24 Best Biomedical Engineering schools in California, US

Updated: March 02, 2025

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 954K citations received by 22.5K academic papers made by 24 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: $17,998

2. University of California-San Diego

San Diego

For Biomedical Engineering

#11 in the United States

#12 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 25%
Receiving Aid: 70%
Average Aid: $24,176
Enrollment: 42,376

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: 60%
Average Aid: $22,441
Enrollment: 46,678

4. University of California - San Francisco

San Francisco

For Biomedical Engineering

#14 in the United States

#15 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 13%
Enrollment: 3,126
Male:Female: 35:65
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: 1495
Average ACT: 34
Net Price: $41,496

6. University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley

For Biomedical Engineering

#31 in the United States

#32 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 12%
Receiving Aid: 61%
Average Aid: $25,951
Enrollment: 45,699

7. University of California - Davis

Davis

For Biomedical Engineering

#33 in the United States

#34 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 42%
Receiving Aid: 58%
Average Aid: $21,258
Enrollment: 39,707

8. University of California - Irvine

Irvine

For Biomedical Engineering

#35 in the United States

#37 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 26%
Receiving Aid: 71%
Average Aid: $21,533
Enrollment: 36,582

9. California Institute of Technology

Pasadena

For Biomedical Engineering

#62 in the United States

#69 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 3%
Net Price: $23,397
Receiving Aid: 68%
Average Aid: $60,201

10. Loma Linda University

Loma Linda

For Biomedical Engineering

#97 in the United States

#111 in North America

Enrollment: 4,202
Male:Female: 33:67
Founded: 1905

11. University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara

For Biomedical Engineering

#115 in the United States

#130 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 28%
Receiving Aid: 58%
Average Aid: $21,732
Enrollment: 26,068

12. University of California - Riverside

Riverside

For Biomedical Engineering

#133 in the United States

#150 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Receiving Aid: 75%
Average Aid: $21,566
Enrollment: 26,426

13. San Diego State University

San Diego

For Biomedical Engineering

#164 in the United States

#186 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Receiving Aid: 95%
Average Aid: $5,459
Enrollment: 39,241

14. University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz

For Biomedical Engineering

#206 in the United States

#232 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Receiving Aid: 71%
Average Aid: $21,564
Enrollment: 19,764

15. California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo

For Biomedical Engineering

#212 in the United States

#238 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 30%
Receiving Aid: 60%
Average Aid: $12,707
Enrollment: 22,485

16. Palo Alto University

Palo Alto

For Biomedical Engineering

#226 in the United States

#253 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 12%
Enrollment: 1,223
Male:Female: 15:85
Founded: 1975

17. Graduate Theological Union

Berkeley

For Biomedical Engineering

#234 in the United States

#261 in North America

Enrollment: 178
Male:Female: 50:50

18. University of the Pacific

Stockton

For Biomedical Engineering

#244 in the United States

#272 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 95%
Average SAT: 1290
Average ACT: 27
Net Price: $30,975

19. Humboldt State University

Arcata

For Biomedical Engineering

#248 in the United States

#276 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 99%
Receiving Aid: 73%
Average Aid: $10,046
Enrollment: 6,156

20. Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute

San Diego

For Biomedical Engineering

#256 in the United States

#284 in North America

Enrollment: 48
Male:Female: 37:63

21. Western University of Health Sciences

Pomona

For Biomedical Engineering

#257 in the United States

#285 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 8%
Enrollment: 3,625
Male:Female: 36:64
Founded: 1977

22. San Jose State University

San Jose

For Biomedical Engineering

#259 in the United States

#288 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 80%
Receiving Aid: 67%
Average Aid: $11,311
Enrollment: 36,062

23. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach

For Biomedical Engineering

#269 in the United States

#298 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 47%
Receiving Aid: 82%
Average Aid: $10,512
Enrollment: 40,278

24. Harvey Mudd College

Claremont

For Biomedical Engineering

#270 in the United States

#300 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 13%
Average SAT: 1520
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $42,720

Closest to California states to learn Biomedical Engineering

State	Universities Unis	Best university country rank Best uni rank
Oregon	4	64
Utah	3	21
Arizona	4	49
Washington	3	7
Colorado	5	50
Nebraska	4	104
Kansas	3	94
Texas	22	18
Oklahoma	5	110
North Dakota	2	157
Minnesota	2	23
Iowa	2	36
Missouri	5	24
Arkansas	4	146
Louisiana	6	67
Wisconsin	4	15
Illinois	11	20
Mississippi	3	147
Indiana	6	32
Michigan	7	3
Tennessee	6	52
Alabama	5	65
Ohio	13	10
Georgia	6	9
South Carolina	3	51
North Carolina	7	13
Virginia	7	28
Pennsylvania	16	5
Florida	10	29
District of Columbia	4	91
Maryland	6	8
New York	26	16
New Jersey	6	44
Massachusetts	12	1
Rhode Island	3	57