Best colleges for Computer Engineering in California
Program-level earnings — not school prestige — rank these. Among the California programs in the federal field-of-study file, University of California-Los Angeles leads: its Computer Engineering graduates earn a median $228,705 four years after finishing, against the field's $109,015 national median. (Scorecard field-of-study, 2026.)
| # | College | Grad earnings, 4 yrs | Vs field median |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of California-Los Angeles | $228,705 | +$119,690 |
| 2 | University of Southern California | $166,369 | +$57,354 |
| 3 | Santa Clara University | $163,765 | +$54,750 |
| 4 | University of California-San Diego | $149,139 | +$40,124 |
| 5 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | $148,950 | +$39,935 |
How big is the earnings gap between California Computer Engineering programs?
$79,755 separates the top and bottom of this list — $228,705 at University of California-Los Angeles against $148,950 at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo, four years after finishing. Same field, same state, same federal measure: where you study moves pay by that much.
Do California Computer Engineering graduates earn more than the national median?
The state's strongest program pays $119,690 above the $109,015 national median for the field. Program-level medians come from federal tax records of graduates who received aid, so they track actual pay rather than advertised salaries.