, reporting median earnings of $228,705 for its graduates four years after completing.
Across the listed programs, the median figure is $104,145, with a range from $228,705 to $74,017.
Public institutions account for 33 of the 38 programs, or 87% of the list. California State University-San Bernardino posts the lowest average net price at $4,564.
University of California-San Diego ranks 1st on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of California-Los Angeles · Los Angeles, CA | $228,705 | $12,548 | $5,579 | 9.0% |
| University of California-Los Angeles reports $228,705 in median earnings of Computer Engineering graduates four years after completing and an admission rate of 9%. | |||||
| 2 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus · Seattle, WA | $169,570 | $14,091 | $6,384 | 39.2% |
| With an Azimuth composite rank of 72nd among nonprofit four-year institutions, University of Washington-Seattle Campus posts median earnings of $169,570 for its Computer Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 3 | University of Southern California · Los Angeles, CA | $166,369 | $32,740 | $13,516 | 9.8% |
| A private nonprofit university in Los Angeles, University of Southern California shows an average net price of $32,740 and a median of $18,000 in federal debt across all of its borrowers who completed. | |||||
| 4 | Santa Clara University · Santa Clara, CA | $163,765 | $50,062 | $22,985 | 48.0% |
| Graduates across all fields who borrowed left Santa Clara University with a median of $19,162 in federal loans, while its Computer Engineering graduates earned a median of $163,765 four years after completing. | |||||
| 5 | University of California-San Diego · La Jolla, CA | $149,139 | $12,470 | $7,525 | 26.7% |
| University of California-San Diego admits 27% of applicants and holds an Azimuth composite rank of 1st among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
| 6 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo · San Luis Obispo, CA | $148,950 | $16,665 | $7,529 | 31.3% |
| California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo reports median earnings of $148,950 for its Computer Engineering graduates four years after completing, alongside an average net price of $16,665. | |||||
| 7 | University of California-Davis · Davis, CA | $145,422 | $14,741 | $9,211 | 41.8% |
| University of California-Davis ranks 7th on this list and shows a median of $13,000 in federal debt across all of its borrowers who completed. | |||||
| 8 | University of California-Santa Barbara · Santa Barbara, CA | $144,703 | $16,109 | $9,231 | 33.0% |
| With an admission rate of 33%, University of California-Santa Barbara reports $144,703 in median earnings of Computer Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 9 | Brigham Young University · Provo, UT | $133,111 | $15,564 | $10,444 | 67.8% |
| Brigham Young University posts an average net price of $10,444 for families earning under $30,000 and median earnings of $133,111 for its Computer Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 10 | University of California-Irvine · Irvine, CA | $132,357 | $14,251 | $8,123 | 28.6% |
| University of California-Irvine ranks 10th on this list, with 246 graduates in the earnings cohort and an Azimuth composite rank of 12th among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
| 11 | University of New Mexico-Main Campus · Albuquerque, NM | $126,356 | $15,489 | $11,938 | 95.2% |
| An admission rate of 95% coincides with median earnings of $126,356 for Computer Engineering graduates of University of New Mexico-Main Campus four years after completing. | |||||
| 12 | University of California-Santa Cruz · Santa Cruz, CA | $124,641 | $17,890 | $8,717 | 65.8% |
| Graduates across all fields who borrowed left University of California-Santa Cruz with a median of $16,666 in federal loans, and its admission rate is 66%. | |||||
| 13 | University of Colorado Colorado Springs · Colorado Springs, CO | $121,678 | $15,788 | $12,065 | 97.4% |
| University of Colorado Colorado Springs admits 97% of applicants and reports median earnings of $121,678 for its Computer Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 14 | San Diego State University · San Diego, CA | $116,842 | $15,364 | $9,910 | 36.2% |
| Graduates across all fields who borrowed left with a median of $15,000 in federal loans at San Diego State University, which ranks 36th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
| 15 | Washington State University · Pullman, WA | $114,635 | $14,971 | $7,074 | 86.6% |
| Washington State University posts median earnings of $114,635 for its Computer Engineering graduates four years after completing, alongside an average net price of $14,971. | |||||
| 16 | University of Utah · Salt Lake City, UT | $114,197 | $16,200 | $13,123 | 86.0% |
| With an admission rate of 86%, University of Utah reports a median of $114,197 for its Computer Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 17 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion · Tempe, AZ | $112,543 | $14,967 | $9,070 | 89.9% |
| Arizona State University Campus Immersion ranks 21st on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and carries a school-wide median federal debt of $19,500. | |||||
| 18 | University of California-Riverside · Riverside, CA | $107,193 | $14,304 | $8,852 | 76.4% |
| An average net price of $8,852 for families earning under $30,000 coincides with median earnings of $107,193 for Computer Engineering graduates at University of California-Riverside four years after completing. | |||||
| 19 | California State University-Sacramento · Sacramento, CA | $104,394 | $9,338 | $6,501 | 94.0% |
| California State University-Sacramento ranks 10th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports median earnings of $104,394 for its Computer Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 20 | California State University-Fresno · Fresno, CA | $103,896 | $7,000 | $5,105 | 95.3% |
| Graduates across all fields who borrowed left with a median of $14,505 in federal loans at California State University-Fresno, which posts an average net price of $7,000. | |||||
| 21 | University of California-Merced · Merced, CA | $102,575 | $11,983 | $7,945 | 90.5% |
