2023 Best Value Colleges for General Materials Engineering (Income $0-$30k)
86
Ranked Colleges
3,415
Degrees Awarded
$5,600
Avg Net Price*
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Materials Processing and Manufacturing Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2020-2021, 3,415 people earned their degree in general materials engineering, making the major the 199th most popular in the United States.
This year’s “Best Value Materials Processing and Manufacturing Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 86 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general materials engineering. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great general materials engineering programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the general materials engineering program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
More Ways to Rank General Materials Engineering Schools
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 “Best Value Materials Processing and Manufacturing Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. 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.
Best Value Materials Processing and Manufacturing Schools For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for materials processing and manufacturing students whose families make $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for General Materials Engineering (Income $0-$30k)
Out of the 86 schools in the Best Value Materials Processing and Manufacturing Schools For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #1 spot on the list. Stanford is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 73 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Stanford also made our “Best General Materials Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford University is $1,233 for Materials Processing and Manufacturing students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on General Materials Engineering at Stanford
Out of the 86 schools in the Best Value Materials Processing and Manufacturing Schools For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #2 spot on the list. Evanston, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s materials processing and manufacturing degrees to 82 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northwestern, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best General Materials Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern is $245 for materials processing and manufacturing students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 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 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General Materials Engineering at Northwestern University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Materials Processing and Manufacturing Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a fairly large school located in Cambridge, Massachusetts that handed out 59 ’s materials processing and manufacturing degrees in 2020-2021.
MIT also took the #1 spot in our “Best General Materials Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $5,193 for Materials Processing and Manufacturing students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend MIT.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Massachusetts Institute of Technology General Materials Engineering Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Florida. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Materials Processing and Manufacturing Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. University of Florida is located in Gainesville, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 163 ’s materials processing and manufacturing degrees to qualified students.
UF also made our “Best General Materials Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #7. The estimated yearly cost for University of Florida is $65 for materials processing and manufacturing students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 97%.
Read full report on General Materials Engineering at UF
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Materials Processing and Manufacturing Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a large public school situated in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It awarded 119 ’s materials processing and manufacturing degrees in 2020-2021.
U-M not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best General Materials Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is $2,670 for Materials Processing and Manufacturing students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, 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 96%.
Read more about General Materials Engineering at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
With a ranking of #6, University of Pennsylvania did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Materials Processing and Manufacturing Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. UPenn is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 58 ’s materials processing and manufacturing degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our materials processing and manufacturing students whose families make $0-$30k list, UPenn has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best General Materials Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UPenn is $580 for Materials Processing and Manufacturing students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. 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. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on General Materials Engineering at UPenn
Johns Hopkins University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Materials Processing and Manufacturing Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. This large school is located in Baltimore, Maryland, and it awarded 43 ’s materials processing and manufacturing degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our materials processing and manufacturing students whose families make $0-$30k list, Johns Hopkins has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best General Materials Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Johns Hopkins University is $2,084 for materials processing and manufacturing students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national 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. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about General Materials Engineering at Johns Hopkins University
Cornell University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Materials Processing and Manufacturing Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Cornell is a large school located in Ithaca, New York that handed out 81 ’s materials processing and manufacturing degrees in 2020-2021.
Cornell did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best General Materials Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $5,244 for Materials Processing and Manufacturing students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Cornell University.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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%.
Read more about General Materials Engineering at Cornell
University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Materials Processing and Manufacturing Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, this large public school handed out 60 diplomas to qualified ’s materials processing and manufacturing students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our materials processing and manufacturing students whose families make $0-$30k list, UW - Madison has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best General Materials Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UW - Madison is $3,981 for Materials Processing and Manufacturing students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on General Materials Engineering at UW - Madison
Purdue University - Main Campus ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Materials Processing and Manufacturing Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Purdue University - Main Campus is a public institution located in West Lafayette, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 97 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Purdue, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best General Materials Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Purdue University - Main Campus is $5,995 for materials processing and manufacturing students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on General Materials Engineering at Purdue
With a ranking of #11, Washington University in St Louis did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Materials Processing and Manufacturing Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Washington University in St Louis is a fairly large school located in Saint Louis, Missouri that handed out 13 ’s materials processing and manufacturing degrees in 2020-2021.
