2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k
11
Ranked Colleges
497
Degrees Awarded
$9,200
Avg Net Price*
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 “Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” 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.
Across California, there were 497 materials engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $59,066 and $15,554 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 11 colleges that offered a degree in materials engineering. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great materials engineering 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 engineering program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
More Ways to Rank Materials Engineering Schools
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most 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 California For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 11 Best Value Colleges for Materials Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in California
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Stanford, California, and it awarded 73 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k list, Stanford has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Stanford University is $1,233 for california materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Full Stanford University Materials Engineering Report
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 California For Those Making $0-$30k list. UCLA is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 76 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UCLA also took the #2 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $9,037 for california materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UCLA.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of California - Los Angeles Materials Engineering Report
Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in California 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. This large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 72 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
UCSD also took the #3 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - San Diego is $9,823 for California Materials Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 more about Materials Engineering at UCSD
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Irvine. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. University of California - Irvine is a public institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 59 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Irvine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Irvine is $6,540 for California 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 94%. 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%.
Read more about Materials Engineering at UC Irvine
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Davis. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. UC Davis is a public institution located in Davis, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 53 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k list, UC Davis has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Davis is $10,006 for California 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 93%. 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%.
Read more about Materials Engineering at UC Davis
University of Southern California came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 34 degrees to qualified ’s materials engineering students in 2020-2021.
USC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in California” list. It costs about $17,287 for california materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend USC.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Full USC Materials Engineering Report
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. California Polytechnic State University - 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.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is $12,173 for california materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Read more about Materials Engineering at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
California State University - Northridge came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. California State University - Northridge is located in Northridge, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 10 ’s materials engineering degrees to qualified students.
CSUN not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in California” list. It costs about $6,266 for california materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Northridge.
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 CSUN
San Jose State University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. San Jose State University is located in San Jose, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 19 ’s materials engineering degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at San Jose State, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State University is $12,158 for California 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Read full report on Materials Engineering at San Jose State
University of California - Riverside did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #10. This large school is located in Riverside, California, and it awarded 22 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
UCR also took the #9 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $6,810 for california materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UCR.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of California - Riverside Materials Engineering Report
