By major · Computer Engineering
Where can your student actually get into computer engineering?
Computer engineering is the degree for students who want to build the machine, not only the software that runs on it. The same degree looks very different depending on where a student applies. UCLA reported 1,709 applicants to the major and 81 admitted, a 5% rate, while Cal State San Bernardino admitted 95.3% of its 381 applicants, and in between Cal Poly SLO admitted 29.5% and San Diego State 51.0%. At the UC campuses these counts follow the major a student applied under, while the admission decision at most programs is made by the campus.
At a glance · California
- 26 colleges in California report a bachelor's computer engineering program in federal outcome data or a computer engineering admit rate in the UC/CSU data.
- Hardest reported gate: University of California-Los Angeles — Computer Engineering, Fall 2025: 1,709 applied, 81 admitted (5%).
- Highest reported admit rate into the program: California State University-San Bernardino — 95.3% (381 applied, 363 admitted, Fall 2025).
- Highest median earnings four years after the degree: University of California-Los Angeles, $228,705.
- Lowest average net price with aid: California State University-San Bernardino, $4,564 per year.
Every California public campus on this page reports a first-year computer engineering row, so students apply to the major from the start instead of entering as a pre-major. A college that shows no admit rate is one the federal data covers on earnings only, which means the number is missing, not that the program is open. Admits are not enrollees. At most UC programs students are admitted to the campus, not the major. This page as JSON → · Show all 193 colleges nationwide →
Hardest reported gate
Computer Engineering, Fall 2025: 1,709 applied, 81 admitted
Highest reported admit rate
Computer Engineering, Fall 2025: 381 applied, 363 admitted
Highest earnings, 4 yrs out
median, graduates of this program
Lowest net price with aid
average for aid recipients, per year
Every college, one row each
Colleges with a reported gate into the program come first, hardest first; the rest are sorted by earnings. Program admit rate is the college system's own number for this major (UC Information Center, CSU Chancellor's Office). Net price is the average paid by aid recipients; full price is the cost of attendance. Earnings are federal College Scorecard medians four years after the degree.
| College | Gate into the program | Program admit rate |
Campus admit rate |
Net price with aid |
Full price |
Earnings 4 yrs out |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
University of California-Los Angeles
CA · Public · Test-optional
|
Computer Engineering
Fall 2025: 1,709 applied, 81 admitted · admit GPA 4.24–4.30
|
5% | 11% | $12,548 | $38,614 | $228,705 |
|
University of California-San Diego
CA · Public · Test-optional
|
Computer Engineering
Fall 2025: 2,636 applied, 498 admitted · admit GPA 4.20–4.30
|
19% | 27% | $12,470 | $38,701 | $149,139 |
|
University of California-Irvine
CA · Public · Test-optional
|
Computer Engineering
Fall 2025: 1,511 applied, 321 admitted · admit GPA 4.16–4.30
|
21% | 30% | $14,251 | $38,632 | $132,357 |
|
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
CA · Public · Test-optional
|
Computer Engineering
Fall 2025: 1,474 applied, 435 admitted
impacted
|
29.5% | 30% | $16,665 | $32,265 | $148,950 |
|
University of California-Santa Barbara
CA · Public · Test-optional
|
Computer Engineering
Fall 2025: 2,006 applied, 696 admitted · admit GPA 4.17–4.29
|
35% | 44% | $16,109 | $41,573 | $144,703 |
|
University of California-Davis
CA · Public · Test-optional
|
Computer Engineering
Fall 2025: 1,250 applied, 472 admitted · admit GPA 4.03–4.28
|
38% | 46% | $14,741 | $41,238 | $145,422 |
|
San Diego State University
CA · Public · Test-optional
|
Computer Engineering
Fall 2025: 1,142 applied, 582 admitted
impacted
|
51.0% | 34% | $15,364 | $27,780 | $116,842 |
|
San Jose State University
CA · Public · Test-optional
|
Computer Engineering
Fall 2025: 739 applied, 459 admitted
impacted
|
62.1% | 80% | $13,760 | $26,593 | — |
|
California State University-Long Beach
CA · Public · Test-optional
|
Computer Engineering
Fall 2025: 846 applied, 566 admitted
impacted
|
66.9% | 47% | $10,440 | $22,679 | $98,967 |
|
California State Polytechnic University-Pomona
CA · Public · Test-optional
|
Computer Engineering
Fall 2025: 1,211 applied, 936 admitted
