At a glance · California

  • 9 colleges in California offer a bachelor's industrial engineering program; every one of them awarded the degree in 2022-23 (federal IPEDS completions).
  • Largest programs by graduates in 2022-23: California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo (93), California State Polytechnic University-Pomona (77), University of Southern California (71).
  • Hardest reported gate into the program (only the UC and the CSU publish one): California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo — Industrial Engineering, Fall 2025: 439 applied, 187 admitted (42.6%).
  • Highest reported admit rate into the program: California State University-Northridge — 94.5% (55 applied, 52 admitted, Fall 2025).
  • Highest median earnings four years after the degree: University of California-Berkeley, $138,883.
  • Lowest average net price with aid: California State University-Northridge, $7,021 per year.

None of the California programs on this page reports a transfer path only, so where a CSU campus publishes an admit rate, a student applies straight to the major instead of entering as a pre-major and competing for a seat later. A college shown with no admit rate is one whose system does not publish one for this major, which is a gap in the reporting rather than an open door. Admits are not enrollees. At most UC programs students are admitted to the campus, not the major. This page as JSON → · All 168 colleges nationwide →

Hardest reported gate

42.6%
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
Industrial Engineering, Fall 2025: 439 applied, 187 admitted

Highest reported admit rate

94.5%
California State University-Northridge
Manufacturing Engineering, Fall 2025: 55 applied, 52 admitted

Highest earnings, 4 yrs out

$138,883
University of California-Berkeley
median, graduates of this program

Lowest net price with aid

$7,021
California State University-Northridge
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, then by graduates. Degree awarded is the program the college conferred bachelor's degrees in during 2022-23, with the number of graduates (federal IPEDS completions). 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 Degree awarded
· graduates 2022-23
Program
admit rate
Campus
admit rate
Net price
with aid
Full
price
Earnings
4 yrs out
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
CA · Public · Test-blind
Industrial Engineering
Fall 2025: 439 applied, 187 admitted
impacted
Manufacturing Engineering: 50.4%
Industrial Engineering +1
93 graduates
42.6% 30% $16,665 $32,265 $112,797
San Jose State University
CA · Public · Test-blind
Industrial Engineering
Fall 2025: 269 applied, 232 admitted
impacted
Industrial Engineering
39 graduates
86.2% 80% $13,760 $26,593 —
California State University-East Bay
CA · Public · Test-blind
Industrial Engineering
Fall 2025: 140 applied, 122 admitted
Industrial Engineering
11 graduates
87.1% 97% $9,320 $22,850 $93,793
California State Polytechnic University-Pomona
CA · Public · Test-blind
Industrial Engineering
Fall 2025: 373 applied, 352 admitted
Manufacturing Engineering: 97.0%
Industrial Engineering +1
77 graduates
94.4% 74% $11,531 $23,955 $95,835
California State University-Northridge
CA · Public · Test-blind
Manufacturing Engineering
Fall 2025: 55 applied, 52 admitted
Industrial Management and Engineering: 85.7%
Manufacturing Engineering
9 graduates
94.5% 93% $7,021 $20,485 $74,344
University of California-Berkeley
CA · Public · Test-blind
Not reported by the college system
Operations Research
58 graduates
— 10% $13,481 $45,619 $138,883
University of Southern California
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
Not reported by the college system
Industrial Engineering
71 graduates
— 10% $32,740 $90,300 $112,150
University of San Diego
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
Not reported by the college system
Industrial Engineering
39 graduates
— 47% $30,365 $78,720 —
National University
CA · Private nonprofit
Not reported by the college system
Manufacturing Engineering
9 graduates
— — $22,878 — —

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); IPEDS Completions ↗ (bachelor's degrees conferred by 6-digit program, 2022-23, first major); 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

Paste this into Claude or ChatGPT

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/industrial-engineering?state=CA, then open each college profile it links to. Build a reach / match / likely list for a industrial 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

AccountingAerospace EngineeringAfrican-American StudiesAgribusinessAgricultural Teacher EducationAgricultureAmerican StudiesAnimal ScienceAnimation and Visual EffectsAnthropologyApparel and TextilesArchitectureArt (Studio)Art HistoryArt Teacher EducationAsian StudiesAthletic TrainingAviationBiblical StudiesBiochemistryBiological and Physical SciencesBiologyBiology Teacher EducationBiomedical Engineering and BioengineeringBusiness AdministrationBusiness AnalyticsChemical EngineeringChemistryChild DevelopmentChinese Language and LiteratureCivil EngineeringClassicsClinical Laboratory ScienceCognitive ScienceCommunicationCommunication Sciences and DisordersComparative LiteratureComputer EngineeringComputer ProgrammingComputer ScienceConstruction ManagementCriminal Justice and CriminologyDanceData ScienceDental HygieneDesign (graphic, interior, industrial)Diagnostic Medical SonographyDigital ArtsEast Asian StudiesEconomicsElectrical EngineeringElectrical Engineering TechnologyEmergency ManagementEngineering ManagementEngineering PhysicsEngineering TechnologyEnglishEnglish/Language Arts Teacher EducationEnvironmental EngineeringEnvironmental ScienceFamily and Consumer SciencesFashion MerchandisingFilm and TelevisionFinanceFood ScienceForeign Languages and LiteraturesForensic ScienceFrench Language and LiteratureGeneral EngineeringGeographyGeology and Earth ScienceGerman Language and LiteratureGlobal and International StudiesHealth Care AdministrationHealth ScienceHealth Teacher EducationHistoryHistory Teacher EducationHospitality ManagementHuman ServicesIndustrial TechnologyInformation SystemsItalian Language and LiteratureJapanese Language and LiteratureJournalismKinesiologyLatin American StudiesLegal Studies (pre-law)Liberal Studies (teacher preparation)LinguisticsMarine BiologyMarketingMaterials EngineeringMathematicsMathematics Teacher EducationMechanical EngineeringMechanical Engineering TechnologyMicrobiologyMissionary StudiesMusicMusic ManagementMusic Teacher EducationMusic TherapyNatural SciencesNeuroscienceNursing (BSN)Nutrition and DieteticsParalegal StudiesParks and Recreation ManagementParks and Recreation StudiesPhilosophyPhotographyPhysical Education Teaching and CoachingPhysicsPolitical SciencePsychologyPublic AdministrationPublic HealthPublic Policy AnalysisRadiation TherapyRadiologic TechnologyReal EstateReligious StudiesRespiratory TherapyRussian Language and LiteratureSacred MusicScience Teacher EducationSocial Science Teacher EducationSocial Studies Teacher EducationSocial WorkSociologySpanishSpanish Language Teacher EducationSpecial EducationSport ManagementStatisticsTeaching English as a Second LanguageTheatreTheologyUrban StudiesWildlife Science and ManagementWomen's StudiesYouth Ministry All majors →

The list is where the work starts

A list for this major needs schools from both ends of that spread, since the same degree reports 42.6% at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and 94.4% at Cal Poly Pomona. Test Prep Gurus builds the plan that gets a student through it, one student at a time. prepgurus.com · 949.229.5359