25 Best Biomedical Engineering schools in California, US

Updated: March 15, 2026

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in California ranked based on their research performance in Biomedical Engineering. A graph of 1.01M citations received by 23K academic papers made by 25 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

Stanford

For Biomedical Engineering

#4 in the United States

#4 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 4%
Average SAT: 1545
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $25,078

2. University of California-San Diego

San Diego

For Biomedical Engineering

#10 in the United States

#11 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 27%
Receiving Aid: 66%
Average Aid: $25,757
Enrollment: 44,256

3. University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles

For Biomedical Engineering

#12 in the United States

#13 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 9%
Receiving Aid: 59%
Average Aid: $25,627
Enrollment: 47,335

4. University of California - San Francisco

San Francisco

For Biomedical Engineering

#14 in the United States

#15 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 13%
Enrollment: 3,007
Male:Female: 36:64
Founded: 1864

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles

For Biomedical Engineering

#30 in the United States

#31 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 10%
Average SAT: 1500
Average ACT: 34
Net Price: $43,412

6. University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley

For Biomedical Engineering

#31 in the United States

#32 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 11%
Receiving Aid: 63%
Average Aid: $29,608
Enrollment: 45,882

7. University of California - Davis

Davis

For Biomedical Engineering

#34 in the United States

#35 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 42%
Receiving Aid: 65%
Average Aid: $24,591
Enrollment: 40,065

8. University of California - Irvine

Irvine

For Biomedical Engineering

#35 in the United States

#37 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 29%
Receiving Aid: 61%
Average Aid: $23,110
Enrollment: 37,297

9. California Institute of Technology

Pasadena

For Biomedical Engineering

#62 in the United States

#69 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 3%
Net Price: $14,513
Receiving Aid: 70%
Average Aid: $72,373

10. Loma Linda University

Loma Linda

For Biomedical Engineering

#98 in the United States

#112 in North America

Enrollment: 4,210
Male:Female: 34:66
Founded: 1905

11. University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara

For Biomedical Engineering

#115 in the United States

#130 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 33%
Receiving Aid: 61%
Average Aid: $24,695
Enrollment: 26,133

12. University of California - Riverside

Riverside

For Biomedical Engineering

#132 in the United States

#149 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 76%
Receiving Aid: 80%
Average Aid: $24,355
Enrollment: 26,384

13. San Diego State University

San Diego

For Biomedical Engineering

#161 in the United States

#183 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 36%
Receiving Aid: 62%
Average Aid: $12,053
Enrollment: 41,137

14. University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz

For Biomedical Engineering

#208 in the United States

#234 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 66%
Receiving Aid: 64%
Average Aid: $22,774
Enrollment: 19,938

15. California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo

For Biomedical Engineering

#214 in the United States

#240 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 31%
Receiving Aid: 62%
Average Aid: $14,338
Enrollment: 23,069

16. Palo Alto University

Palo Alto

For Biomedical Engineering

#226 in the United States

#253 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 12%
Enrollment: 1,065
Male:Female: 16:84
Founded: 1975

17. Graduate Theological Union

Berkeley

For Biomedical Engineering

#236 in the United States

#263 in North America

Enrollment: 150
Male:Female: 46:54

18. University of the Pacific

Stockton

For Biomedical Engineering

#242 in the United States

#270 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 71%
Average SAT: 1332
Average ACT: 28
Net Price: $31,670

19. Humboldt State University

Arcata

For Biomedical Engineering

#250 in the United States

#278 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 98%
Receiving Aid: 74%
Average Aid: $10,748
Enrollment: 6,237

20. Western University of Health Sciences

Pomona

For Biomedical Engineering

#260 in the United States

#289 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 8%
Enrollment: 3,665
Male:Female: 35:65
Founded: 1977

21. Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute

San Diego

For Biomedical Engineering

#264 in the United States

#294 in North America

Enrollment: 52
Male:Female: 32:68

22. San Jose State University

San Jose

For Biomedical Engineering

#266 in the United States

#296 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 85%
Receiving Aid: 69%
Average Aid: $12,353
Enrollment: 37,661

23. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach

For Biomedical Engineering

#272 in the United States

#304 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 46%
Receiving Aid: 82%
Average Aid: $11,795
Enrollment: 42,003

24. Harvey Mudd College

Claremont

For Biomedical Engineering

#273 in the United States

#305 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 13%
Average SAT: 1535
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $43,966

25. California State University - Northridge

Los Angeles

For Biomedical Engineering

#283 in the United States

#315 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 93%
Receiving Aid: 86%
Average Aid: $12,825
Enrollment: 38,313

Closest to California states to learn Biomedical Engineering

State	Universities Unis	Best university country rank Best uni rank
Oregon	4	64
Utah	3	22
Arizona	4	50
Washington	3	7
Colorado	5	49
Nebraska	4	100
Kansas	3	95
Texas	22	18
Oklahoma	5	110
North Dakota	2	156
Minnesota	2	23
Iowa	2	37
Missouri	5	24
Arkansas	4	147
Louisiana	6	70
Wisconsin	4	15
Illinois	11	20
Mississippi	3	145
Indiana	6	32
Michigan	8	3
Tennessee	6	54
Alabama	5	65
Ohio	13	11
Georgia	6	9
South Carolina	3	52
North Carolina	7	13
Virginia	7	28
Pennsylvania	16	5
Florida	10	29
District of Columbia	4	89
Maryland	6	8
New York	26	16
New Jersey	6	44
Massachusetts	13	1
Rhode Island	3	56