2023 Best Value Colleges for Materials Engineering (Income $0-$30k)
86
Ranked Colleges
3,415
Degrees Awarded
$5,600
Avg Net Price*
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Materials Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 3,415 people earned their degree in materials engineering, making the major the 154th most popular in the United States. 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.
This year’s “Best Value Materials Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 86 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in materials engineering. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality materials engineering programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the materials engineering program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Materials Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Best Value Materials Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Materials Engineering (Income $0-$30k)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. Stanford is a fairly large school located in Stanford, California that handed out 73 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Stanford did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Materials Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford University is $1,233 for materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read full report on Materials Engineering at Stanford
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Northwestern University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Evanston, Illinois. It awarded 82 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Northwestern also took the #2 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $245 for materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Northwestern.
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 impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national 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 Northwestern University Materials Engineering Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. 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 59 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
MIT also made our “Best Materials Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for Massachusetts Institute of Technology is $5,193 for materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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 MIT Materials Engineering Report
Out of the 86 schools in the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Florida landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in Gainesville, Florida, and it awarded 163 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
UF also made our “Best Materials Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #7. It costs about $65 for Materials Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Florida.
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 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Materials Engineering at University of Florida
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. 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 not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Materials Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $2,670 for Materials Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend U-M.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Read more about Materials Engineering at U-M
University of Pennsylvania came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s materials engineering degrees to 58 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UPenn, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Pennsylvania is $580 for materials engineering 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. 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 95%.
Full University of Pennsylvania Materials Engineering Report
With a ranking of #7, Johns Hopkins University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Baltimore, Maryland, and it awarded 43 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Johns Hopkins also took the #8 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Johns Hopkins is $2,084 for Materials Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Materials Engineering at Johns Hopkins
Cornell University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Ithaca, New York, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 81 degrees to qualified ’s materials engineering students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cornell, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $5,244 for materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Cornell.
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 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 96%.
Read full report on Materials Engineering at Cornell
University of Wisconsin - Madison ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Materials Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Wisconsin - Madison is a large school located in Madison, Wisconsin that handed out 60 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k list, UW - Madison has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UW - Madison is $3,981 for Materials Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. 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%.
Read more about Materials Engineering at University of Wisconsin - Madison
Purdue University - Main Campus ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Materials Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Purdue University - Main Campus is located in West Lafayette, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 97 ’s materials engineering degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k list, Purdue has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Purdue University - Main Campus is $5,995 for Materials Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. 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%.
Read full report on Materials Engineering at Purdue University - Main Campus
With a ranking of #11, Washington University in St Louis did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Washington University in St Louis is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Louis, Missouri. It awarded 13 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k list, WUSTL has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Washington University in St Louis is $1,556 for Materials Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read more about Materials Engineering at WUSTL
With a ranking of #12, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 109 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UIUC also made our “Best Materials Engineering Schools” list, coming in at #13. It costs about $4,858 for Materials Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, 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.
Read full report on Materials Engineering at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
With a ranking of #13, University of California - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. UCLA is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 76 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
UCLA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Materials Engineering Schools” list. It costs about $9,037 for materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UCLA.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of California - Los Angeles Materials Engineering Report
With a ranking of #14, Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Georgia Tech is a large school located in Atlanta, Georgia that handed out 114 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Georgia Tech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Materials Engineering Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Georgia Tech is $8,818 for materials engineering 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Full Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus Materials Engineering Report
Ohio State University - Main Campus came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Ohio State University - Main Campus is a public institution located in Columbus, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 112 ’s 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 Materials Engineering Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Ohio State University - Main Campus is $7,068 for Materials Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 3.6% 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 more about Materials Engineering at Ohio State
North Carolina State University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Materials Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. North Carolina State University is a public institution located in Raleigh, North Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 60 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $7,283 for Materials Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend NC State.
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 2.0% 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 NC State
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UMN Twin Cities is a large public school situated in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It awarded 59 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for UMN Twin Cities is $7,698 for materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, 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 Materials Engineering at UMN Twin Cities
University of Maryland - College Park did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #18. UMCP is a large public school situated in College Park, Maryland. It awarded 46 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $6,067 for Materials Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Maryland - College Park.
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 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Materials Engineering at UMCP
University of Virginia - Main Campus landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Charlottesville, Virginia, this large public school handed out 18 diplomas to qualified ’s materials engineering students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Virginia, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $12,476 for Materials Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Virginia.
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 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Virginia - Main Campus Materials Engineering Report
University of California - San Diego landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UCSD is located in La Jolla, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 72 ’s materials engineering 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 Materials Engineering Schools” ranking. It costs about $9,823 for materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - San Diego.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Materials Engineering at UCSD
University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #21. UW Seattle is a large school located in Seattle, Washington that handed out 92 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Washington - Seattle Campus is $5,194 for materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national 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 Materials Engineering at UW Seattle
Arizona State University - Tempe came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Arizona State University - Tempe is a public institution located in Tempe, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 92 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend Arizona State University - Tempe is $8,969 for Materials Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
Full Arizona State University - Tempe Materials Engineering Report
With a ranking of #23, Michigan Technological University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Michigan Tech is a medium-sized school located in Houghton, Michigan that handed out 36 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $5,520 for materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Michigan Tech.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Materials Engineering at Michigan Tech
Virginia Tech did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #24. Virginia Tech is located in Blacksburg, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 85 ’s materials engineering degrees to qualified students.
Virginia Tech did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Materials Engineering Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Virginia Tech is $11,934 for Materials Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Materials Engineering at Virginia Tech
University of California - Irvine landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UC Irvine is located in Irvine, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 59 ’s materials engineering degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend UC Irvine is $6,540 for materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, 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 94%.
Full University of California - Irvine Materials Engineering Report
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