2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k
14
Ranked Colleges
740
Degrees Awarded
$9,300
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 Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
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 “Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 14 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.
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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
One Size Does Not Fit All
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 Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 14 Best Value Colleges for Materials Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and it awarded 82 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $245 for Great Lakes Region Materials Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Northwestern University.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read more about Materials Engineering at Northwestern University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, this large public school handed out 119 degrees to qualified ’s materials engineering students in 2020-2021.
U-M also made our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is $2,670 for Great Lakes Region Materials Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 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%.
Full U-M Materials Engineering Report
Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Madison, Wisconsin, and it awarded 60 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
UW - Madison also took the #4 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Madison is $3,981 for Great Lakes Region Materials Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 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 full report on Materials Engineering at University of Wisconsin - Madison
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Purdue University - Main Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in West Lafayette, Indiana, this large public school handed out 97 degrees to qualified ’s materials engineering students in 2020-2021.
Purdue also took the #3 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Purdue is $5,995 for Great Lakes Region 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 more about Materials Engineering at Purdue
Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #5 spot on the list. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 109 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIUC, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $4,858 for Great Lakes Region Materials Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UIUC.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Read full report on Materials Engineering at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Ohio State University - Main Campus ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Columbus, Ohio, and it awarded 112 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Ohio State also took the #6 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Ohio State University - Main Campus is $7,068 for great lakes region 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 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%.
Full Ohio State Materials Engineering Report
Michigan Technological University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region 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.
In addition to being on our great lakes region materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k list, Michigan Tech has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Michigan Technological University is $5,520 for Great Lakes Region Materials Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Materials Engineering at Michigan Technological University
Michigan State University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. East Lansing, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s materials engineering degrees to 28 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our great lakes region materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k list, Michigan State has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $6,927 for great lakes region materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Michigan State University.
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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Michigan State University Materials Engineering Report
Case Western Reserve University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Cleveland, Ohio is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s materials engineering degrees to 20 students in 2020-2021.
Case Western also took the #8 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Case Western Reserve University is $16,063 for Great Lakes Region Materials Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Materials Engineering at Case Western
University of Cincinnati - Main Campus ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Cincinnati, Ohio, and it awarded 14 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our great lakes region materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k list, UC has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $15,061 for Great Lakes Region Materials Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UC.
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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Materials Engineering at University of Cincinnati - Main Campus
Illinois Institute of Technology landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Illinois Institute of Technology is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 12 ’s materials engineering degrees to qualified students.
Illinois Tech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois Institute of Technology is $18,515 for great lakes region materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 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 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Illinois Tech Materials Engineering Report
Wright State University - Main Campus ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Dayton, Ohio, and it awarded 17 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Wright State University - Main Campus, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $11,980 for Great Lakes Region Materials Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Wright State University - Main Campus.
Read more about Materials Engineering at Wright State University - Main Campus
University of Dayton landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Dayton is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Dayton, Ohio. It awarded 16 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
UDayton not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Dayton is $19,334 for great lakes region 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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Materials Engineering at University of Dayton
With a ranking of #14, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UWM is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 11 ’s materials engineering degrees to qualified students.
UWM also made our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #14. It costs about $11,973 for great lakes region materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee.
Read more about Materials Engineering at UWM
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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
- *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
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