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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Materials Engineering (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region

12 Ranked Colleges
450 Degrees Awarded
$67,850 Avg Salary
Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor's in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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 the Great Lakes region, there were 781 materials engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $67,850 and $23,267 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 450 materials engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking analyzed 12 colleges that offered a degree in materials engineering. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent materials engineering programs, but they also cost less that 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

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 for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region bachelor’s degree materials engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

Top 12 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Materials Engineering (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Northwestern is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Evanston, Illinois. It awarded 14 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Northwestern also made our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #1. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern is $6,452 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree materials engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 0.8% 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%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Northwestern University Materials Engineering Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a large public school situated in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It awarded 47 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree materials engineering students whose families make $48-$75k list, U-M has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is $10,028 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree materials engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Materials Engineering at U-M

#3

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Purdue University - Main Campus. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k. Located in West Lafayette, Indiana, this large public school awarded 64 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s materials engineering students in 2019-2020.

Purdue did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Purdue is $9,654 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree materials engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Materials Engineering at Purdue University - Main Campus

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #4 spot on the list. UW - Madison is a large public school situated in Madison, Wisconsin. It awarded 50 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - Madison did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison is $13,227 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree materials engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 0.8% 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 UW - Madison

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school handed out 87 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s materials engineering students in 2019-2020.

UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UIUC is $13,351 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Materials Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Materials Engineering at UIUC

Michigan Technological University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Michigan Technological University is a public institution located in Houghton, Michigan. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 30 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Michigan Tech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Michigan Tech is $13,720 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Materials Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Materials Engineering at Michigan Technological University

With a ranking of #7, Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Ohio State University - Main Campus is a large school located in Columbus, Ohio that handed out 72 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Ohio State also made our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #7. The estimated yearly cost for Ohio State is $13,982 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Materials Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Materials Engineering at Ohio State University - Main Campus

#9 in overall quality

Case Western Reserve University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Case Western Reserve University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Cleveland, Ohio. It awarded 15 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Case Western not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $22,236 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Materials Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Case Western Reserve University.

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 low 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 more about Materials Engineering at Case Western

#9

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan

Michigan State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. East Lansing, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s materials engineering degrees to 30 students in 2019-2020.

Michigan State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Michigan State University is $20,696 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Materials Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The low student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%.

Read more about Materials Engineering at Michigan State

#10

University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Milwaukee, Wisconsin is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s materials engineering degrees to 16 students in 2019-2020.

UWM did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $17,881 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Materials Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee.

Full University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Materials Engineering Report

#12 in overall quality

Wright State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #11. Wright State University - Main Campus is located in Dayton, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees to qualified students.

Wright State University - Main Campus also made our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #12. The yearly cost to attend Wright State University - Main Campus is $16,908 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Materials Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Materials Engineering at Wright State University - Main Campus

#11 in overall quality

Illinois Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #12. Illinois Tech is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 5 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois Tech also took the #11 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $22,542 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree materials engineering students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Illinois Institute of Technology.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, 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 87%.

Full Illinois Tech Materials Engineering Report

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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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