Best Electrical Engineering Degree Programs in California in 2026
California electrical engineering students can study the physical devices inside a circuit, the signals it carries, or the systems built from many interconnected components. Our best electrical engineering degree programs in California ranking reviews three distinct bachelor’s choices: Stanford, UC Davis and Cal Poly Pomona. The selection brings together different ways of organizing electrical fundamentals, laboratory work and advanced study.
The most useful comparison begins with what you want to make or investigate. UC Davis publishes detailed laboratory and senior-project options. Cal Poly Pomona emphasizes experiments and design across a broad electrical curriculum. Stanford’s reviewed program offers its own combination of electrical foundations and project work. These individual reviews explain the academic fit alongside the enrollment and cost conditions that affect an applicant’s decision.
Electrical Engineering bachelor’s rankings by state+
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Inside this ranking
How we ranked electrical engineering bachelor’s programs in California
This California page ranks three individually researched electrical engineering bachelor’s programs. It is an editorial selection with official degree and cost evidence, rather than an exhaustive ranking of California institutions or a claim that these are the only worthwhile choices.
Stanford leads this reviewed set for its electrical foundation and opportunities to connect advanced study with project work. UC Davis follows for its explicit structure of specialty areas, design laboratories and senior projects. Cal Poly Pomona adds a broad, practice-oriented electrical curriculum with a clear laboratory emphasis.
Full-time undergraduate tuition for 12–20 units per quarter. This is a quarter rate before aid, not an annual or semester figure. Housing, meals and non-tuition charges are additional; summer enrollment below 12 units and approved special registration statuses use different rates.
Stanford’s electrical engineering curriculum offers flexibility beyond a defined technical core. Students study circuits, signals and systems, digital design and electromagnetics, then build a substantial elective program. The bulletin includes options in physical technology, information systems, hardware and software, with courses reaching into energy, biological applications and other disciplines. Design and writing requirements can be satisfied through several approved course choices. We value that range for students who already have questions they want to investigate and want room to connect electrical engineering with another area, rather than follow a single prescribed specialization.
Where it stands out
Consider Stanford if you are drawn to combinations such as electronics and biology, energy and devices, or hardware and computing. The bulletin shows how an EE foundation can support those interests while retaining the university's broader undergraduate requirements.
What to weigh
Flexibility increases the importance of advising and prerequisite planning. The 180-unit university minimum is different from the units required within the major. Honors research also has its own application and academic requirements; it is not an automatic feature of every student's degree.
Circuits, signals and systems, digital system design and electromagnetics
Mathematics, physical science, computing and Technology in Society
Electives ranging from semiconductor devices and power electronics to bioelectronics
Admission & progression
ACT or SAT scores are required for first-year and transfer applicants.
Self-reported test scores must be confirmed by official reports if you accept admission and enroll; Stanford evaluates the complete application holistically.
Design & practical experience
Design/capstone choices include digital systems, analog communications, photonics and power electronics
Honors research is available through a separate application
Published 2026–27 estimate for newly entering undergraduates over three quarters. Campus-based fees add $2,490; nonresidents add $39,270 in supplemental tuition. Insurance, housing, meals, books and the new-student document fee are separate. Figures remain subject to final approval; tuition stability applies to systemwide charges, not all attendance costs.
UC Davis makes laboratory and project choices part of the electrical engineering elective structure. After core study in circuits, devices, electromagnetics, signals and probability, students select an upper-division group that must include advanced foundations, design laboratories and a senior project. The published options range from RF and integrated circuit fabrication to embedded systems, power electronics and autonomous vehicles. Five specialty areas help organize those decisions without requiring every student to build the same advanced schedule. This gives applicants a useful way to compare physical electronics, wireless systems and other interests through the coursework they would actually complete.
Where it stands out
UC Davis is worth considering if you want flexibility while retaining explicit laboratory and project requirements. Students drawn to wireless hardware or semiconductor fabrication can investigate those options alongside a broader electrical core, then use the specialty recommendations to organize prerequisites and electives.
What to weigh
The elective minimum does not remove the need to coordinate course sequences; both parts of an A/B senior project are required. Transfer applicants must meet selective engineering preparation requirements. Tuition is also tied to the entering cohort, and campus fees, insurance and living costs can change independently of the systemwide tuition-stability policy.
Attendance:Campus degree on a quarter calendar; the major requirements are completed alongside college and university graduation requirements.
The upper-division core includes circuits, electronic circuits, electromagnetics, device physics, signals and systems, and applied probability.
Students select at least eight upper-division elective courses totaling at least 32 units, including core, laboratory and project requirements.
Design-laboratory options include power electronics, VLSI, RF/microwaves, fabrication, embedded systems and controls.
Areas of focus
Physical Electronics
Electromagnetics/RF/Microwaves/Wireless
Analog Electronics
Digital Electronics
Communication, Controls and Signal Processing
Admission & progression
Electrical engineering is a selective transfer major with additional preparation and GPA requirements.
Transfer major-preparation courses must ordinarily be completed for a letter grade with no grade below C by the spring before fall enrollment. Use the engineering requirements and ASSIST agreements together.
Design & practical experience
The elective structure requires at least two design electives with laboratory and a senior design project.
Senior project options include RF/microwave systems, electronic design, applied machine learning, Internet of Things, digital systems and autonomous vehicles.
Both parts of an A/B senior design sequence must be completed for project credit.
$3,419 tuition per semester at seven or more units
Cost basis & conditions +
State-supported undergraduate rate for fall 2026 and spring 2027. Campus fees add $863.97 per term; an optional $2 student representation fee is separate. Nonresidents pay an additional $471 per unit. The zero-to-six-unit tuition band is lower; summer and winter sessions have separate rates. Housing, meals, materials and other expenses are additional.
