Majors
Best Colleges for Materials Engineering, by Earnings
57 of the colleges we track award a bachelor's degree in Materials Engineering, about 1,305 degrees a year. Across the 30 that report earnings, graduates make a median of $91,047 four years after finishing.
| Rank | College | State | Median earnings, 4 years out | Degrees a year | Acceptance rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Purdue University | IN | $107,557 | 56 | 49.9% |
| 2 | University of California-Irvine | CA | $106,547 | 24 | 28.6% |
| 3 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | CA | $100,599 | 46 | 31.3% |
| 4 | University of Michigan | MI | $98,879 | 44 | 15.6% |
| 5 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | IL | $97,924 | 92 | 42.4% |
| 6 | Lehigh University | PA | $97,904 | 9 | 25.9% |
| 7 | University of Maryland | MD | $97,714 | 22 | 44.8% |
| 8 | Michigan State University | MI | $95,761 | 23 | 84.8% |
| 9 | University of Washington | WA | $95,314 | 35 | 39.1% |
| 10 | Drexel University | PA | $94,694 | 18 | 79.4% |
| 11 | University of Connecticut | CT | $93,464 | 18 | 52.4% |
| 12 | Georgia Institute of Technology | GA | $92,260 | 52 | 14.1% |
| 13 | Michigan Technological University | MI | $92,070 | 23 | 92.4% |
| 14 | Winona State University | MN | $91,528 | 17 | 75.5% |
| 15 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | WI | $91,265 | 24 | 45.2% |
| 16 | Virginia Tech | VA | $90,828 | 53 | 54.8% |
| 17 | University of California-Davis | CA | $89,983 | 26 | 41.8% |
| 18 | North Carolina State University | NC | $89,968 | 39 | 41.7% |
| 19 | Arizona State University | AZ | $89,913 | 22 | 89.9% |
| 20 | University of Florida | FL | $87,779 | 58 | 24.2% |
| 21 | Washington State University | WA | $86,145 | 15 | 86.6% |
| 22 | Ohio State University | OH | $86,084 | 54 | 60.6% |
| 23 | Clemson University | SC | $85,883 | 31 | 38.3% |
| 24 | University of Kentucky | KY | $84,796 | 15 | 92.9% |
| 25 | University of Alabama at Birmingham | AL | $83,985 | 14 | 88.2% |
| 26 | University of Minnesota | MN | $83,945 | 28 | 79.8% |
| 27 | Iowa State University | IA | $83,416 | 37 | 88.7% |
| 28 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | NY | $82,947 | 14 | 63.5% |
| 29 | University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee | WI | $82,131 | 8 | 90.7% |
| 30 | University of North Texas | TX | $78,250 | 12 | 72.2% |
27 more colleges award this degree but have no earnings figure, usually because the program is small.
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Frequently asked questions
Which college has the highest-paid Materials Engineering graduates?
Purdue University ($107,557), University of California-Irvine ($106,547), California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo ($100,599), University of Michigan ($98,879), University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign ($97,924) report the highest median earnings four years after graduation.
How much do Materials Engineering majors make?
The median across 30 colleges is $91,047 four years after graduation. By college it runs from $78,250 to $107,557.
Which colleges have the biggest Materials Engineering programs?
By bachelor's degrees awarded in a year: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (92), University of Florida (58), Purdue University (56), Ohio State University (54), Virginia Tech (53).
Does a higher-earning program mean a better program?
Not on its own. Earnings reflect where graduates live, what jobs they take, and who enrolled in the first place, as well as the teaching. The figures cover only graduates who received federal financial aid, and small programs are left out, so a college missing from this list may still have a strong department.
Source: College Scorecard, Most Recent Data by Field of Study (U.S. Department of Education), 2026-06-10 release, federal program category "Materials Engineering". Earnings are medians for graduates who received federal financial aid, working and not enrolled, four years after a bachelor's degree.
