Best colleges for Mechanical Engineering in California
Program-level earnings — not school prestige — rank these. Among the California programs in the federal field-of-study file, Santa Clara University leads: its Mechanical Engineering graduates earn a median $122,111 four years after finishing, against the field's $92,135 national median. (Scorecard field-of-study, 2026.)
| # | College | Grad earnings, 4 yrs | Vs field median |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Clara University | $122,111 | +$29,976 |
| 2 | University of California-Berkeley | $119,371 | +$27,236 |
| 3 | Stanford University | $117,072 | +$24,937 |
| 4 | University of California-Los Angeles | $108,875 | +$16,740 |
| 5 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | $106,750 | +$14,615 |
How big is the earnings gap between California Mechanical Engineering programs?
$15,361 separates the top and bottom of this list — $122,111 at Santa Clara University against $106,750 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 Mechanical Engineering graduates earn more than the national median?
The state's strongest program pays $29,976 above the $92,135 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.