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2023 Most Focused Colleges for Materials Engineering

107 Ranked Colleges
3,415 Degrees Awarded
$34,500 Avg Cost*
Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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.

For this year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major” ranking, we looked at 107 colleges that offer a degree in materials engineering. That schools that top this list have a program in materials engineering in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Materials Engineering Schools

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major

The colleges and universities below are the best for materials engineering students.

Top 25 Most Focused Colleges for Materials Engineering

1

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major list. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology is a small school located in Socorro, New Mexico that handed out 19 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about Materials Engineering at New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Institute of Technology. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major list. Located in Pasadena, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 17 degrees to qualified ’s materials engineering students in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Materials Engineering at Caltech

3
Alfred crest
Alfred University
Alfred, New York

Out of the 107 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Alfred University landed the #3 spot on the list. This small school is located in Alfred, New York, and it awarded 12 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Alfred University Materials Engineering Report

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Michigan Technological University. The school came in at #4 for the Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major. Houghton, Michigan is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s materials engineering degrees to 36 students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, 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.

Full Michigan Tech Materials Engineering Report

5
Lehigh crest
Lehigh University
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Out of the 107 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Lehigh University landed the #5 spot on the list. Bethlehem, Pennsylvania is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s materials engineering degrees to 38 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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 Lehigh University Materials Engineering Report

6

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major ranking. Located in Troy, New York, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 37 degrees to qualified ’s materials engineering students in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Materials Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

7
MIT crest
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, Massachusetts

Massachusetts Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major ranking, coming in at #7. Cambridge, Massachusetts is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s materials engineering degrees to 59 students in 2020-2021.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 98%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Massachusetts Institute of Technology Materials Engineering Report

8
WPI crest
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester, Massachusetts

Worcester Polytechnic Institute ranked #8 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major list. Worcester Polytechnic Institute is a medium-sized school located in Worcester, Massachusetts that handed out 31 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, 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 95%.

Read full report on Materials Engineering at WPI

9
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

With a ranking of #9, Stanford University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major list. Stanford University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Stanford, California. It awarded 73 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Materials Engineering at Stanford University

10

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major ranking. SD Mines is located in Rapid City, South Dakota and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 7 ’s materials engineering degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Materials Engineering at SD Mines

11

Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major ranking, coming in at #11. This large school is located in Atlanta, Georgia, and it awarded 114 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Materials Engineering at Georgia Tech

12
Mines crest
Colorado School of Mines
Golden, Colorado

Colorado School of Mines ranked #12 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major list. Colorado School of Mines is a medium-sized school located in Golden, Colorado that handed out 20 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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 full report on Materials Engineering at Colorado School of Mines

13

With a ranking of #13, Montana Technological University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major list. Montana Tech is located in Butte, Montana and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4 ’s materials engineering degrees to qualified students.

Read more about Materials Engineering at Montana Technological University

14
Winona State crest
Winona State University
Winona, Minnesota

Winona State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major ranking, coming in at #14. Winona State University is a medium-sized public school situated in Winona, Minnesota. It awarded 20 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%.

Full Winona State University Materials Engineering Report

15
Cornell crest
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York

Cornell University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major ranking. Located in Ithaca, New York, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 81 diplomas to qualified ’s materials engineering students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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.

Full Cornell Materials Engineering Report

16

University of California - Merced landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major ranking. UC Merced is a medium-sized school located in Merced, California that handed out 20 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

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

Read more about Materials Engineering at UC Merced

17
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major ranking. Northwestern University is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 82 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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%.

Read full report on Materials Engineering at Northwestern

18
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia

Virginia Tech landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major ranking. Blacksburg, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s materials engineering degrees to 85 students in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Virginia Tech Materials Engineering Report

19
Clemson crest
Clemson University
Clemson, South Carolina

Clemson University ranked #19 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major list. This large school is located in Clemson, South Carolina, and it awarded 59 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%.

Full Clemson University Materials Engineering Report

20
Purdue crest
Purdue University - Main Campus
West Lafayette, Indiana

Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major ranking. Located in West Lafayette, Indiana, this large public school handed out 97 diplomas to qualified ’s materials engineering students in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Materials Engineering at Purdue

21

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major ranking. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a large public school situated in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It awarded 119 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Full University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Materials Engineering Report

22

The University of Tennessee - Knoxville landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major ranking. The University of Tennessee - Knoxville is a large public school situated in Knoxville, Tennessee. It awarded 57 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

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 undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Materials Engineering at The University of Tennessee - Knoxville

23
Drexel crest
Drexel University
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

With a ranking of #23, Drexel University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major list. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s materials engineering degrees to 49 students in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Materials Engineering at Drexel

24

With a ranking of #24, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major list. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 109 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Materials Engineering at UIUC

25

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo ranked #25 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major list. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is located in San Luis Obispo, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 41 ’s materials engineering degrees to qualified students.

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 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

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