| University of California-Merced reports median earnings of $102,575 for its Computer Engineering graduates four years after completing, with 219 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 22 | California State University-Fullerton · Fullerton, CA | $101,408 | $6,555 | $3,315 | 90.5% |
| An average net price of $3,315 for families earning under $30,000 and an admission rate of 91% are reported at California State University-Fullerton. | |||||
| 23 | California State University-Northridge · Northridge, CA | $101,021 | $7,021 | $4,905 | 93.5% |
| California State University-Northridge ranks 7th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, and its Computer Engineering graduates earn a median of $101,021 four years after completing. | |||||
| 24 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona · Pomona, CA | $100,673 | $11,531 | $7,851 | 75.2% |
| A school-wide median federal debt of $16,000 and an admission rate of 75% are reported at California State Polytechnic University-Pomona. | |||||
| 25 | University of Hawaii at Manoa · Honolulu, HI | $100,454 | $15,664 | $10,675 | 86.6% |
| University of Hawaii at Manoa reports median earnings of $100,454 for its Computer Engineering graduates four years after completing, with 15 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 26 | Montana State University · Bozeman, MT | $99,411 | $22,499 | $17,797 | 82.1% |
| Montana State University admits 82% of applicants and posts an average net price of $22,499. | |||||
| 27 | California State University-Long Beach · Long Beach, CA | $98,967 | $10,440 | $7,183 | 46.3% |
| California State University-Long Beach ranks 5th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, alongside median earnings of $98,967 for its Computer Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 28 | California State University-Chico · Chico, CA | $97,345 | $14,480 | $9,902 | 92.7% |
| Graduates across all fields who borrowed left with a median of $16,552 in federal loans at California State University-Chico, which reports median earnings of $97,345 for its Computer Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 29 | California Baptist University · Riverside, CA | $96,506 | $26,285 | $22,298 | 84.9% |
| California Baptist University, a private nonprofit university in Riverside, has an average net price of $22,298 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 30 | University of Northern Colorado · Greeley, CO | $95,775 | $17,760 | $12,695 | 85.9% |
| University of Northern Colorado ranks 30th on this list and reports median earnings of $95,775 for its Computer Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 31 | San Francisco State University · San Francisco, CA | $94,129 | $12,278 | $9,341 | 96.4% |
| San Francisco State University admits 96% of applicants and carries an average net price of $12,278. | |||||
| 32 | University of Nevada-Las Vegas · Las Vegas, NV | $93,830 | $10,359 | $8,526 | 96.2% |
| University of Nevada-Las Vegas ranks 76th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, with median earnings of $93,830 for its Computer Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 33 | California State University-Bakersfield · Bakersfield, CA | $93,797 | $5,652 | $3,536 | 93.9% |
| California State University-Bakersfield posts an average net price of $3,536 for families earning under $30,000 and reports median earnings of $93,797 for its Computer Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 34 | California State University-San Bernardino · San Bernardino, CA | $92,492 | $4,564 | $2,681 | 93.7% |
| An average net price of $4,564 coincides with an Azimuth composite rank of 43rd among nonprofit four-year institutions at California State University-San Bernardino. | |||||
| 35 | San Jose State University · San Jose, CA | $78,074 | $13,760 | $9,730 | 84.6% |
| San Jose State University reports median earnings of $78,074 for its Computer Engineering graduates four years after completing, with 248 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 36 | Portland State University · Portland, OR | $76,460 | $9,552 | $7,655 | 90.9% |
| Portland State University admits 91% of applicants and carries an average net price of $7,655 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 37 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins · Fort Collins, CO | $75,706 | $21,279 | $13,259 | 88.5% |
| Colorado State University-Fort Collins reports median earnings of $75,706 for its Computer Engineering graduates four years after completing, with 21 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 38 | University of the Pacific · Stockton, CA | $74,017 | $25,447 | $17,004 | 71.3% |
| University of the Pacific, a private nonprofit university in Stockton, admits 71% of applicants and shows an average net price of $25,447. | |||||
How this list is ordered
Programs are ordered by the median earnings of their Computer Engineering graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only programs with a reported earnings cohort in the West appear. The figure is the median for federally aided completers of the program who were working and not enrolled, measured four years after completing. For 4 of the 38 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 spread from University of California-Los Angeles to the lowest-ranked program is $154,688, and the gap between University of California-Los Angeles and University of Washington-Seattle Campus is $59,135.
Job market context in the West
The Bureau of Labor Statistics links Computer Engineering to occupations such as Software Developers and Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers in the West. The median annual wage across those occupations is $155,639, and a quarter of workers in those occupations earn less than $123,241. Projections for 2024 to 2034 show about 40,190 openings a year, or about 1,262 openings a year for every hundred graduates, with more projected openings than graduates. Projections for 2024 to 2034 put employment in those occupations about 18.3% higher. Wages and top occupations exclude management occupations; openings include them. The ranking above uses graduate earnings four years after completing, not the occupational wage figures shown here.