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2022 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k

9 Ranked Colleges
185 Degrees Awarded
$64,000 Avg Salary
Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making $48-$75k

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 for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 3,485 people earned their degree in materials engineering, making the major the 150th most popular in the United States. 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 California, there were 482 materials engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $64,000 and $15,750 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 185 materials engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, we looked at 9 colleges that offer 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The materials engineering school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k”.

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 when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 9 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Materials Engineering (Income $48-$75k) in California

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #1 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Stanford, California, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Stanford also took the #1 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford is $1,959 for california bachelor’s degree materials engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The 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. 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 Stanford University Materials Engineering Report

#2

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, California
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Institute of Technology. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. This small school is located in Pasadena, California, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Caltech did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Caltech is $8,042 for California Bachelor’s Degree Materials Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Materials Engineering at Caltech

#3

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of California - Los Angeles is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 23 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree materials engineering students whose families make $48-$75k list, UCLA has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $13,081 for california bachelor’s degree materials engineering students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of California - Los Angeles.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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 University of California - Los Angeles

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in San Luis Obispo, California, and it awarded 38 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is $19,407 for california 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 94%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Materials Engineering at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

#5 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Irvine. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k. University of California - Irvine is a public institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 30 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine also took the #5 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Irvine is $13,648 for california bachelor’s degree materials engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of California - Irvine Materials Engineering Report

#8 in overall quality

University of California - Riverside landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. University of California - Riverside is a large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 14 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCR, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $12,290 for California Bachelor’s Degree Materials Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UCR.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.

Read full report on Materials Engineering at University of California - Riverside

University of California - Davis ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of California - Davis is a large public school situated in Davis, California. It awarded 38 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Davis not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Davis is $13,578 for california bachelor’s degree materials engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Materials Engineering at UC Davis

#8

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#6 in overall quality

San Jose State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #8. 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.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at San Jose State, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend San Jose State University is $16,397 for California Bachelor’s Degree Materials Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 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%.

Full San Jose State University Materials Engineering Report

#9 in overall quality

University of California - Merced ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Materials Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. 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.

UC Merced not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Materials Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Merced is $14,922 for california 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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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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