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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Materials Engineering in the Great Lakes Region (With Aid)

12 Ranked Colleges
450 Degrees Awarded
$19,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor's in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 Getting Aid” 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.

For this year’s “Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 12 colleges that offer 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.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the materials engineering program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” 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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region bachelor’s degree materials engineering students with aid.

Top 12 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Materials Engineering in the Great Lakes Region (With Aid)

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 87 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees to qualified students.

UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $15,880 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Materials Engineering students with aid per year to attend UIUC.

The low student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read more about Materials Engineering at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

#2

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 #2 for the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid. Located in West Lafayette, Indiana, this large public school handed out 64 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s materials engineering students in 2019-2020.

Purdue also took the #5 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $13,986 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Materials Engineering students with aid per year to attend Purdue University - Main Campus.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The low student loan default rate of 2.2% 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 Purdue University - Main Campus

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, this large public school awarded 50 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s materials engineering students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree materials engineering students with aid list, UW - Madison has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison is $17,708 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Materials Engineering students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Materials Engineering at University of Wisconsin - Madison

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #4 spot on the list. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 47 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees to qualified students.

U-M also made our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $15,336 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Materials Engineering students with aid per year to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor.

The low student loan default rate of 1.2% 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 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Materials Engineering at U-M

#5

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Michigan State University landed the #5 spot on the list. Michigan State University is a large public school situated in East Lansing, Michigan. It awarded 30 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Michigan State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $19,173 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree materials engineering students with aid per year to attend Michigan State University.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Materials Engineering at Michigan State University

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 Getting Aid ranking. Michigan Tech 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 did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Michigan Technological University is $16,463 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Materials Engineering students with aid.

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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Materials Engineering at Michigan Technological University

Ohio State University - Main Campus came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Ohio State University - Main Campus is a large public school situated in Columbus, Ohio. It awarded 72 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Ohio State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $17,616 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree materials engineering students with aid per year to attend Ohio State University - Main Campus.

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 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Ohio State University - Main Campus Materials Engineering Report

University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #8. UWM is a large school located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that handed out 16 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

UWM not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UWM is $17,876 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Materials Engineering students with aid.

Read more about Materials Engineering at University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

#9

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

With a ranking of #9, Northwestern University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Evanston, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s materials engineering degrees to 14 students in 2019-2020.

Northwestern also took the #1 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern University is $24,664 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree materials engineering students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Materials Engineering at Northwestern University

#12 in overall quality

Wright State University - Main Campus ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in Dayton, Ohio, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Wright State University - Main Campus not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $16,823 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree materials engineering students with aid per year to attend Wright State University - Main Campus.

Full Wright State University - Main Campus Materials Engineering Report

#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 Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #11. Illinois Institute of Technology is a medium-sized school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 5 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois Tech did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois Institute of Technology is $22,831 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree materials engineering students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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%.

Full Illinois Institute of Technology Materials Engineering Report

#9 in overall quality

Case Western Reserve University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #12. Case Western Reserve University is a fairly large school located in Cleveland, Ohio that handed out 15 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Case Western did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Case Western is $35,428 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Materials Engineering students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Case Western Reserve University 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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