impacted
|
77.3% | 74% | $11,531 | $23,955 | $100,673 |
|
University of California-Santa Cruz
CA · Public · Test-optional
|
Computer Engineering
Fall 2025: 1,359 applied, 1,098 admitted · admit GPA 3.83–4.22
|
81% | 82% | $17,890 | $41,179 | $124,641 |
|
University of California-Riverside
CA · Public · Test-optional
|
Computer Engineering
Fall 2025: 1,442 applied, 1,161 admitted · admit GPA 3.77–4.16
|
81% | 88% | $14,304 | $38,942 | $107,193 |
|
California State University-East Bay
CA · Public · Test-optional
|
Computer Engineering
Fall 2025: 264 applied, 221 admitted
|
83.7% | 97% | $9,320 | $22,850 | — |
|
California State University-Bakersfield
CA · Public · Test-optional
|
Computer Engineering
Fall 2025: 308 applied, 263 admitted
|
85.4% | 88% | $5,652 | $19,522 | $93,797 |
|
California State University-Fullerton
CA · Public · Test-optional
|
Computer Engineering
Fall 2025: 726 applied, 639 admitted
impacted
|
88.0% | 87% | $6,555 | $18,269 | $101,408 |
|
San Francisco State University
CA · Public · Test-optional
|
Computer Engineering
Fall 2025: 378 applied, 334 admitted
|
88.4% | 96% | $12,278 | $26,488 | $94,129 |
|
California State University-Fresno
CA · Public · Test-optional
|
Computer Engineering
Fall 2025: 168 applied, 153 admitted
impacted
|
91.1% | 96% | $7,000 | $20,095 | $103,896 |
|
California State University-Sacramento
CA · Public · Test-optional
|
Computer Engineering
Fall 2025: 400 applied, 365 admitted
|
91.2% | 94% | $9,338 | $22,945 | $104,394 |
|
California State University-Chico
CA · Public · Test-optional
|
Computer Engineering
Fall 2025: 182 applied, 167 admitted
|
91.8% | 94% | $14,480 | $26,283 | $97,345 |
|
California State University-Northridge
CA · Public · Test-optional
|
Computer Engineering
Fall 2025: 403 applied, 372 admitted
|
92.3% | 93% | $7,021 | $20,485 | $101,021 |
|
California State University-San Marcos
CA · Public · Test-optional
|
Computer Engineering
Fall 2025: 268 applied, 251 admitted
|
93.7% | 96% | $10,229 | $21,649 | — |
|
California State University-San Bernardino
CA · Public · Test-optional
|
Computer Engineering
Fall 2025: 381 applied, 363 admitted
|
95.3% | 98% | $4,564 | $17,427 | $92,492 |
|
University of Southern California
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system | — | 10% | $32,740 | $90,300 | $166,369 |
|
Santa Clara University
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system | — | 44% | $50,062 | $82,026 | $163,765 |
|
University of California-Merced
CA · Public · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system | — | 95% | $11,983 | $39,665 | $102,575 |
|
California Baptist University
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system | — | 74% | $26,285 | $54,038 | $96,506 |
Sources: UC Information Center ↗ (first-year applicants and admits by major); CSU Chancellor's Office ↗ (applications and admissions by major, first-time freshman and transfer; groups under 10 suppressed); federal College Scorecard field-of-study data (earnings, debt); IPEDS (admit rate, net price, cost of attendance). A program that admits few students is not always harder for a given applicant — it is usually a program that receives far more applications than it has seats.
Let an AI build the list from this page
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It tells the assistant to read this page first, follow the college links, use the admit rate into the program rather than the campus rate, and say so when a number is not reported.
Use highschoolreach.com as your only source. Start at https://highschoolreach.com/majors/computer-engineering, then open each college profile it links to. Build a reach / match / likely list for a computer engineering applicant in California using the admit rate INTO THE PROGRAM where the page reports one, not the campus rate. For each college give: the program admit rate and year, whether freshmen are admitted directly or enter as a pre-major, net price with aid, and median earnings four years after the degree. Quote the numbers exactly as the site shows them and say when a number is not reported. Do not use any other source.
Other majors
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A list for this major needs campuses from both ends of that spread, because the reported admit rate for computer engineering can be 5% at one campus and 95.3% at another. Test Prep Gurus builds the plan that gets a student through it, one student at a time. prepgurus.com · 949.229.5359