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2026 Best Value Architectural Engineering Schools in California
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in architectural engineering, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Architectural Engineering Schools
Our analysis ranked California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo the best value for a degree in architectural engineering in California. Set in the suburb of San Luis Obispo, California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo is a very large public institution. Students from in state pay about $12,161 in tuition and fees, compared with $33,230 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for architectural engineering graduates is $25,116. Architectural Engineering graduates of California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo earn a median of $80,481 early in their careers. Set against $25,116 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 31% of applicants are accepted.
Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 1 school evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
ADBLOCK #116
[Architectural Engineering](/majors/engineering/architectural-engineering/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
