2026 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in Michigan
[Materials Engineering](/majors/engineering/materials-engineering/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong materials engineering education at a price that pays off.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 4 schools to find the best return on investment for materials engineering students.
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2026 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in Michigan
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in materials engineering, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Materials Engineering Schools
University Of Michigan Ann Arbor tops our 2026 list of the best value materials engineering schools in Michigan. Located in the city of Ann Arbor, University Of Michigan Ann Arbor is a very large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $18,848, compared with $63,081 for out-of-state students. Materials Engineering graduates carry a median of $17,750 in student loans. Early-career materials engineering graduates make about $75,041. That is a strong return on a $17,750 median debt. Roughly 16% of applicants are accepted.
Michigan Technological University is a great value for students pursuing a degree in materials engineering, landing the #2 spot this year. Located in the town of Houghton, Michigan Technological University is a moderately-sized public university. Students from in state pay about $20,532 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $44,807. Typical student debt for materials engineering graduates is $27,000. Materials Engineering graduates of Michigan Technological University earn a median of $63,135 early in their careers. Set against $27,000 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Michigan Technological University admits about 92% of applicants.
Michigan State University is a great value for students pursuing a degree in materials engineering, landing the #3 spot this year. Located in the city of East Lansing, Michigan State University is a very large public university. In-state tuition and fees average $18,079, while out-of-state students pay about $44,850. Materials Engineering graduates carry a median of $27,925 in student loans. Early-career materials engineering graduates make about $78,276. Set against $27,925 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 85% of applicants are accepted.
Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 4 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 3 ranked schools only.
- 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
