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2022 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k

12 Ranked Colleges
277 Degrees Awarded
$65,400 Avg Salary
Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor's in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Materials Engineering is the 150th most popular major in the country with 3,485 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, materials engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $63,129 and had an average of $23,918 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Far Western US region, there were 677 materials engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $65,400 and $17,784 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 277 materials engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,083 and $22,209 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking analyzed 12 colleges that offered a degree 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank 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 Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k” list to help you make the college decision.

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. 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 for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k

The colleges and universities below are the best for far western us region bachelor’s degree materials engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

Top 12 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Materials Engineering (Income $48-$75k) in the Far Western US Region

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Stanford, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 8 degrees to qualified bachelors’s materials engineering students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Stanford, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford University is $1,959 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Materials Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Materials Engineering at Stanford University

#2

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, California
#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California Institute of Technology. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k. Located in Pasadena, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 5 degrees to qualified bachelors’s materials engineering students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree materials engineering students whose families make $48-$75k list, Caltech has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $8,042 for far western us region bachelor’s degree materials engineering students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Caltech.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Full Caltech Materials Engineering Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. This large school is located in Seattle, Washington, and it awarded 52 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

UW Seattle not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Washington - Seattle Campus is $9,694 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Materials Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The low student loan default rate of 2.2% 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 University of Washington - Seattle Campus

#4

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#4 in overall quality

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #4 spot on the list. University of California - Los Angeles is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 23 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UCLA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Los Angeles is $13,081 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Materials Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The low 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%.

Read more about Materials Engineering at UCLA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in San Luis Obispo, California, this large public school handed out 38 degrees to qualified bachelors’s materials engineering students in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also made our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is $19,407 for far western us region bachelor’s degree materials engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, 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 94%.

Read full report on Materials Engineering at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

#6 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. UC Irvine is a large school located in Irvine, California that handed out 30 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree materials engineering students whose families make $48-$75k list, UC Irvine has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $13,648 for far western us region bachelor’s degree materials engineering students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UC Irvine.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UC Irvine Materials Engineering Report

#10 in overall quality

University of California - Riverside came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. UCR is a large public school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 14 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree materials engineering students whose families make $48-$75k list, UCR has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Riverside is $12,290 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Materials Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UCR Materials Engineering Report

With a ranking of #8, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of California - Davis is a large school located in Davis, California that handed out 38 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Davis also made our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #8. It costs about $13,578 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Materials Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of California - Davis.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Materials Engineering at UC Davis

#9

Washington State University

Pullman, Washington

Washington State University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Washington State University is a large public school situated in Pullman, Washington. It awarded 31 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Wazzu also took the #9 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Washington State University is $15,548 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Materials Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Materials Engineering at Wazzu

#10

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#7 in overall quality

San Jose State University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. San Jose, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s materials engineering degrees to 22 students in 2019-2020.

San Jose State also took the #7 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $16,397 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Materials Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend San Jose State University.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low 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 more about Materials Engineering at San Jose State University

#11 in overall quality

University of Nevada - Reno did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #11. Reno, Nevada is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s materials engineering degrees to 9 students in 2019-2020.

UNR not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $14,947 for far western us region bachelor’s degree materials engineering students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UNR.

Read more about Materials Engineering at University of Nevada - Reno

#12 in overall quality

University of California - Merced came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. University of California - Merced is a public institution located in Merced, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree materials engineering students whose families make $48-$75k list, UC Merced has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Merced is $14,922 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Materials Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, 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 students.

Full University of California - Merced Materials Engineering Report

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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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