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2023 Best Value Colleges for Materials Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in the Far Western US Region

15 Ranked Colleges
662 Degrees Awarded
$10,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking - to help you make that 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 Far Western US region, there were 662 materials engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $63,013 and $18,338 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 15 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.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the materials engineering program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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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 “Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k” list to help you make the college decision.

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. 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 Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 15 Best Value Colleges for Materials Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in the Far Western US Region

1
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

Out of the 15 schools in the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #1 spot on the list. Stanford, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s materials engineering degrees to 73 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Stanford, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $1,581 for Far Western US Region Materials Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Stanford.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Stanford University Materials Engineering Report

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s materials engineering degrees to 76 students in 2020-2021.

UCLA also took the #2 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Los Angeles is $9,891 for far western us region materials engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 more about Materials Engineering at UCLA

3

Out of the 15 schools in the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Seattle, Washington, this large public school handed out 92 degrees to qualified ’s materials engineering students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW Seattle, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $6,399 for far western us region materials engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.

Read full report on Materials Engineering at University of Washington - Seattle Campus

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - San Diego. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. 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 #3 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - San Diego is $11,176 for Far Western US Region Materials Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 1.0% 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%.

Full University of California - San Diego Materials Engineering Report

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Irvine. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Irvine, California, this large public school awarded 59 diplomas to qualified ’s materials engineering students in 2020-2021.

UC Irvine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $8,449 for far western us region materials engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of California - Irvine.

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 UC Irvine Materials Engineering Report

6

University of California - Davis ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Davis, California, this large public school awarded 53 degrees to qualified ’s materials engineering students in 2020-2021.

UC Davis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $11,598 for far western us region materials engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UC Davis Materials Engineering Report

7
Wazzu crest
Washington State University
Pullman, Washington

Washington State University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Washington State University is a large school located in Pullman, Washington that handed out 43 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our far western us region materials engineering students whose families make $30-$48k list, Wazzu has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Wazzu is $8,719 for far western us region materials engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 full report on Materials Engineering at Washington State University

8
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

With a ranking of #8, University of Southern California did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. USC is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 34 ’s materials engineering degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at USC, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $17,345 for far western us region materials engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend USC.

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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full USC Materials Engineering Report

9

With a ranking of #9, California State University - Northridge did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Northridge, California, this large public school awarded 10 degrees to qualified ’s materials engineering students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSUN, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $7,103 for Far Western US Region Materials Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend CSUN.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Materials Engineering at CSUN

10

University of California - Riverside ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. UCR is a large public school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 22 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCR, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCR is $8,193 for far western us region materials engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Materials Engineering at UCR

11

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in San Luis Obispo, California, this large public school awarded 41 degrees to qualified ’s materials engineering students in 2020-2021.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is $13,194 for Far Western US Region Materials Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Materials Engineering at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

12
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

San Jose State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #12. This large school is located in San Jose, California, and it awarded 19 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our far western us region materials engineering students whose families make $30-$48k list, San Jose State has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State University is $13,378 for far western us region materials engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full San Jose State University Materials Engineering Report

13

University of Nevada - Reno came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Nevada - Reno is located in Reno, Nevada and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 16 ’s materials engineering degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UNR, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Nevada - Reno is $12,399 for Far Western US Region Materials Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Materials Engineering at UNR

14

Portland State University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in Portland, Oregon, and it awarded 14 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Portland State University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Portland State University is $11,059 for far western us region materials engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.7% 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%.

Full Portland State University Materials Engineering Report

15

University of California - Merced landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Merced, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s materials engineering degrees to 20 students in 2020-2021.

UC Merced also made our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #14. It costs about $11,400 for Far Western US Region Materials Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of California - Merced.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of California - Merced Materials Engineering Report

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