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2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k

11 Ranked Colleges
497 Degrees Awarded
$10,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k

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 in California For Those Making $30-$48k” 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.

Across California, there were 497 materials engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $59,066 and $15,554 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 11 colleges that offer 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools 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 California For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for california materials engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 11 Best Value Colleges for Materials Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in California

1
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

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 in California For Those Making $30-$48k. This fairly large school is located in Stanford, California, and it awarded 73 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Stanford did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Stanford University is $1,581 for california materials engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Materials Engineering at Stanford

2

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #2 spot on the list. University of California - Los Angeles 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 #2 on our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Los Angeles is $9,891 for california materials engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Read more about Materials Engineering at UCLA

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - San Diego. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. UCSD is a public institution located in La Jolla, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 72 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UCSD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UCSD is $11,176 for California 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 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%.

Read full report on Materials Engineering at UCSD

4

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Irvine landed the #4 spot on the list. University of California - Irvine is a large school located in Irvine, California that handed out 59 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Irvine also made our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $8,449 for california materials engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of California - Irvine.

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 1.4% 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%.

Read full report on Materials Engineering at University of California - Irvine

5

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Davis landed the #5 spot on the list. University of California - Davis is a large school located in Davis, California that handed out 53 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Davis also took the #6 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $11,598 for California Materials Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Materials Engineering at University of California - Davis

6
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. 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 California” ranking. It costs about $17,345 for california materials engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Southern California.

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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The low undergrad 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%.

Read full report on Materials Engineering at USC

7

California State University - Northridge did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #7. CSUN is located in Northridge, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 10 ’s materials engineering degrees to qualified students.

CSUN not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend CSUN is $7,103 for california materials engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low undergrad 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%.

Read more about Materials Engineering at California State University - Northridge

8

University of California - Riverside came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of California - Riverside is a public institution located in Riverside, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 22 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UCR not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in California” list. It costs about $8,193 for California Materials Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of California - Riverside.

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 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 California - Riverside

9

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. San Luis Obispo, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s materials engineering degrees to 41 students in 2020-2021.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is $13,194 for California Materials Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Full California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo Materials Engineering Report

10
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

San Jose State University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. San Jose State University is a public institution located in San Jose, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 19 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at San Jose State, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State University is $13,378 for California Materials Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Materials Engineering at San Jose State

11

University of California - Merced ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Merced, California, this medium-sized public school handed out 20 diplomas to qualified ’s materials engineering students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california materials engineering students whose families make $30-$48k list, UC Merced has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Merced is $11,400 for California Materials Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.

Read more about Materials Engineering at University of California - Merced

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