39 Best Software Engineering schools in California, US
Updated:
Below is a list of best universities in California ranked based on their research performance in Software Engineering. A graph of 1.76M citations received by 33K academic papers made by 39 universities in California was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.
We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.
1. Stanford University
- Acceptance Rate
- 4%
- Average SAT
- 1545
- Average ACT
- 35
- Net Price
- $25,078
2. University of California - Berkeley
- Acceptance Rate
- 11%
- Receiving Aid
- 63%
- Average Aid
- $29,608
- Enrollment
- 45,882
3. University of Southern California
- Acceptance Rate
- 10%
- Average SAT
- 1500
- Average ACT
- 34
- Net Price
- $43,412
4. University of California - Irvine
- Acceptance Rate
- 29%
- Receiving Aid
- 61%
- Average Aid
- $23,110
- Enrollment
- 37,297
5. University of California - Los Angeles
- Acceptance Rate
- 9%
- Receiving Aid
- 59%
- Average Aid
- $25,627
- Enrollment
- 47,335
6. University of California-San Diego
- Acceptance Rate
- 27%
- Receiving Aid
- 66%
- Average Aid
- $25,757
- Enrollment
- 44,256
7. University of California - Davis
- Acceptance Rate
- 42%
- Receiving Aid
- 65%
- Average Aid
- $24,591
- Enrollment
- 40,065
8. California Institute of Technology
- Acceptance Rate
- 3%
- Net Price
- $14,513
- Receiving Aid
- 70%
- Average Aid
- $72,373
9. University of California - Santa Barbara
- Acceptance Rate
- 33%
- Receiving Aid
- 61%
- Average Aid
- $24,695
- Enrollment
- 26,133
10. Naval Postgraduate School
- Acceptance Rate
- 23%
- Enrollment
- 2,441
- Male:Female
- 79:21
- Founded
- 1909
11. University of California - San Francisco
- Acceptance Rate
- 13%
- Enrollment
- 3,007
- Male:Female
- 36:64
- Founded
- 1864
12. University of California - Santa Cruz
- Acceptance Rate
- 66%
- Receiving Aid
- 64%
- Average Aid
- $22,774
- Enrollment
- 19,938
13. University of California - Riverside
- Acceptance Rate
- 76%
- Receiving Aid
- 80%
- Average Aid
- $24,355
- Enrollment
- 26,384
14. San Jose State University
- Acceptance Rate
- 85%
- Receiving Aid
- 69%
- Average Aid
- $12,353
- Enrollment
- 37,661
15. California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
- Acceptance Rate
- 31%
- Receiving Aid
- 62%
- Average Aid
- $14,338
- Enrollment
- 23,069
16. San Diego State University
- Acceptance Rate
- 36%
- Receiving Aid
- 62%
- Average Aid
- $12,053
- Enrollment
- 41,137
17. California State University - Fullerton
- Acceptance Rate
- 91%
- Receiving Aid
- 83%
- Average Aid
- $11,234
- Enrollment
- 43,662
18. California State University - Sacramento
- Acceptance Rate
- 94%
- Receiving Aid
- 86%
- Average Aid
- $12,767
- Enrollment
- 31,943
19. Santa Clara University
- Acceptance Rate
- 48%
- Average SAT
- 1420
- Average ACT
- 32
- Net Price
- $53,883
20. California State University - Long Beach
- Acceptance Rate
- 46%
- Receiving Aid
- 82%
- Average Aid
- $11,795
- Enrollment
- 42,003
21. California State Polytechnic University - Pomona
- Acceptance Rate
- 75%
- Receiving Aid
- 80%
- Average Aid
- $11,833
- Enrollment
- 27,636
22. California State University - Northridge
- Acceptance Rate
- 93%
- Receiving Aid
- 86%
- Average Aid
- $12,825
