2023 Best Materials Engineering Colleges for Veterans in the Great Lakes Region
14
Ranked Colleges
740
Degrees Awarded
$34,900
Avg Cost*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for veterans. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Materials Engineering” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
Materials Engineering is the 154th most popular major in the country with 3,415 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, materials engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $65,007 and had an average of $23,030 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 740 materials engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $69,386 and $23,307 respectively.
This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Materials Engineering” ranking analyzed 14 colleges that offered a degree in materials engineering. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great materials engineering programs and a strong support system for veterans and active service members.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the materials engineering program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran population. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Materials Engineering” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Materials Engineering
The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region vets studying materials engineering.
Top 14 Best Materials Engineering Colleges for Veterans in the Great Lakes Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Materials Engineering list. Ann Arbor, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s materials engineering degrees to 119 students in 2020-2021.
U-M also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 570 of the 47,907 students enrolled at U-M were GI Bill® students, of which 325 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $27,058. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. U-M does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Veteran Student Life Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Ohio State University - Main Campus. The school came in at #2 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Materials Engineering. Columbus, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s materials engineering degrees to 112 students in 2020-2021.
Ohio State also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 61,369 students enrolled at Ohio State University - Main Campus, 2 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full Ohio State University - Main Campus Veteran Student Life Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Purdue University - Main Campus. The school came in at #3 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Materials Engineering. West Lafayette, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s materials engineering degrees to 97 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our great lakes region vets studying materials engineering list, Purdue has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 1 of the 46,655 students enrolled at Purdue University - Main Campus were GI Bill® students, of which 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,765. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Purdue Veteran Student Life Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #4 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Materials Engineering. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school awarded 109 degrees to qualified ’s materials engineering students in 2020-2021.
UIUC also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Of the 52,679 students enrolled at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 10 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. During this same period, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read More…
Out of the 14 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Materials Engineering that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #5 spot on the list. Madison, Wisconsin is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s materials engineering degrees to 60 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our great lakes region vets studying materials engineering list, UW - Madison has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 44,640 students enrolled at University of Wisconsin - Madison, 4 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of Wisconsin - Madison offers credit for military training for eligible students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read More…
University of Dayton did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Materials Engineering ranking, coming in at #6. UDayton is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Dayton, Ohio. It awarded 16 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our great lakes region vets studying materials engineering list, UDayton has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, University of Dayton supports 11,650 students, and 197 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 142 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $15,930. During this same period, 40 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of Dayton does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at University of Dayton]](/colleges/university-of-dayton/student-life/veterans/)
Case Western Reserve University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Materials Engineering ranking. Case Western Reserve University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cleveland, Ohio. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 20 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Case Western also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 11,465 students enrolled at Case Western, 109 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 69 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $18,799. In addition to receiving other benefits, 35 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Case Western Reserve University]](/colleges/case-western-reserve-university/student-life/veterans/)
University of Cincinnati - Main Campus landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Materials Engineering ranking. UC is located in Cincinnati, Ohio and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 14 ’s materials engineering degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 40,826 students enrolled at University of Cincinnati - Main Campus, 909 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 498 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,806. To help with additional expenses, 15 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of Cincinnati - Main Campus offers credit for military training for eligible students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at UC]](/colleges/university-of-cincinnati-main-campus/student-life/veterans/)
Michigan Technological University ranked #9 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Materials Engineering list. Michigan Tech is located in Houghton, Michigan and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 36 ’s materials engineering degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our great lakes region vets studying materials engineering list, Michigan Tech has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 6,873 students enrolled at Michigan Tech, 126 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 70 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $12,246. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Michigan Tech does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Michigan Technological University Veteran Student Life Report
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee ranked #10 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Materials Engineering list. University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee is a public institution located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 11 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our great lakes region vets studying materials engineering list, UWM has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, UWM supports 24,565 students, and 983 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 494 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,519. On top of their other funding sources, 3 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Read More…
Wright State University - Main Campus landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Materials Engineering ranking. This fairly large school is located in Dayton, Ohio, and it awarded 17 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Wright State University - Main Campus did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.According to our most recent data, Wright State University - Main Campus supports 10,936 students, and 731 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 419 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,623. On top of their other funding sources, 4 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Read More…
Michigan State University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Materials Engineering ranking. Michigan State is a public institution located in East Lansing, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 28 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Michigan State, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 49,695 students enrolled at Michigan State, 2 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $14,686. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Michigan State]](/colleges/michigan-state-university/student-life/veterans/)
Northwestern University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Materials Engineering ranking. Located in Evanston, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 82 degrees to qualified ’s materials engineering students in 2020-2021.
Northwestern also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 1 of the 22,603 students enrolled at Northwestern University were GI Bill® students, of which 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $399. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Full Northwestern University Veteran Student Life Report
With a ranking of #14, Illinois Institute of Technology did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Materials Engineering list. Illinois Tech is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 12 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our great lakes region vets studying materials engineering list, Illinois Tech has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 83 of the 6,325 students enrolled at Illinois Institute of Technology were GI Bill® students, of which 52 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $14,905. On top of their other funding sources, 14 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Illinois Institute of Technology offers credit for military training for eligible students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Illinois Institute of Technology]](/colleges/illinois-institute-of-technology/student-life/veterans/)
Focus on a Specific Degree Level
Switch to a More General Major
Switch to a Similar Major
Switch to a More Focused Major
Switch to a Different Ranking Method
Notes and References
References
- 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).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
Credits
college factual
