2023 Best Value Colleges for Materials Engineering (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region
14
Ranked Colleges
740
Degrees Awarded
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
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 $48-$75k” 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
More Ways to Rank Materials Engineering Schools
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 $48-$75k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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 the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k
The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region materials engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.
Top 14 Best Value Colleges for Materials Engineering (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region
Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Evanston, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 82 diplomas to qualified ’s materials engineering students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our great lakes region materials engineering students whose families make $48-$75k 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 $5,849 for Great Lakes Region Materials Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Northwestern University Materials Engineering Report
Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #2 spot on the list. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 119 ’s materials engineering degrees to qualified students.
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. It costs about $10,481 for great lakes region materials engineering students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor.
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 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Materials Engineering at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
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 in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k. This large school is located in West Lafayette, Indiana, and it awarded 97 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Purdue not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $8,450 for Great Lakes Region Materials Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Purdue University - Main Campus.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, 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 93%.
Full Purdue University - Main Campus Materials Engineering Report
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 $48-$75k list. UW - Madison is a public institution located in Madison, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 60 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Madison, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $10,364 for Great Lakes Region Materials Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison.
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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
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 $48-$75k list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 109 ’s materials engineering degrees to qualified students.
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. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $11,505 for Great Lakes Region Materials Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.
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 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Materials Engineering at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Ohio State University - Main Campus landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Columbus, Ohio, this large public school awarded 112 diplomas to qualified ’s materials engineering students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our great lakes region materials engineering students whose families make $48-$75k list, Ohio State has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $13,273 for Great Lakes Region Materials Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Ohio State.
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 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 full report on Materials Engineering at Ohio State University - Main Campus
Michigan Technological University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Houghton, Michigan, this medium-sized public school handed out 36 degrees to qualified ’s materials engineering students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Michigan Tech, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Michigan Tech is $11,794 for great lakes region materials engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Full Michigan Technological University Materials Engineering Report
Case Western Reserve University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 20 diplomas to qualified ’s materials engineering 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 $19,864 for great lakes region materials engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Materials Engineering at Case Western
Michigan State University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Michigan State is a public institution located in East Lansing, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 28 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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 $20,557 for great lakes region materials engineering students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Michigan State University.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, 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.
Full Michigan State Materials Engineering Report
University of Dayton did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #10. UDayton is a fairly large school located in Dayton, Ohio that handed out 16 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
UDayton also made our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #7. The estimated yearly cost for UDayton is $25,633 for Great Lakes Region 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 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 more about Materials Engineering at UDayton
University of Cincinnati - Main Campus ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Cincinnati, Ohio, this large public school handed out 14 diplomas to qualified ’s materials engineering students in 2020-2021.
UC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $20,867 for great lakes region materials engineering students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UC.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.
Read more about Materials Engineering at UC
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 $48-$75k ranking. Wright State University - Main Campus is a fairly large school located in Dayton, Ohio that handed out 17 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Wright State University - Main Campus not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Wright State University - Main Campus is $16,871 for Great Lakes Region Materials Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.
Full Wright State University - Main Campus Materials Engineering Report
Illinois Institute of Technology ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. 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.
In addition to being on our great lakes region materials engineering students whose families make $48-$75k list, Illinois Tech has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois Institute of Technology is $22,339 for great lakes region materials engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% 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%. 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.
Read more about Materials Engineering at Illinois Tech
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #14. 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 $48-$75k list, UWM has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UWM is $17,606 for great lakes region materials engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.
Full UWM Materials Engineering Report
Focus on a Specific Degree Level
Switch to a More General Major
Switch to a Similar Major
Switch to a More Focused Major
Switch to a Different Ranking Method
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
college factual
