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2023 Best Value Colleges for Materials Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Far Western US Region

15 Ranked Colleges
662 Degrees Awarded
$9,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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.

Across the Far Western US region, there were 662 materials engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $63,013 and $18,338 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 15 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in materials engineering. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality materials engineering programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the materials engineering program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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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 Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 15 Best Value Colleges for Materials Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Far Western US Region

1
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

Out of the 15 schools in the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #1 spot on the list. Stanford is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 73 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Stanford also took the #1 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Stanford University is $1,233 for Far Western US Region Materials Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Stanford University Materials Engineering Report

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 76 degrees to qualified ’s materials engineering students in 2020-2021.

UCLA also made our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for UCLA is $9,037 for far western us region materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 Engineering at University of California - Los Angeles

3

Out of the 15 schools in the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - San Diego landed the #3 spot on the list. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s materials engineering degrees to 72 students in 2020-2021.

UCSD also made our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for UCSD is $9,823 for Far Western US Region Materials Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Materials Engineering at University of California - San Diego

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Seattle, Washington, this large public school handed out 92 degrees to qualified ’s materials engineering students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW Seattle, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus is $5,194 for Far Western US Region Materials Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, 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 93%.

Full University of Washington - Seattle Campus Materials Engineering Report

5

Out of the 15 schools in the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Irvine landed the #5 spot on the list. UC Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 59 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Irvine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Irvine is $6,540 for far western us region materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, 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 94%.

Read full report on Materials Engineering at UC Irvine

6

University of California - Davis did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. Located in Davis, California, this large public school handed out 53 diplomas to qualified ’s materials engineering students in 2020-2021.

UC Davis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Davis is $10,006 for far western us region materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Materials Engineering at UC Davis

7
Wazzu crest
Washington State University
Pullman, Washington

Washington State University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Pullman, Washington, this large public school handed out 43 degrees to qualified ’s materials engineering students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Wazzu, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Washington State University is $7,689 for far western us region materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Materials Engineering at Wazzu

8
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

With a ranking of #8, University of Southern California did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Southern California is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 34 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

USC also took the #4 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $17,287 for Far Western US Region Materials Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend USC.

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 91%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full USC Materials Engineering Report

9

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public institution located in San Luis Obispo, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 41 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our far western us region materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k list, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is $12,173 for Far Western US Region Materials Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Materials Engineering Report

10

California State University - Northridge did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #10. Located in Northridge, California, this large public school awarded 10 degrees to qualified ’s materials engineering students in 2020-2021.

CSUN did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $6,266 for far western us region materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend CSUN.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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 CSUN

11
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

With a ranking of #11, San Jose State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. San Jose State is a public institution located in San Jose, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 19 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

San Jose State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend San Jose State is $12,158 for far western us region materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national 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 San Jose State Materials Engineering Report

12

University of California - Riverside landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of California - Riverside is a large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 22 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our far western us region materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k list, UCR has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCR is $6,810 for far western us region materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Materials Engineering at UCR

13

University of Nevada - Reno landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Reno, Nevada, and it awarded 16 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

UNR not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $11,795 for far western us region materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Nevada - Reno.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% 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%.

Read more about Materials Engineering at UNR

14

University of California - Merced did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #14. UC Merced is located in Merced, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 20 ’s materials engineering degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our far western us region materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k list, UC Merced has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $10,363 for far western us region materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Merced.

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

Full UC Merced Materials Engineering Report

15
Portland State University crest
Portland State University
Portland, Oregon

Portland State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #15. Portland, Oregon is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s materials engineering degrees to 14 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Portland State University, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Portland State University is $10,716 for Far Western US Region Materials Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.7% 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 Portland State University

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