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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Materials Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in California

9 Ranked Colleges
185 Degrees Awarded
$8,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making $0-$30k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 3,485 people earned their degree in materials engineering, making the major the 150th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, materials engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $63,129 and had an average of $23,918 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 482 materials engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $64,000 and $15,750 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 185 materials engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 9 colleges that offered a degree in materials engineering. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality materials engineering programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the materials engineering program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Materials Engineering Schools

The materials engineering school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k”.

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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 9 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Materials Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in California

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Stanford, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s materials engineering degrees to 8 students in 2019-2020.

Stanford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $-1,387 for California Bachelor’s Degree Materials Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Stanford University. When an average net price is negative, it usually means that the student will receive more financial aid than it costs to attend the school.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The 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 Stanford University

#2

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, California
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Institute of Technology. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Pasadena, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 5 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s materials engineering students in 2019-2020.

Caltech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California Institute of Technology is $5,456 for California Bachelor’s Degree Materials Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The school has an impressive 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 California Institute of Technology

#3

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#4 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. UCLA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 23 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

UCLA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UCLA is $8,553 for california bachelor’s degree materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Materials Engineering at UCLA

#5 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Irvine. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. University of California - Irvine is a public institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 30 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Irvine is $9,558 for California Bachelor’s Degree Materials Engineering 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 low student loan default rate of 1.3% 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 University of California - Irvine Materials Engineering Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in San Luis Obispo, California, and it awarded 38 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is $12,475 for california bachelor’s degree materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, 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 94%.

Read more about Materials Engineering at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

#8 in overall quality

University of California - Riverside ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Riverside, California, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCR, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Riverside is $8,366 for california bachelor’s degree 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 91%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UCR Materials Engineering Report

University of California - Davis ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Davis, California, this large public school awarded 38 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s materials engineering students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Davis, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $9,842 for california bachelor’s degree materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low 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%.

Read more about Materials Engineering at University of California - Davis

#8

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#6 in overall quality

San Jose State University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. San Jose, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s materials engineering degrees to 22 students in 2019-2020.

San Jose State also took the #6 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend San Jose State is $10,940 for california bachelor’s degree materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.7% 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%. 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 more about Materials Engineering at San Jose State University

#9 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, University of California - Merced did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This medium-sized school is located in Merced, California, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Merced, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $10,782 for california bachelor’s degree materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Merced.

The low student loan default rate of 2.9% 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 86%.

Read more about Materials Engineering at University of California - Merced

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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).
  • 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

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • 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

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Panoramedia.

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