2027 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region
[Materials Engineering](/majors/engineering/materials-engineering/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
For its 2027 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 5 schools to find the best return on investment for materials engineering students.
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2027 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in materials engineering, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Materials Engineering Schools
For return on investment in materials engineering, no school beat Metropolitan State College Of Denver this year. Located in the city of Denver, Metropolitan State College Of Denver is a very large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $11,124, compared with $30,684 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $27,484 to complete the materials engineering program here. Materials Engineering graduates of Metropolitan State College Of Denver earn a median of $44,861 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $27,484 median debt. Metropolitan State College Of Denver admits about 99% of applicants.
University Of Utah came in at #2 on our 2027 list of the best value materials engineering schools. Set in the city of Salt Lake City, University Of Utah is a very large public institution. In-state tuition and fees average $9,620, while out-of-state students pay about $30,860. Students borrow a median of $20,798 to complete the materials engineering program here. Materials Engineering graduates of University Of Utah earn a median of $60,527 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $20,798 median debt. The acceptance rate is 86%.
A rank of #3 makes Boise State University one of the best values for materials engineering. Located in the city of Boise, Boise State University is a very large public university. In-state tuition and fees average $9,048, while out-of-state students pay about $27,788. Typical student debt for materials engineering graduates is $25,000. Soon after graduation, materials engineering degree recipients from Boise State University generally make around $49,059. That is a strong return on a $25,000 median debt. Boise State University admits about 87% of applicants.
University Of Colorado Boulder came in at #4 on our 2027 list of the best value materials engineering schools. Set in the city of Boulder, University Of Colorado Boulder is a very large public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $15,214, with out-of-state students paying around $42,970. Students borrow a median of $20,373 to complete the materials engineering program here. Soon after graduation, materials engineering degree recipients from University Of Colorado Boulder generally make around $55,861. That is a strong return on a $20,373 median debt. The acceptance rate is 78%.
Colorado School Of Mines came in at #5 on our 2027 list of the best value materials engineering schools. Located in the suburb of Golden, Colorado School Of Mines is a moderately-sized public university. Students from in state pay about $21,914 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $45,824. Typical student debt for materials engineering graduates is $24,521. Early-career materials engineering graduates make about $76,298. Set against $24,521 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 61%.
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 5 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 5 ranked schools only.
- 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
