Accreditation is important in certain areas of the engineering profession such as Civil Engineering and Mechanical Engineering and if you plan to pursue a Professional Engineering (PE) license.
The schools choice such as Berkeley or Stanford to not pursue ABET accreditation for some programs, allows for greater curriculum flexibility.
Some sources suggest that top-tier schools like UC Berkeley and Stanford can rely on their strong reputation, and their graduates are highly recruited by top companies despite the lack of specific ABET accreditation.
In conclusion, I would strive to apply to ABET accredited programs but there are exceptions.
Here is some Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering admit date for 2024 Freshman applicant so you can see where you stand.
| Campus | Aerospace | Mechanical Engineering |
|---|---|---|
| UC Berkeley | 3.3% | 3.8% |
| UC Davis | Around 34% | Estimated <25% Selective Major |
| UC Irvine | 18.4% | 12.5% |
| UCLA | 3.3% | 4.2% |
| UC Merced | New Major Fall 2025 No Data | 90% |
| UC Riverside | Major Not available | 51.5% |
| UC San Diego | 18% Selective Major | Estimated <20% Capped Major |
| UC Santa Barbara | Major Not Available | Estimated <15% |
| UC Santa Cruz | Major Not Available | Major not available |
| Campus | Aerospace | Mechanical | CSU GPA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cal Poly SLO | Projected 11% | Projected 15% | College of Engineering SLO GPA 4.13-4.25 |
| Cal Poly Pomona | CPP Major threshold 4710 so a GPA of 4.26 without other factor points | CPP Major threshold of 4536 so a CSU GPA of 4.08 without other factor points | See CPP major index thresholds |
| San Diego State | 44% | 40% | Avg Campus CSU GPA of 4.06 |
| Cal State Long Beach | 47% | 50% | Avg CSU GPA 4.03 overall 4.07 for Non-local applicants |
| San Jose State | Impaction threshold of 4230 | Impaction threshold of 4620 | Calculate impaction index using threshold numbers |