2026 Best Materials Sciences Schools in the Far Western Region
Materials Sciences is a field worth a close look when choosing where to study. The schools below stand out for the quality of their materials sciences programs.
For its 2026 ranking, College Factual looked at 10 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for materials sciences students pursuing a degree.
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Best Schools for Materials Sciences in the Far Western Region
If you are not interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the materials sciences degrees they offer, see the list below.
Top Schools in Materials Sciences
Leading the list is University Of California Berkeley, our #1 school for materials sciences. University Of California Berkeley is a very large public school located in the city of Berkeley. University Of California Berkeley graduates 93% of students within six years. There were roughly 111 materials sciences students who graduated with this degree at University Of California Berkeley in the most recent data year. Graduates of the materials sciences program make about $70,847 in their early career. University Of California Berkeley graduates carry a median of $14,238 in student loans.
See the full materials sciences program report for University Of California Berkeley
University Of California Santa Barbara is one of the finest schools in the country for a degree in materials sciences, ranking #2. Located in the suburb of Santa Barbara, University Of California Santa Barbara is a very large public university. University Of California Santa Barbara graduates 83% of students within six years. There were roughly 46 materials sciences students who graduated with this degree at University Of California Santa Barbara in the most recent data year. Students who receive their materials sciences degree from University Of California Santa Barbara earn around $45,488 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $15,501 to complete this degree.
Read more about the materials sciences program at University Of California Santa Barbara
University Of California Riverside is one of the finest schools in the country for a degree in materials sciences, ranking #3. Set in the city of Riverside, University Of California Riverside is a very large public institution. About 76% of students finish within six years. University Of California Riverside awarded about 13 materials sciences degrees in the most recent data year. Students who receive their materials sciences degree from University Of California Riverside earn around $40,040 in the first couple years of their career. University Of California Riverside graduates carry a median of $19,187 in student loans.
Get the full materials sciences details for University Of California Riverside
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Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and program quality, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 10 schools evaluated.
- 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.
