2026 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in Minnesota
[Materials Engineering](/majors/engineering/materials-engineering/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 3 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for materials engineering students.
What’s on this page:
2026 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in Minnesota
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the materials engineering degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Materials Engineering Schools
For return on investment in materials engineering, no school beat University Of Minnesota Twin Cities this year. Set in the city of Minneapolis, University Of Minnesota Twin Cities is a very large public institution. In-state tuition and fees average $17,214, with out-of-state students paying around $38,362. Students borrow a median of $21,250 to complete the materials engineering program here. Materials Engineering graduates of University Of Minnesota Twin Cities earn a median of $60,445 early in their careers. Set against $21,250 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 80% of applicants are accepted.
Students looking for strong value in materials engineering will find it at Winona State University, which ranked #2. Set in the town of Winona, Winona State University is a moderately-sized public institution. Students from in state pay about $10,576 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $17,308. Materials Engineering graduates carry a median of $22,000 in student loans. Early-career materials engineering graduates make about $72,944. Set against $22,000 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Winona State University admits about 76% of applicants.
Notes and References
The ranking above is published 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 · 3 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 2 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.
