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2026 Highest Paid Materials Engineering Grads in the The Plains States Region

[Materials Engineering](/majors/engineering/materials-engineering/) programs reward a close look at where graduates go on to earn the most. The schools below stand out for the salaries their materials engineering graduates go on to command.

To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 3 schools on the early-career earnings of their materials engineering graduates.

What’s on this page:

• Highest Paid Materials Engineering Grads in the The Plains States Region

2026 Highest Paid Materials Engineering Grads in the The Plains States Region

Below are the schools whose materials engineering graduates go on to earn the most.

Highest Paid Materials Engineering Graduates

1

Winona State University
Winona, MN

$83,187 Average Early-Career Salary

Winona State University tops our 2026 list of the highest-paying materials engineering schools in the The Plains States Region. Set in the town of Winona, Winona State University is a public institution. Materials Engineering graduates of Winona State University earn a median of about $83,187 a year early in their careers.

2

Iowa State University
Ames, IA

$87,838 Average Early-Career Salary

A rank of #2 makes Iowa State University one of the highest-paying schools for materials engineering. Located in the city of Ames, Iowa State University is a public institution. Early-career materials engineering graduates from Iowa State University make a median of around $87,838 per year.

3

University Of Minnesota Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN

$89,696 Average Early-Career Salary

University Of Minnesota Twin Cities came in at #3 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying materials engineering schools. Set in the city of Minneapolis, University Of Minnesota Twin Cities is a public institution. Materials Engineering graduates of University Of Minnesota Twin Cities earn a median of about $89,696 a year early in their careers.

View All Materials Engineering Rankings >

Notes and References

The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition. Schools are ranked on the median early-career earnings of their materials engineering graduates, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).

Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 3 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.

• 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.
• Graduate earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard) field-of-study earnings.

More about our data sources and methodologies.