2023 Best Value Colleges for Materials Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in the Great Lakes Region
14
Ranked Colleges
740
Degrees Awarded
$11,300
Avg Net Price*
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking.
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 $30-$48k” 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. 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 in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k.
Top 14 Best Value Colleges for Materials Engineering (Income $30-$48k) 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 $30-$48k. Northwestern is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 82 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our great lakes region materials engineering students whose families make $30-$48k list, Northwestern has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern is $917 for Great Lakes Region Materials Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
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. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Materials Engineering at Northwestern University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and it awarded 119 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
U-M not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is $5,670 for Great Lakes Region Materials Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
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%. 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
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Purdue University - Main Campus. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in West Lafayette, Indiana, and it awarded 97 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Purdue did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $5,853 for great lakes region materials engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Purdue.
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 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Materials Engineering at Purdue
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. UW - Madison is located in Madison, Wisconsin and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 60 ’s materials engineering degrees to qualified students.
UW - Madison also made our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $4,788 for great lakes region materials engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UW - Madison.
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%.
Read more about Materials Engineering at University of Wisconsin - Madison
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school awarded 109 diplomas to qualified ’s materials engineering students in 2020-2021.
UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $8,036 for great lakes 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 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%.
Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Materials Engineering Report
Ohio State University - Main Campus came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Columbus, Ohio, this large public school awarded 112 degrees to qualified ’s materials engineering students in 2020-2021.
Ohio State also made our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend Ohio State is $8,581 for Great Lakes 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 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Ohio State University - Main Campus Materials Engineering Report
Michigan Technological University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Michigan Tech is a public institution located in Houghton, Michigan. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 36 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Michigan Tech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $8,983 for Great Lakes Region Materials Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Michigan Technological University.
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 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Materials Engineering at Michigan Tech
With a ranking of #8, Michigan State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Michigan State is located in East Lansing, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 28 ’s materials engineering degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Michigan State, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $15,170 for great lakes region materials engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Michigan State.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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 91%.
Read more about Materials Engineering at Michigan State
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 $30-$48k ranking. Case Western Reserve University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cleveland, Ohio. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 20 ’s degrees 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 is $15,570 for great lakes region materials engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Materials Engineering at Case Western
Illinois Institute of Technology landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s materials engineering degrees to 12 students in 2020-2021.
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. It costs about $21,101 for Great Lakes Region Materials Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Illinois Institute of Technology.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 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 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Materials Engineering at Illinois Institute of Technology
University of Cincinnati - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #11. University of Cincinnati - Main Campus is a large public school situated in Cincinnati, Ohio. It awarded 14 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UC is $15,966 for great lakes region materials engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Read full report on Materials Engineering at University of Cincinnati - Main Campus
Wright State University - Main Campus landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Dayton, Ohio, and it awarded 17 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Wright State University - Main Campus did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Wright State University - Main Campus is $13,747 for Great Lakes Region Materials Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
Full Wright State University - Main Campus Materials Engineering Report
University of Dayton came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. UDayton is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Dayton, Ohio. It awarded 16 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UDayton, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Dayton is $20,992 for great lakes region materials engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full UDayton Materials Engineering Report
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 $30-$48k list. University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee is a large school located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that handed out 11 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our great lakes region materials engineering students whose families make $30-$48k list, UWM has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $13,351 for great lakes region materials engineering students whose families make $30-$48k 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.
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