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2023 Most Focused Colleges for Materials Engineering

107 Ranked Colleges
$34,500 Avg Cost*
Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2021-2022, 3,476 people earned their degree in materials engineering, making the major the 154th most popular in the United States. In , materials engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $65,007 and had an average of $22,256 in loans still to pay off.

For this year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major” ranking, we looked at 107 colleges that offer a degree in materials engineering. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in materials engineering.

For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major” list to help you make the college decision.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major

The colleges and universities below are the best for materials engineering students.

Top 25 Most Focused Colleges for Materials Engineering

1

Out of the 107 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major that were part of this year’s ranking, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology landed the #1 spot on the list. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology is a small public school situated in Socorro, New Mexico. It awarded 15 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2021-2022.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Materials Engineering at New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

2

Out of the 107 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major that were part of this year’s ranking, California Institute of Technology landed the #2 spot on the list. Pasadena, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s materials engineering degrees to 22 students in 2021-2022.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 99%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Materials Engineering at Caltech

3
Alfred crest
Alfred University
Alfred, New York

Out of the 107 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Alfred University landed the #3 spot on the list. Alfred, New York is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s materials engineering degrees to 20 students in 2021-2022.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Materials Engineering at Alfred University

4

Out of the 107 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Michigan Technological University landed the #4 spot on the list. Michigan Technological University is located in Houghton, Michigan and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 33 ’s materials engineering degrees to qualified students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read full report on Materials Engineering at Michigan Technological University

5
Lehigh crest
Lehigh University
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lehigh University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major list. Lehigh is located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 15 ’s materials engineering degrees to qualified students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.4% 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 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on Materials Engineering at Lehigh University

6

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Troy, New York, and it awarded 33 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Materials Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

7

With a ranking of #7, Massachusetts Institute of Technology did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major list. Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 76 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 99%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full Massachusetts Institute of Technology Materials Engineering Report

8
WPI crest
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester, Massachusetts

Worcester Polytechnic Institute landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Worcester, Massachusetts, and it awarded 28 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Materials Engineering at WPI

9
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

With a ranking of #9, Stanford University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major list. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Stanford, California. It awarded 96 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 98%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Stanford Materials Engineering Report

10

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology ranked #10 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major list. This small school is located in Rapid City, South Dakota, and it awarded 13 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Materials Engineering at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology

11

Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus ranked #11 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major list. Atlanta, Georgia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s materials engineering degrees to 120 students in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus Materials Engineering Report

12
Mines crest
Colorado School of Mines
Golden, Colorado

With a ranking of #12, Colorado School of Mines did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major list. Mines is a public institution located in Golden, Colorado. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 32 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, 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%.

Full Mines Materials Engineering Report

13

Montana Technological University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major ranking. Montana Technological University is a small public school situated in Butte, Montana. It awarded 1 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.8% 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 more about Materials Engineering at Montana Tech

14
Winona State crest
Winona State University
Winona, Minnesota

Winona State University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Winona, Minnesota, and it awarded 19 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Winona State University Materials Engineering Report

15
Cornell crest
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York

Cornell University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major ranking. This large school is located in Ithaca, New York, and it awarded 66 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full Cornell Materials Engineering Report

16

University of California - Merced did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major ranking, coming in at #16. UC Merced is a medium-sized public school situated in Merced, California. It awarded 9 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.8% 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 more about Materials Engineering at University of California - Merced

17
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major ranking. Northwestern is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 66 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 99%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Northwestern University Materials Engineering Report

18
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia

With a ranking of #18, Virginia Tech did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major list. Blacksburg, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s materials engineering degrees to 79 students in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Virginia Tech Materials Engineering Report

19
Clemson crest
Clemson University
Clemson, South Carolina

Clemson University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major ranking, coming in at #19. Clemson University is a public institution located in Clemson, South Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 45 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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 Materials Engineering at Clemson University

20
Purdue crest
Purdue University - Main Campus
West Lafayette, Indiana

Purdue University - Main Campus ranked #20 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major list. Purdue is located in West Lafayette, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 114 ’s materials engineering degrees to qualified students.

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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Materials Engineering at Purdue University - Main Campus

21

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major ranking. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a large school located in Ann Arbor, Michigan that handed out 74 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2021-2022.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full U-M Materials Engineering Report

22

The University of Tennessee - Knoxville ranked #22 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major list. Located in Knoxville, Tennessee, this large public school handed out 48 diplomas to qualified ’s materials engineering students in 2021-2022.

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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UT Knoxville Materials Engineering Report

23
Drexel crest
Drexel University
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Drexel University ranked #23 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major list. Drexel University is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 35 ’s materials engineering degrees to qualified students.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%.

Full Drexel Materials Engineering Report

24

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major ranking, coming in at #24. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 123 ’s materials engineering degrees to qualified students.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Materials Engineering at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

25

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo ranked #25 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major list. San Luis Obispo, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s materials engineering degrees to 48 students in 2021-2022.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Materials Engineering at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

Notes and References

References

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