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2023 Best Value Colleges for Materials Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in the Plains States Region

6 Ranked Colleges
157 Degrees Awarded
$10,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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 Plains States region, there were 157 materials engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $64,541 and $24,224 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 6 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.

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.

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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 Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k” list to help you make the college 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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 6 Best Value Colleges for Materials Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in the Plains States Region

1
WUSTL crest
Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, Missouri

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Washington University in St Louis. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k. Saint Louis, Missouri is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s materials engineering degrees to 13 students in 2020-2021.

WUSTL also took the #1 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend WUSTL is $2,446 for Plains States Region Materials Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 1.1% 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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full Washington University in St Louis Materials Engineering Report

2

Out of the 6 schools in the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #2 spot on the list. UMN Twin Cities is a large public school situated in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It awarded 59 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

UMN Twin Cities also made our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $8,609 for plains states region materials engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UMN Twin Cities.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, 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 93%.

Full UMN Twin Cities Materials Engineering Report

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Iowa State University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k. Located in Ames, Iowa, this large public school handed out 42 diplomas to qualified ’s materials engineering students in 2020-2021.

Iowa State also made our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend Iowa State University is $11,427 for plains states region materials engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Iowa State Materials Engineering Report

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Missouri University of Science and Technology. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Rolla, Missouri is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s materials engineering degrees to 10 students in 2020-2021.

Missouri University of Science and Technology not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Missouri University of Science and Technology is $9,820 for plains states region materials engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Materials Engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology

5
Winona State crest
Winona State University
Winona, Minnesota

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Winona State University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k. Winona State is a medium-sized public school situated in Winona, Minnesota. It awarded 20 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Winona State also made our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #6. The estimated yearly cost for Winona State University is $12,963 for Plains States Region Materials Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Materials Engineering at Winona State

6

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #6. SD Mines is a small public school situated in Rapid City, South Dakota. It awarded 7 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

SD Mines also took the #5 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend South Dakota School of Mines and Technology is $16,736 for plains states region materials engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 SD Mines

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