Research · College majors · October 2026
Mechanical engineering in California, by admit rate and what it pays
As of October 2026: UC Berkeley took 252 of the 6,148 students who applied in mechanical engineering for fall 2025, a 4% rate. UC Merced took 97%, and Cal State LA took 1,636 of 1,762. Four years out, the median graduate earns $119,371 from Berkeley and $86,808 from Cal State Fullerton.
The table holds every college in the state that reports an admit rate for this major or federal pay for the degree, with what families pay.
Analysis: Test Prep Gurus (High School Reach, highschoolreach.com), October 2026. Figures and the table may be quoted with attribution to Test Prep Gurus.
The findings, in plain English
A UC decision is a campus decision. A UC campus reports how many students applied in this major and how many got in. But at most programs the UC admits to the campus, not the major. Berkeley shows 252 admits out of 6,148. Davis shows 1,122 out of 4,414. Read them that way.
A CSU admits you into the program. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo took 657 of the 4,953 first-year students who applied, a 13.3% rate. San Diego State took 41.1%, and Cal Poly Pomona 41.5%. Eight more CSU campuses took more than 89%. Sacramento took 95.2% and Fresno 93.8%.
Pay lands close. Prices do not. The median graduate four years out earns $119,371 from Berkeley. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is close behind at $106,750, with an average net price of $16,665 a year. Cal State LA pay is $93,028, and its net price is $3,967. Pay travels with the students a college takes in and the work they go into, not with the college alone.
Mechanical engineering at 29 California colleges
Admit rate into the program where it is reported, the campus admit rate beside it, then pay, price, debt and cohort size.
| College | Into the program | What that rate is | Campus admit rate | Median pay, 4 yrs out | Avg net price with aid | Median debt | Graduates in cohort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of California-Berkeley | 4.0% | Admits by major reported (UC) | 10% | $119,371 | $13,481 | $13,000 | 189 |
| University of California-Los Angeles | 4.0% | Admits by major reported (UC) | 11% | $108,875 | $12,548 | $16,500 | 162 |
| University of California-San Diego | 5.0% | Admits by major reported (UC) | 27% | $104,229 | $12,470 | $20,000 | 146 |
| California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | 13.3% | First-year admission reported | 30% | $106,750 | $16,665 | $20,500 | 272 |
| University of California-Davis | 25.0% | Admits by major reported (UC) | 46% | $102,161 | $14,741 | $13,867 | 166 |
| California State University-Long Beach | 36.2% | First-year admission reported | 47% | $95,957 | $10,440 | $16,616 | 229 |
| San Diego State University | 41.1% | First-year admission reported | 34% | $97,825 | $15,364 | $19,499 | 244 |
| California State Polytechnic University-Pomona | 41.5% | First-year admission reported | 74% | $99,148 | $11,531 | $16,940 | 276 |
| San Jose State University | 55.1% | First-year admission reported | 80% | — | $13,760 | — | — |
| California State University Maritime Academy | 60.5% | First-year admission reported | — | — | $20,555 | — | — |
| University of California-Riverside | 75.0% | Admits by major reported (UC) | 88% | $93,721 | $14,304 | $21,000 | 94 |
| California State University-Fullerton | 89.7% | First-year admission reported | 87% | $86,808 | $6,555 | $18,874 | 125 |
| San Francisco State University | 89.9% | First-year admission reported | 96% | $102,104 | $12,278 | $21,250 | 75 |
| California State University-Chico | 90.6% | First-year admission reported | 94% | $93,555 | $14,480 | $22,353 | 72 |
| California State University-Los Angeles | 92.8% | First-year admission reported | 92% | $93,028 | $3,967 | $12,500 | 130 |
| California State University-Northridge | 93.7% | First-year admission reported | 93% | $99,216 | $7,021 | $17,000 | 185 |
| California State University-Fresno | 93.8% | First-year admission reported | 96% | $88,002 | $7,000 | $12,940 | 79 |
| California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt | 94.7% | First-year admission reported | 99% | — | $13,171 | — | — |
| California State University-Sacramento | 95.2% | First-year admission reported | 94% | $93,878 | $9,338 | $16,532 | 178 |
| University of California-Merced | 97.0% | Admits by major reported (UC) | 95% | $95,040 | $11,983 | $18,498 | 184 |
| Santa Clara University | — | Not reported by the college system | 44% | $122,111 | $50,062 | $19,000 | 52 |
| Stanford University | — | Not reported by the college system | 4% | $117,072 | $13,807 | — | 49 |
| California Baptist University | — | Not reported by the college system | 74% | $105,046 | $26,285 | $27,000 | 47 |
