College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2023 Best Value Colleges for Materials Engineering in California (With Aid)

11 Ranked Colleges
497 Degrees Awarded
$15,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in California 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 in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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

This year’s “Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 11 colleges that offered a degree in materials engineering. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great materials engineering programs and 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Materials Engineering Rankings Other Ranking Categories

The materials engineering school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Getting Aid”.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique 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 in California For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Getting Aid.

Top 11 Best Value Colleges for Materials Engineering in California (With Aid)

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 Getting Aid. Stanford is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 73 ’s 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 estimated yearly cost for Stanford University is $12,894 for California Materials Engineering students with aid.

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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Stanford Materials Engineering Report

2

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #2 spot on the list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s materials engineering degrees to 76 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california materials engineering students with aid list, UCLA has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Los Angeles is $15,023 for california materials engineering students with aid.

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 Getting Aid list. Located in La Jolla, California, this large public school handed out 72 degrees to qualified ’s materials engineering students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california materials engineering students with aid list, UCSD has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - San Diego is $15,240 for California Materials Engineering students with aid.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Materials Engineering at UCSD

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Irvine. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Getting Aid. 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 not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Irvine is $12,209 for California Materials Engineering students with aid.

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 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Materials Engineering at UC Irvine

5

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Davis landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Davis, California, this large public school handed out 53 diplomas to qualified ’s materials engineering students in 2020-2021.

UC Davis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $15,768 for california materials engineering students with aid.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full UC Davis Materials Engineering Report

6

California State University - Northridge ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Northridge is a large public school situated in Northridge, California. It awarded 10 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

CSUN also took the #11 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend CSUN is $8,523 for California Materials Engineering students with aid.

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

7
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

With a ranking of #7, San Jose State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in San Jose, California, and it awarded 19 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california materials engineering students with aid list, San Jose State has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend San Jose State is $16,542 for california materials engineering students with aid.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Materials Engineering at San Jose State University

8

With a ranking of #8, University of California - Riverside did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. UCR is located in Riverside, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 22 ’s materials engineering degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california materials engineering students with aid list, UCR has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $11,822 for california materials engineering students with aid per year to attend University of California - Riverside.

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

Full UCR Materials Engineering Report

9

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in San Luis Obispo, California, and it awarded 41 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also made our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #7. It costs about $20,677 for California Materials Engineering students with aid per year to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

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 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Materials Engineering at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

10

University of California - Merced did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #10. University of California - Merced is located in Merced, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 20 ’s materials engineering degrees to qualified students.

UC Merced also made our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #10. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Merced is $13,691 for California Materials Engineering students with aid.

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

Full University of California - Merced Materials Engineering Report

11
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. USC is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 34 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

USC also took the #4 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $32,569 for california materials engineering students with aid per year to attend University of Southern California.

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%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. 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 University of Southern California Materials Engineering Report

Switch to a Similar Major

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

Credits

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options