by our College Data Analytics Team
[Materials Engineering](/majors/engineering/materials-engineering/) graduates earn very different salaries depending on where they study. The highest-paying schools turn a materials engineering degree into the strongest early-career earnings.
College Factual analyzed 5 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the highest-paying materials engineering schools.
What’s on this page:
Below are the schools whose materials engineering graduates go on to earn the most.
Leading the list is Cornell University, our #1 for materials engineering graduate salaries in the Middle Atlantic Region. Cornell University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Ithaca. Students who complete the materials engineering program here go on to a median salary of roughly $107,760.
University Of Pennsylvania produces some of the highest-paid graduates in materials engineering, landing the #2 spot this year. University Of Pennsylvania is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Philadelphia. Materials Engineering graduates of University Of Pennsylvania earn a median of about $98,625 a year early in their careers.
Drexel University came in at #3 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying materials engineering schools. Drexel University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Philadelphia. After graduating, materials engineering degree recipients from Drexel University typically earn about $99,089 annually.
Lehigh University produces some of the highest-paid graduates in materials engineering, landing the #4 spot this year. Lehigh University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Bethlehem. Early-career materials engineering graduates from Lehigh University make a median of around $74,971 per year.
Strong graduate earnings at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute earned it the #5 place for materials engineering. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Troy. Materials Engineering graduates of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute earn a median of about $84,117 a year early in their careers.
This list is compiled by College Factual, 2026 edition. The methodology measures the salaries materials engineering graduates go on to earn early in their careers, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).
Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 5 schools evaluated.
*Salary figures reflect median early-career earnings (about 5 years after graduation) and may vary by how long a person takes to complete their degree.
More about our data sources and methodologies.