| University of Southern California | — | Not reported by the college system | 10% | $104,649 | $32,740 | $14,250 | 119 |
| University of California-Santa Barbara | — | Not reported by the college system | 44% | $104,336 | $16,109 | $15,000 | 78 |
| University of the Pacific | — | Not reported by the college system | 95% | $99,573 | $25,447 | $28,000 | 17 |
| University of California-Irvine | — | Not reported by the college system | 30% | $99,111 | $14,251 | $14,750 | 260 |
| Loyola Marymount University | — | Not reported by the college system | 40% | $96,226 | $48,381 | $21,000 | 30 |
| University of San Diego | — | Not reported by the college system | 47% | $91,848 | $30,365 | $26,187 | 61 |
Admit rates are each system's own fall 2025 reporting: a CSU campus reports first-year admission into the program, while a UC reports applicants and admits under the major even though at most programs the UC admits to the campus rather than to the major. Nine colleges here report no rate for the major, which means the system publishes none, not that the door is easier. Pay is the College Scorecard median for graduates of this program four years after they finished, so a program with a small cohort carries a noisier figure; net price is the average for students receiving aid, and median debt covers borrowers who completed. Blank cells are figures the college or system does not report.
Which rate to plan around
At a CSU, the program is the gate. A student applies to the major, and the campus decides on that major. That is why Cal Poly San Luis Obispo took 30% of all first-year students who applied, and 13.3% of the ones who applied in this major.
At a UC, the campus is the gate. The major number still tells you how crowded the major is. It is not a second door a student can plan for. Nine colleges here report no rate for the major at all. UC Santa Barbara, UC Irvine, Stanford and USC are four of them. That is a gap in what gets published, not an easy door.
What the money columns mean
Median pay is a federal number. It covers graduates of this one program at this one college, four years after they finished. It is not a starting salary, and it is not a promise. Some groups are small. University of the Pacific had 17 graduates, Loyola Marymount 30 and Stanford 49. A few people can move a small number.
Net price is what students who got aid paid, on average, each year. It is not the sticker price, and it is not your price. Every college runs its own net price calculator, and that is the number to get. Median debt counts only borrowers who finished.
What a family should do with this
Build a list that reaches across the range on this page. One campus that takes most of the students who apply, one in the middle, one long shot. Three long shots is not a plan. Cal State Northridge took 93.7% and Cal State Long Beach took 36.2%. Both are the same degree, and both report pay above $95,000 four years out.
Then check each campus: does the major decide, or does the campus? That changes what the file has to do. And read the price next to the pay. The price gap here is much wider than the pay gap.
Questions parents ask
How hard is it to get into mechanical engineering at UC Berkeley?
UC Berkeley took 252 of the 6,148 students who applied in mechanical engineering for fall 2025, a 4% rate.
Does a UC admit students to the major or to the campus?
A UC campus reports how many students applied in this major and how many got in. But at most programs the UC admits to the campus, not the major.
What does this degree pay in California?
The median graduate four years out earns $119,371 from Berkeley. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is close behind at $106,750, with an average net price of $16,665 a year.
Method & sources: Admit rates come from each system's own fall 2025 reporting -- UCOP's admissions-by-major tables for the UC campuses and the CSU Chancellor's Office by-major data for the CSU campuses -- and pay, net price, debt and cohort size come from the federal College Scorecard's program-level file for bachelor's degrees in mechanical engineering. The rate shown is for first-year applicants who applied under the major. A UC reports applicants and admits by major, but at most programs admission is decided by the campus. Colleges with no mechanical engineering row in either source are not on the list, and cells the college or system does not report are left blank.
This brief as data: /research/mechanical-engineering-california-admit-and-pay.json. Free for editorial use with attribution to Test Prep Gurus (High School Reach).
Related: Mechanical engineering in California · What common majors pay four years out · Computer science in California, by admit rate and pay