2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Materials Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Materials Processing and Manufacturing Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2019-2020, 3,485 people earned their degree in general materials engineering, making the major the 189th most popular in the United States.

Across the Plains States region, there were 154 general materials engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 123 general materials engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,786 and $25,576 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Materials Processing and Manufacturing Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 3 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general materials engineering. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great general materials engineering programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the general materials engineering program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank General Materials Engineering 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 Processing and Manufacturing Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” 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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Materials Processing and Manufacturing Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region bachelor’s degree materials processing and manufacturing students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 3 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Materials Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region

#1

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota

#2 in overall quality

$7,266 Average Net Price

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Materials Processing and Manufacturing Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this large public school handed out 50 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s materials processing and manufacturing students in 2019-2020.

UMN Twin Cities not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best General Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $7,266 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Materials Processing and Manufacturing students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, 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 93%.

Read full report on General Materials Engineering at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

#2

Iowa State University

Ames, Iowa

#1 in overall quality

$10,054 Average Net Price

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Iowa State University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Materials Processing and Manufacturing Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Iowa State is a large school located in Ames, Iowa that handed out 55 bachelors’s materials processing and manufacturing degrees in 2019-2020.

Iowa State also took the #1 spot in our “Best General Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Iowa State is $10,054 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Materials Processing and Manufacturing students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.3% 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 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on General Materials Engineering at Iowa State

#3

Winona State University

Winona, Minnesota

#3 in overall quality

$12,381 Average Net Price

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Winona State University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Materials Processing and Manufacturing Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Winona State is a medium-sized school located in Winona, Minnesota that handed out 18 bachelors’s materials processing and manufacturing degrees in 2019-2020.

Winona State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best General Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $12,381 for plains states region bachelor’s degree materials processing and manufacturing students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Winona State University.

The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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 Winona State General Materials Engineering Report

• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Materials Engineering (Income $0-$30k)

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

Footnotes

• *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.

Credits

• Credit for the banner image above goes to Panoramedia.

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