College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k

5 Ranked Colleges
145 Degrees Awarded
$12,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.

In 2020-2021, 3,415 people earned their degree in materials engineering, making the major the 154th most popular in the United States. 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 Rocky Mountains region, there were 145 materials engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $49,230 and $21,139 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 5 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.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the 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.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Materials Engineering Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for rocky mountains region materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 5 Best Value Colleges for Materials Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region

1

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Boise State University landed the #1 spot on the list. Boise State is a public institution located in Boise, Idaho. The school has a large population, and it awarded 38 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Boise State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. It costs about $12,561 for rocky mountains region materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Boise State.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Materials Engineering at Boise State

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Colorado Boulder. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Colorado Boulder is a large school located in Boulder, Colorado that handed out 15 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our rocky mountains region materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k list, CU - Boulder has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Colorado Boulder is $13,141 for rocky mountains 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 85%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Materials Engineering at CU - Boulder

3
U of U crest
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Utah. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Salt Lake City, Utah, and it awarded 41 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our rocky mountains region materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k list, U of U has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend U of U is $10,431 for rocky mountains region materials engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full University of Utah Materials Engineering Report

4
U of I crest
University of Idaho
Moscow, Idaho

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Idaho. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. U of I is located in Moscow, Idaho and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 11 ’s materials engineering degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at U of I, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. It costs about $10,816 for Rocky Mountains Region Materials Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend U of I.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.1% 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 full report on Materials Engineering at University of Idaho

5
Mines crest
Colorado School of Mines
Golden, Colorado

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Colorado School of Mines. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Golden, Colorado, this medium-sized public school handed out 20 diplomas to qualified ’s materials engineering students in 2020-2021.

Mines also took the #1 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Mines is $16,977 for Rocky Mountains Region Materials Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%.

Full Colorado School of Mines Materials Engineering Report

Switch to a Similar Major

General Engineering
Best Value Colleges for General Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region

Architectural Engineering
Best Value Colleges for Architectural Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region

Chemical Engineering
Best Value Colleges for Chemical Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region

Computer Engineering
Best Value Colleges for Computer Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region

Engineering Physics
Best Value Colleges for Engineering Physics (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region

Environmental Engineering
Best Value Colleges for Environmental Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region

Metallurgical Engineering
Best Value Colleges for Metallurgical Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region

Nuclear Engineering
Best Value Colleges for Nuclear Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region

Systems Engineering
Best Value Colleges for Systems Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region

Industrial Engineering
Best Value Colleges for Industrial Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region

Operations Research
Best Value Colleges for Operations Research (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region

Robotics Engineering
Best Value Colleges for Robotics Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region

Biological Engineering
Best Value Colleges for Biological Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region

Energy Systems Engineering
Best Value Colleges for Energy Systems Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region

Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering
Best Value Colleges for Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region

Biomedical Engineering
Best Value Colleges for Biomedical Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region

Civil Engineering
Best Value Colleges for Civil Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region

Electrical Engineering
Best Value Colleges for Electrical Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region

Engineering Science
Best Value Colleges for Engineering Science (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region

Mechanical Engineering
Best Value Colleges for Mechanical Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region

Mining Engineering
Best Value Colleges for Mining Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region

Petroleum Engineering
Best Value Colleges for Petroleum Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region

Construction Engineering
Best Value Colleges for Construction Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region

Manufacturing Engineering
Best Value Colleges for Manufacturing Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region

Geoscience Engineering
Best Value Colleges for Geoscience Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region

Biochemical Engineering
Best Value Colleges for Biochemical Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region

Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Best Value Colleges for Electrical and Computer Engineering. (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region

Other Engineering
Best Value Colleges for Other Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

Credits

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options