WUSTL also took the #14 spot in our “Best General Materials Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Washington University in St Louis is $1,556 for materials processing and manufacturing students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on General Materials Engineering at WUSTL
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Best Value Materials Processing and Manufacturing Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UIUC is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 109 ’s materials processing and manufacturing degrees in 2020-2021.
UIUC also took the #13 spot in our “Best General Materials Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $4,858 for Materials Processing and Manufacturing students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UIUC.
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 2.3% 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 UIUC General Materials Engineering Report
University of California - Los Angeles landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Value Materials Processing and Manufacturing Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s materials processing and manufacturing degrees to 76 students in 2020-2021.
UCLA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best General Materials Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $9,037 for materials processing and manufacturing students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Los Angeles.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General Materials Engineering at University of California - Los Angeles
Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Materials Processing and Manufacturing Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Georgia Tech is a large public school situated in Atlanta, Georgia. It awarded 114 ’s materials processing and manufacturing degrees in 2020-2021.
Georgia Tech did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best General Materials Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $8,818 for materials processing and manufacturing students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Georgia Tech.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, 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.
Read more about General Materials Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus
With a ranking of #15, Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Materials Processing and Manufacturing Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Ohio State University - Main Campus is a large public school situated in Columbus, Ohio. It awarded 112 ’s materials processing and manufacturing degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Ohio State, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best General Materials Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $7,068 for Materials Processing and Manufacturing students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Ohio State University - Main Campus.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Ohio State University - Main Campus General Materials Engineering Report
With a ranking of #16, North Carolina State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Materials Processing and Manufacturing Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Raleigh, North Carolina, this large public school awarded 60 degrees to qualified ’s materials processing and manufacturing students in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend NC State is $7,283 for Materials Processing and Manufacturing students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General Materials Engineering at NC State
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Materials Processing and Manufacturing Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #17. UMN Twin Cities is a large school located in Minneapolis, Minnesota that handed out 59 ’s materials processing and manufacturing degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for UMN Twin Cities is $7,698 for Materials Processing and Manufacturing students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on General Materials Engineering at UMN Twin Cities
University of Maryland - College Park ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Materials Processing and Manufacturing Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Maryland - College Park is a public institution located in College Park, Maryland. The school has a large population, and it awarded 46 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Maryland - College Park is $6,067 for Materials Processing and Manufacturing students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full UMCP General Materials Engineering Report
University of Virginia - Main Campus came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Materials Processing and Manufacturing Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Charlottesville, Virginia, and it awarded 18 ’s materials processing and manufacturing degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Virginia also took the #20 spot in our “Best General Materials Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Virginia is $12,476 for materials processing and manufacturing students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Materials Engineering at University of Virginia - Main Campus
University of California - San Diego came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Materials Processing and Manufacturing Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of California - San Diego is located in La Jolla, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 72 ’s materials processing and manufacturing degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSD, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best General Materials Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $9,823 for Materials Processing and Manufacturing students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - San Diego.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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 full report on General Materials Engineering at University of California - San Diego
University of Washington - Seattle Campus ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Materials Processing and Manufacturing Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a public institution located in Seattle, Washington. The school has a large population, and it awarded 92 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $5,194 for Materials Processing and Manufacturing students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% 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 UW Seattle General Materials Engineering Report
Arizona State University - Tempe did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Materials Processing and Manufacturing Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #22. Arizona State University - Tempe is located in Tempe, Arizona and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 92 ’s materials processing and manufacturing degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend ASU - Tempe is $8,969 for materials processing and manufacturing students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Read more about General Materials Engineering at Arizona State University - Tempe
With a ranking of #23, Michigan Technological University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Materials Processing and Manufacturing Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Michigan Technological University is located in Houghton, Michigan and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 36 ’s materials processing and manufacturing degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $5,520 for materials processing and manufacturing students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Michigan Tech.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Materials Engineering at Michigan Tech
Virginia Tech came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Materials Processing and Manufacturing Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Blacksburg, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s materials processing and manufacturing degrees to 85 students in 2020-2021.
Virginia Tech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best General Materials Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $11,934 for Materials Processing and Manufacturing students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Virginia Tech.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.2% 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 Virginia Tech General Materials Engineering Report
University of California - Irvine came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Materials Processing and Manufacturing Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Irvine, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s materials processing and manufacturing degrees to 59 students in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for UC Irvine is $6,540 for Materials Processing and Manufacturing students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on General Materials Engineering at UC Irvine
college factual
