College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2023 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Materials Engineering

57 Ranked Colleges
1,535 Degrees Awarded
$64,953 Avg Salary
Schools for a Bachelor's Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2021-2022, 3,476 people earned their degree in materials engineering, making the major the 154th most popular in the United States. In , materials engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $65,007 and had an average of $22,256 in loans still to pay off.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,535 materials engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,724 and $23,030 respectively.

This year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major” ranking looked at 57 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in materials engineering. That schools that top this list have a program in materials engineering in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.

For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Materials Engineering Schools

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Materials Engineering Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest 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.

Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major

The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree materials engineering students.

Top 25 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Materials Engineering

1
Alfred crest
Alfred University
Alfred, New York

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Alfred University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major list. Alfred is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Alfred, New York. It awarded 15 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2021-2022.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Alfred Materials Engineering Report

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major list. New Mexico Tech is located in Socorro, New Mexico and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 5 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees to qualified students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology Materials Engineering Report

3

Out of the 57 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Michigan Technological University landed the #3 spot on the list. Houghton, Michigan is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s materials engineering degrees to 20 students in 2021-2022.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%.

Full Michigan Technological University Materials Engineering Report

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Troy, New York. It awarded 12 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Materials Engineering Report

5
Lehigh crest
Lehigh University
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Lehigh University. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major. Lehigh is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. It awarded 9 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.4% 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 undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Lehigh University Materials Engineering Report

6
Winona State crest
Winona State University
Winona, Minnesota

Winona State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major ranking, coming in at #6. This medium-sized school is located in Winona, Minnesota, and it awarded 19 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Materials Engineering at Winona State

7

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major ranking. California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is a large school located in San Luis Obispo, California that handed out 48 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.8% 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 95%, 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

8

Massachusetts Institute of Technology landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major ranking. Massachusetts Institute of Technology is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 30 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees to qualified students.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 99%.

Full MIT Materials Engineering Report

9
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia

Virginia Tech ranked #9 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major list. Virginia Tech is located in Blacksburg, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 66 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees to qualified students.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Materials Engineering at Virginia Tech

10

Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major ranking. Georgia Tech is located in Atlanta, Georgia and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 75 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees to qualified students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.4% 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 Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus

11
Clemson crest
Clemson University
Clemson, South Carolina

Clemson University ranked #11 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major list. Clemson is a large school located in Clemson, South Carolina that handed out 24 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Clemson Materials Engineering Report

12

University of California - Merced ranked #12 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major list. University of California - Merced is a medium-sized school located in Merced, California that handed out 3 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Materials Engineering at University of California - Merced

13

Iowa State University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major ranking. Iowa State University is a large public school situated in Ames, Iowa. It awarded 44 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Materials Engineering at Iowa State

14

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major ranking, coming in at #14. UIUC is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 87 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees to qualified students.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Materials Engineering Report

15

Boise State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major ranking, coming in at #15. Boise State is a public institution located in Boise, Idaho. The school has a large population, and it awarded 22 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.

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%.

Read full report on Materials Engineering at Boise State

16

Ohio State University - Main Campus came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major ranking. Ohio State University - Main Campus is a public institution located in Columbus, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 58 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Materials Engineering at Ohio State

17
UCONN crest
University of Connecticut
Storrs, Connecticut

University of Connecticut came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major ranking. UCONN is a large public school situated in Storrs, Connecticut. It awarded 24 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Materials Engineering at UCONN

18
Wazzu crest
Washington State University
Pullman, Washington

Washington State University ranked #18 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major list. Wazzu is a large school located in Pullman, Washington that handed out 20 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Materials Engineering at Washington State University

19
Drexel crest
Drexel University
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

With a ranking of #19, Drexel University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major list. Drexel University is a large school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that handed out 17 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2021-2022.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Materials Engineering at Drexel

20

California Institute of Technology landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major ranking. Pasadena, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s materials engineering degrees to 3 students in 2021-2022.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 99%.

Read more about Materials Engineering at Caltech

21
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida

With a ranking of #21, University of Florida did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major list. University of Florida is a public institution located in Gainesville, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 53 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Materials Engineering at UF

22
Cornell crest
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York

With a ranking of #22, Cornell University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major list. This large school is located in Ithaca, New York, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2021-2022.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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.

Read more about Materials Engineering at Cornell

23
Purdue crest
Purdue University - Main Campus
West Lafayette, Indiana

With a ranking of #23, Purdue University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major list. This large school is located in West Lafayette, Indiana, and it awarded 74 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Materials Engineering at Purdue University - Main Campus

24

Illinois Institute of Technology came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major ranking. Illinois Tech is a medium-sized school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 4 bachelors’s materials engineering degrees in 2021-2022.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Materials Engineering at Illinois Tech

25

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Materials Engineering Major ranking. U-M is a public institution located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 42 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.2%, 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 97%.

Full U-M Materials Engineering Report

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

Credits

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options