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2023 Best Value Colleges for Materials Engineering (Income Over $110k) in California

11 Ranked Colleges
497 Degrees Awarded
$31,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Vallue Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Vallue Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k” 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 Vallue Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k” ranking analyzed 11 colleges that offered a degree in materials engineering. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent materials engineering programs, but they also 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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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 Vallue Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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.

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Best Vallue Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k

The colleges and universities below are the best for california materials engineering students whose families make more than $110k.

Top 11 Best Value Colleges for Materials Engineering (Income Over $110k) in California

1

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Vallue Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #1 spot on the list. University of California - Los Angeles is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 76 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCLA is $15,023 for california materials engineering students whose families make more than $110k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Materials Engineering at University of California - Los Angeles

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - San Diego. The school came in at #2 for the Best Vallue Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s materials engineering degrees to 72 students in 2020-2021.

UCSD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - San Diego is $15,240 for california materials engineering students whose families make more than $110k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, 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%.

Full University of California - San Diego Materials Engineering Report

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo. The school came in at #3 for the Best Vallue Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k. This large school is located in San Luis Obispo, California, and it awarded 41 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also made our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #7. The estimated yearly cost for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is $20,677 for california materials engineering students whose families make more than $110k.

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%. 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 Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Irvine. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Vallue Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k list. UC Irvine is a large school located in Irvine, California that handed out 59 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Irvine also took the #5 spot in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Irvine is $12,209 for california materials engineering students whose families make more than $110k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, 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%.

Full University of California - Irvine Materials Engineering Report

5
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend San Jose State University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Vallue Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k. San Jose State is a large public school situated in San Jose, California. It awarded 19 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california materials engineering students whose families make more than $110k list, San Jose State has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State University is $16,542 for california materials engineering students whose families make more than $110k.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% 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 San Jose State

6

With a ranking of #6, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2023 Best Vallue Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k list. University of California - Davis is a large public school situated in Davis, California. It awarded 53 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Davis also made our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #6. It costs about $15,768 for California Materials Engineering students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend UC Davis.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 University of California - Davis

7

California State University - Northridge did quite well in the 2023 Best Vallue Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking, coming in at #7. California State University - Northridge is a large school located in Northridge, California that handed out 10 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

CSUN not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in California” list. It costs about $8,523 for california materials engineering students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend CSUN.

The low undergrad 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 California State University - Northridge

8
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

Stanford University did quite well in the 2023 Best Vallue Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking, coming in at #8. This fairly large school is located in Stanford, California, and it awarded 73 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Stanford did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Stanford University is $12,894 for California Materials Engineering students whose families make more than $110k.

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 Materials Engineering Report

9

University of California - Riverside did quite well in the 2023 Best Vallue Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking, coming in at #9. UCR is a large public school situated in Riverside, California. 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. The yearly cost to attend UCR is $11,822 for California Materials Engineering students whose families make more than $110k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Materials Engineering at UCR

10

With a ranking of #10, University of California - Merced did quite well on the 2023 Best Vallue Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k list. Merced, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s materials engineering degrees to 20 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california materials engineering students whose families make more than $110k list, UC Merced has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $13,691 for California Materials Engineering students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend UC Merced.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

11
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California ranked #11 on this year’s Best Vallue Materials Engineering Schools in California For Those Making Over $110k list. University of Southern California is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 34 ’s materials engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california materials engineering students whose families make more than $110k list, USC has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Materials Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Southern California is $32,569 for California Materials Engineering students whose families make more than $110k.

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. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, 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 91%.

Read full report on Materials Engineering at USC

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