2023 Best Value Colleges for Materials Sciences (With Aid)
24
Ranked Colleges
658
Degrees Awarded
$18,300
Avg Net Price*
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Materials Science Schools For Those Getting Aid” ranking - to help you make that decision.
Materials Sciences is the 265th most popular major in the country with 658 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, materials sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $64,925 and had an average of $26,966 in loans still to pay off.
This year’s “Best Value Materials Science Schools For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 24 colleges that offered a degree in materials sciences. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great materials sciences programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the materials sciences program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
More Ways to Rank Materials Sciences 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 Science Schools For Those Getting Aid” list to help you make the college decision.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Best Value Materials Science Schools For Those Getting Aid
The colleges and universities below are the best for materials science students with aid.
Top 24 Best Value Colleges for Materials Sciences (With Aid)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Materials Science Schools For Those Getting Aid. University of California - Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 74 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our materials science students with aid list, UC Berkeley has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Materials Sciences Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UC Berkeley is $16,032 for materials science students with aid.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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.
Read full report on Materials Sciences at University of California - Berkeley
Out of the 24 schools in the Best Value Materials Science Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #2 spot on the list. UCSB is a large school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 22 ’s materials science degrees in 2020-2021.
UCSB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Materials Sciences Schools” list. It costs about $16,252 for materials science students with aid per year to attend UCSB.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Materials Sciences at UCSB
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Materials Science Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Chapel Hill, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s materials science degrees to 2 students in 2020-2021.
UNC Chapel Hill did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Materials Sciences Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is $12,469 for Materials Science students with aid.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% 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%.
Full UNC Chapel Hill Materials Sciences Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Delaware. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Materials Science Schools For Those Getting Aid. University of Delaware is a public institution located in Newark, Delaware. The school has a large population, and it awarded 17 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UD not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Materials Sciences Schools” list. It costs about $18,967 for Materials Science students with aid per year to attend UD.
With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% 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%.
Read more about Materials Sciences at University of Delaware
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Riverside. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Materials Science Schools For Those Getting Aid. University of California - Riverside is a public institution located in Riverside, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 14 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UCR also made our “Best Materials Sciences Schools” list, coming in at #12. The yearly cost to attend UCR is $11,822 for materials science students with aid.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Read full report on Materials Sciences at University of California - Riverside
University of Arizona ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Materials Science Schools For Those Getting Aid list. University of Arizona is located in Tucson, Arizona and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 27 ’s materials science degrees to qualified students.
University of Arizona also took the #7 spot in our “Best Materials Sciences Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Arizona is $13,358 for materials science students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of Arizona Materials Sciences Report
Florida State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Materials Science Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #7. Florida State University is a large public school situated in Tallahassee, Florida. It awarded 5 ’s materials science degrees in 2020-2021.
Florida State also made our “Best Materials Sciences Schools” list, coming in at #15. The yearly cost to attend Florida State is $9,946 for Materials Science students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Materials Sciences at Florida State
With a ranking of #8, University of California - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Materials Science Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s materials science degrees to 14 students in 2020-2021.
UCLA also took the #8 spot in our “Best Materials Sciences Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Los Angeles is $15,023 for Materials Science students with aid.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Materials Sciences at UCLA
Michigan State University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Materials Science Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Michigan State is a large school located in East Lansing, Michigan that handed out 11 ’s materials science degrees in 2020-2021.
Michigan State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Materials Sciences Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Michigan State University is $19,058 for materials science students with aid.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, 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 91%.
Read more about Materials Sciences at Michigan State
University at Buffalo landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Materials Science Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. University at Buffalo is a large school located in Buffalo, New York that handed out 27 ’s materials science degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our materials science students with aid list, University at Buffalo has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Materials Sciences Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University at Buffalo is $19,262 for materials science students with aid.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Materials Sciences at University at Buffalo
University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Materials Science Schools For Those Getting Aid list. UW - Eau Claire is a fairly large public school situated in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. It awarded 9 ’s materials science degrees in 2020-2021.
UW - Eau Claire not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Materials Sciences Schools” list. It costs about $16,051 for materials science students with aid per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire.