- Enrollment
- 38,313
23. University of San Francisco
- Acceptance Rate
- 62%
- Average SAT
- 1290
- Average ACT
- 28
- Net Price
- $45,443
24. California State University - Fresno
- Acceptance Rate
- 95%
- Receiving Aid
- 88%
- Average Aid
- $12,326
- Enrollment
- 24,427
25. University of California - Merced
- Acceptance Rate
- 91%
- Receiving Aid
- 91%
- Average Aid
- $27,292
- Enrollment
- 9,110
26. San Francisco State University
- Acceptance Rate
- 96%
- Receiving Aid
- 81%
- Average Aid
- $12,996
- Enrollment
- 22,563
27. Claremont Graduate University
- Acceptance Rate
- 35%
- Enrollment
- 1,771
- Male:Female
- 41:59
- Founded
- 1925
28. Palo Alto University
- Acceptance Rate
- 12%
- Enrollment
- 1,065
- Male:Female
- 16:84
- Founded
- 1975
29. University of San Diego
- Acceptance Rate
- 52%
- Net Price
- $37,918
- Receiving Aid
- 87%
- Average Aid
- $40,965
30. California State University - San Bernardino
- Acceptance Rate
- 94%
- Receiving Aid
- 91%
- Average Aid
- $12,167
- Enrollment
- 18,492
31. California State University - Los Angeles
- Acceptance Rate
- 91%
- Receiving Aid
- 95%
- Average Aid
- $13,824
- Enrollment
- 23,163
32. Harvey Mudd College
- Acceptance Rate
- 13%
- Average SAT
- 1535
- Average ACT
- 35
- Net Price
- $43,966
33. California State University - Chico
- Acceptance Rate
- 93%
- Receiving Aid
- 75%
- Average Aid
- $11,509
- Enrollment
- 15,257
34. California State University - San Marcos
- Acceptance Rate
- 95%
- Receiving Aid
- 79%
- Average Aid
- $11,123
- Enrollment
- 16,237
35. Humboldt State University
- Acceptance Rate
- 98%
- Receiving Aid
- 74%
- Average Aid
- $10,748
- Enrollment
- 6,237
36. Loyola Marymount University
- Acceptance Rate
- 45%
- Average SAT
- 1345
- Average ACT
- 30
- Net Price
- $59,926
37. Chapman University
- Acceptance Rate
- 65%
- Average SAT
- 1350
- Average ACT
- 30
- Net Price
- $47,902
38. Pepperdine University
- Acceptance Rate
- 63%
- Average SAT
- 1370
- Average ACT
- 31
- Net Price
- $66,585
39. California State University Maritime Academy
- Acceptance Rate
- 95%
- Receiving Aid
- 68%
- Average Aid
- $11,038
- Enrollment
- 837
Closest to California states to learn Software Engineering
| State | Universities Unis | Best university country rank Best uni  rank |
|---|---|---|
| Oregon | 6 | 54 |
| Utah | 4 | 45 |
| Arizona | 3 | 25 |
| Idaho | 3 | 134 |
| Washington | 7 | 6 |
| Colorado | 9 | 32 |
| New Mexico | 3 | 104 |
| Nebraska | 4 | 58 |
| South Dakota | 4 | 275 |
| Kansas | 4 | 83 |
| Texas | 34 | 10 |
| Oklahoma | 3 | 138 |
| North Dakota | 2 | 161 |
| Minnesota | 8 | 22 |
| Iowa | 4 | 36 |
| Missouri | 11 | 68 |
| Arkansas | 5 | 116 |
| Louisiana | 6 | 101 |
| Wisconsin | 10 | 24 |
| Illinois | 16 | 5 |
| Mississippi | 4 | 109 |
| Indiana | 12 | 12 |
| Michigan | 12 | 11 |
| Tennessee | 10 | 26 |
| Alabama | 8 | 85 |
| Kentucky | 4 | 74 |
| Ohio | 18 | 28 |
| Georgia | 10 | 7 |
| South Carolina | 6 | 69 |
| North Carolina | 13 | 20 |
| Virginia | 13 | 14 |
| Pennsylvania | 24 | 1 |
| Florida | 17 | 41 |
| District of Columbia | 7 | 100 |
| Maryland | 10 | 9 |
| New York | 42 | 18 |
| New Jersey | 12 | 23 |
| Connecticut | 9 | 35 |
| Massachusetts | 25 | 4 |
| New Hampshire | 3 | 121 |
| Rhode Island | 3 | 77 |