Cal Poly Pomona's electrical engineering program emphasizes the connection between electrical theory, laboratory experiments and design. Its current program description covers circuits, electronics, computing, controls, communications and power, with extensive laboratory work and a senior design project. The department also identifies technical communication and ethical practice as part of the education. This makes the program a useful option for applicants who want to investigate how an electrical concept moves from analysis to a measured physical result. The separate department accreditation statement confirms that the reviewed degree is electrical engineering, distinct from its computer engineering sibling.
Where it stands out
Cal Poly Pomona fits students who want a broad electrical degree with a visible laboratory emphasis. California residents should examine its semester tuition structure alongside their actual commuting or housing plan, then ask how their intended electrical interests would shape the senior project and elective choices.
What to weigh
Electrical engineering appears on the current impacted-major list, so meeting general university eligibility does not settle program admission. The campus is also describing changes for later application cycles. Nonresident tuition adds a per-unit charge to the semester base, making credit load important when comparing costs.
The electrical curriculum covers circuits, electronics, computer software and hardware, controls, communications and electrical power.
Laboratory experiments connect circuit fundamentals with analysis and measurement.
Communication skills, ethical practice and engineering design are part of the program objectives.
Admission & progression
The current campus impaction information lists electrical engineering among majors where demand exceeds available instructional capacity.
The campus discusses changes beginning in 2027–28; applicants should use the rules for their own admission term rather than carry the 2026 impaction list forward.
Design & practical experience
The university describes extensive laboratory work and a required senior design project.
Students use electrical instruments to investigate circuits, electromagnetism and communications-system concepts.
Department clubs and activities provide additional ways to connect with electrical and computer engineering students.
What matters in electrical engineering bachelor’s programs in California
Electrical scope
We consider the balance of physical electronics, circuits, computing, signals and systems in the degree.
Evidence of design practice
We look for published laboratory and project requirements that help applicants understand what they will do.
Applicant-specific cost
Quarter and semester pricing, residency, entry cohort and fees must retain their actual meaning in the comparison.
Compare electrical engineering degree programs in California through laboratory choices
UC Davis’s catalog specifies more than an undifferentiated elective total. The upper-division choices include core electives, at least two design electives with laboratory, and a senior project. Published laboratory options include RF/microwaves, integrated circuit fabrication, power electronics and embedded systems. Project choices include digital systems, Internet of Things, electronic design and autonomous vehicles. A student considering wireless hardware can therefore trace a different path through the same major from a student interested in control or digital devices.
Cal Poly Pomona’s program description emphasizes laboratory experiments and a senior design project within circuits, electronics, computing, control, communications and power. Its department separately confirms the electrical degree’s accreditation. For either university, ask which facilities and project options undergraduates use in the courses you would take. A laboratory name alone does not establish how much individual equipment time or responsibility a student receives.
Decide how much specialization you want before enrollment
UC Davis’s five specialty areas range from physical electronics to communication, controls and signal processing. Students may focus their elective choices or distribute them across areas with advising. The requirement to complete both parts of an A/B senior project makes prerequisite planning important. Use the published course lists to work backward from a possible project, rather than selecting unrelated advanced courses simply because their titles sound interesting.
The three reviewed schools also give applicants a reason to distinguish a broad EE degree from a narrower career label. Circuit design, electrical power and signal processing share foundations, but they do not require identical advanced preparation. Read the Stanford bulletin alongside the other two degree descriptions, then use the electrical engineering degree guide to connect those subjects with the questions you want an advisor to answer.
Keep transfer preparation and tuition periods in view
UC Davis identifies electrical engineering as a selective transfer major. Major-preparation courses ordinarily require letter grades of C or better and completion by the spring before fall enrollment; the engineering requirements and ASSIST agreements add the degree-specific detail. Cal Poly Pomona’s current impaction information includes electrical engineering and also describes changes for later admission cycles. Applicants should use the rules for their own intended term, especially when comparing a 2026 ranking with a future transfer plan.
Stanford’s published undergraduate rate is per quarter. UC Davis’s 2026–27 cost estimate covers three quarters and separates systemwide tuition, campus fees and nonresident supplemental tuition. Cal Poly Pomona’s schedule uses semester tuition bands, campus fees and an additional per-unit nonresident charge. Put each offer into a common annual budget with the same housing assumption. At Davis, the systemwide tuition-stability policy does not freeze housing, insurance or every campus charge.
Questions, answered
What else should you know?
Which California schools are included in this electrical engineering ranking?+
The reviewed bachelor’s selection includes Stanford University, the University of California, Davis and Cal Poly Pomona. Each has its own program review; this page does not attempt to rank every electrical engineering degree program in California.
Can I study RF or semiconductor fabrication at UC Davis?+
The electrical catalog lists RF/microwave and integrated circuit fabrication courses among its design-laboratory options. Placement in the complete elective plan depends on prerequisites and course selection; the physical-electronics and wireless specialty guidance helps organize those decisions.
Why is Cal Poly Pomona’s price sensitive to credit load?+
Its state-supported undergraduate tuition uses enrollment bands, and nonresidents pay an additional charge for each unit. Campus fees are separate. Summer and winter sessions follow different schedules from the fall and spring semesters.
Does transferring general education complete the electrical preparation?+
General education is only part of the plan. UC Davis’s selective transfer process requires major preparation, and an electrical curriculum has sequenced mathematics, physics, circuits and design work. Review accepted course equivalencies and the remaining project sequence with the receiving school.
Keep researching
Choosing a electrical engineering degree
Learn what an electrical engineering degree covers, including circuits, signals, lab work and design, plus admissions, transfer and online study.
