2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Materials Engineering
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
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.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,627 materials engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s” ranking looked at 53 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in materials engineering. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality materials engineering programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the materials engineering program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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More Ways to Rank Materials Engineering Schools
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” list to help you make the college decision.
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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s
The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree materials engineering students.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Materials Engineering
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Winona State University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Winona, Minnesota, this medium-sized public school awarded 18 degrees to qualified bachelors’s materials engineering students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Winona State is $17,656 for bachelor’s degree materials engineering students.
The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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%.
Out of the 53 schools in the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Iowa State University landed the #2 spot on the list. Iowa State University is a public institution located in Ames, Iowa. The school has a large population, and it awarded 55 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree materials engineering students list, Iowa State has also earned the #22 rank in our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $15,496 for bachelor’s degree materials engineering students per year to attend Iowa State.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, 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 89%.
Read full report on Materials Engineering at Iowa State University
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. Purdue University - Main Campus is a public institution located in West Lafayette, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 64 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Purdue not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $13,986 for bachelor’s degree materials engineering students per year to attend Purdue University - Main Campus.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Florida. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s list. University of Florida is located in Gainesville, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 70 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees to qualified students.
UF did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UF is $6,302 for bachelor’s degree materials engineering students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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 University of Florida
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s. UWM is a large public school situated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It awarded 16 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $17,876 for Bachelor’s Degree Materials Engineering students per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee.
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s list. California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is located in San Luis Obispo, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 38 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees to qualified students.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also took the #11 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $21,595 for Bachelor’s Degree Materials Engineering students per year to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo.
The low student loan default rate of 1.1% 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 students.
Virginia Tech came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Virginia Tech is a large school located in Blacksburg, Virginia that handed out 63 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2019-2020.
Virginia Tech also took the #15 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Virginia Tech is $21,198 for Bachelor’s Degree Materials Engineering students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Alabama at Birmingham did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #8. University of Alabama at Birmingham is a large public school situated in Birmingham, Alabama. It awarded 17 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $16,953 for bachelor’s degree materials engineering students per year to attend UAB.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus is a large school located in Atlanta, Georgia that handed out 99 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree materials engineering students list, Georgia Tech has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $14,739 for bachelor’s degree materials engineering students per year to attend Georgia Tech.
The 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
San Jose State University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. San Jose State is a public institution located in San Jose, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 22 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend San Jose State is $14,928 for Bachelor’s Degree Materials Engineering students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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.
North Carolina State University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s list. North Carolina State University is located in Raleigh, North Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 47 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend North Carolina State University is $16,458 for Bachelor’s Degree Materials Engineering students.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. This large school is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Pitt, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus is $27,938 for Bachelor’s Degree Materials Engineering students.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 3.5% 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%.
Read more about Materials Engineering at University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. This small school is located in Socorro, New Mexico, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology is $14,595 for bachelor’s degree materials engineering students.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on Materials Engineering at New Mexico Tech
Wright State University - Main Campus landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Wright State University - Main Campus is a fairly large public school situated in Dayton, Ohio. It awarded 13 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $16,823 for Bachelor’s Degree Materials Engineering students per year to attend Wright State University - Main Campus.
Full Wright State University - Main Campus Materials Engineering Report
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. UMN Twin Cities is a public institution located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school has a large population, and it awarded 50 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is $17,740 for bachelor’s degree materials engineering students.
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%.
Full University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Materials Engineering Report
Washington State University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Washington State University is a large school located in Pullman, Washington that handed out 31 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Wazzu is $16,358 for bachelor’s degree materials engineering students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of North Texas ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Denton, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s materials engineering degrees to 24 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for UNT is $15,086 for Bachelor’s Degree Materials Engineering students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Materials Engineering at University of North Texas
University of Nevada - Reno landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. University of Nevada - Reno is a public institution located in Reno, Nevada. The school has a large population, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Nevada - Reno is $15,081 for bachelor’s degree materials engineering students.
Full University of Nevada - Reno Materials Engineering Report
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #19. UIUC is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 87 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2019-2020.
UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UIUC is $15,880 for Bachelor’s Degree Materials Engineering students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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%.
Ohio State University - Main Campus ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Ohio State is a large public school situated in Columbus, Ohio. It awarded 72 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Ohio State, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Ohio State is $17,616 for bachelor’s degree materials engineering students.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Full Ohio State University - Main Campus Materials Engineering Report
University of Utah did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #21. U of U is a public institution located in Salt Lake City, Utah. The school has a large population, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $14,773 for bachelor’s degree materials engineering students per year to attend U of U.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low 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%.
With a ranking of #22, The University of Tennessee - Knoxville did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s list. The University of Tennessee - Knoxville is a large public school situated in Knoxville, Tennessee. It awarded 31 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend The University of Tennessee - Knoxville is $18,825 for bachelor’s degree materials engineering students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, 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 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Boise State University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Boise, Idaho is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s materials engineering degrees to 24 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Boise State University is $15,787 for bachelor’s degree materials engineering students.
University of Idaho came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Moscow, Idaho, this fairly large public school handed out 3 degrees to qualified bachelors’s materials engineering students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $14,132 for bachelor’s degree materials engineering students per year to attend U of I.
Arizona State University - Tempe ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s list. This large school is located in Tempe, Arizona, and it awarded 31 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend ASU - Tempe is $11,706 for Bachelor’s Degree Materials Engineering students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
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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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