Read more about Materials Sciences at UW - Eau Claire
Colorado State University - Fort Collins landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Best Value Materials Science Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Colorado State is a public institution located in Fort Collins, Colorado. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our materials science students with aid list, Colorado State has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Materials Sciences Schools” ranking. It costs about $18,679 for Materials Science students with aid per year to attend Colorado State University - Fort Collins.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The low undergrad 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%.
Read more about Materials Sciences at Colorado State University - Fort Collins
University of Georgia came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Materials Science Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. UGA is a public institution located in Athens, Georgia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our materials science students with aid list, UGA has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Materials Sciences Schools” ranking. It costs about $14,257 for materials science students with aid per year to attend University of Georgia.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% 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 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Materials Sciences at UGA
Northern Arizona University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Materials Science Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Northern Arizona University is a public institution located in Flagstaff, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at NAU, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best Materials Sciences Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northern Arizona University is $14,308 for Materials Science students with aid.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.6% 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 more about Materials Sciences at Northern Arizona University
Purdue University Fort Wayne ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Materials Science Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Fort Wayne, Indiana is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s materials science degrees to 1 students in 2020-2021.
PFW did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #24 on our “Best Materials Sciences Schools” list. It costs about $11,629 for Materials Science students with aid per year to attend PFW.
Read full report on Materials Sciences at PFW
Missouri State University - Springfield came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Materials Science Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Missouri State is a large school located in Springfield, Missouri that handed out 12 ’s materials science degrees in 2020-2021.
Missouri State also made our “Best Materials Sciences Schools” list, coming in at #18. It costs about $16,718 for materials science students with aid per year to attend Missouri State.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.9% 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%.
Read more about Materials Sciences at Missouri State
Oregon State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Materials Science Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #17. Oregon State is a public institution located in Corvallis, Oregon. The school has a large population, and it awarded 7 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Oregon State also made our “Best Materials Sciences Schools” list, coming in at #13. The estimated yearly cost for Oregon State is $21,508 for Materials Science students with aid.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
Full Oregon State Materials Sciences Report
Wayne State University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Materials Science Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Detroit, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s materials science degrees to 8 students in 2020-2021.
Wayne State also made our “Best Materials Sciences Schools” list, coming in at #21. It costs about $13,962 for Materials Science students with aid per year to attend Wayne State.
Read more about Materials Sciences at Wayne State
William Paterson University of New Jersey landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Best Value Materials Science Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. William Paterson University of New Jersey is a public institution located in Wayne, New Jersey. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 9 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
William Paterson University also took the #22 spot in our “Best Materials Sciences Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend William Paterson University of New Jersey is $18,498 for materials science students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%.
Full William Paterson University of New Jersey Materials Sciences Report
Northwestern University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Materials Science Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #20. Northwestern University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Evanston, Illinois. It awarded 2 ’s materials science degrees in 2020-2021.
Northwestern also made our “Best Materials Sciences Schools” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $23,279 for materials science students with aid per year to attend Northwestern University.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 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 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Materials Sciences at Northwestern
Rochester Institute of Technology ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Materials Science Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Rochester, New York is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s materials science degrees to 19 students in 2020-2021.
RIT did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Materials Sciences Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend RIT is $34,822 for Materials Science students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% 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%.
Full RIT Materials Sciences Report
University of New Hampshire - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Materials Science Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #22. University of New Hampshire - Main Campus is located in Durham, New Hampshire and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1 ’s materials science degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UNH, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Materials Sciences Schools” ranking. It costs about $24,160 for materials science students with aid per year to attend University of New Hampshire - Main Campus.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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%.
Read more about Materials Sciences at University of New Hampshire - Main Campus
Rowan University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Materials Science Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #23. Rowan is a fairly large public school situated in Glassboro, New Jersey. It awarded 1 ’s materials science degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Rowan, the school also landed the #23 spot in our “Best Materials Sciences Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Rowan University is $27,158 for Materials Science students with aid.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Materials Sciences at Rowan University
University of Rochester did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Materials Science Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #24. University of Rochester is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Rochester, New York. It awarded 10 ’s materials science degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Rochester also made our “Best Materials Sciences Schools” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend University of Rochester is $31,340 for Materials Science students with aid.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on Materials Sciences at University of Rochester
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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
- *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.
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