2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Materials Engineering School for You
Materials Engineering is the #158 most popular major in the country with 3,415 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. This report analyzed 16 schools in the Far Western US Region to see which ones offered the best value programs for materials engineering students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Top 10 Best Materials Engineering Schools
Our 2023 rankings named San Jose State University the best value school in the Far Western US Region for materials engineering students. San Jose State is a fairly large public school located in the city of San Jose.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at San Jose State are $19,732 per year.
San Jose State excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region list.
Full Materials Engineering at San Jose State University Report
Request Information
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a fairly large public school located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo are $28,105 a year. Materials Engineering majors at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo take out an average of $15,412 in student loans while working on their egree.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also claimed a spot on our Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.
Request Information
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of California - San Diego is a great value for materials engineering students. Located in the city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UCSD are $44,454 a year.
UCSD also claimed a spot on our Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
Read full report on Materials Engineering at University of California - San Diego
Request Information
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Northridge. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Located in the city of Northridge, CSUN is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CSUN are $18,923 per year.
Request Information
The excellent programs at University of California - Los Angeles helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best materials engineering schools in the Far Western US Region . UCLA is a very large public school located in the city of Los Angeles.
UCLA undergraduate students pay an average of $43,012 in tuition and fees each year.
In addition to its great value ranking, UCLA is in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region list.
Full Materials Engineering at University of California - Los Angeles Report
Request Information
Washington State University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Wazzu is a fairly large public school located in the town of Pullman.
Wazzu undergraduate students pay an average of $27,733 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, materials engineering graduates from Wazzu carry an average student debtload of $28,000.
Wazzu also claimed a spot on our Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
Request Information
California State University - Los Angeles did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for materials engineering students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, Cal State LA is a public school with a very large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cal State LA are $18,665 per year.
Read full report on Materials Engineering at California State University - Los Angeles
Request Information
With a ranking of #8, University of Nevada - Reno did quite well on this year’s best value schools for materials engineering students. Located in the large city of Reno, UNR is a public school with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UNR are $24,827 a year.
Full Materials Engineering at University of Nevada - Reno Report
Request Information
With a ranking of #9, Stanford University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for materials engineering students. Located in the suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Stanford are $56,169 per year.
Stanford not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #1 on our Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Far Western US Region list.
Full Materials Engineering at Stanford University Report
Request Information
With a ranking of #10, Portland State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for materials engineering students. Located in the city of Portland, Portland State University is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Portland State University are $27,447 per year.
Request InformationBest Materials Engineering Colleges by State
Explore the best materials engineering colleges for a specific state in the Far Western US region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| California | 497 |
| Washington | 135 |
| Oregon | 14 |
| Nevada | 16 |
More Materials Engineering Rankings in the Far Western US Region
Materials Engineering Related Majors for Materials Engineering
Materials Engineering is one of 40 different types of programs to choose from.
Majors Similar to Materials Engineering
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Mechanical Engineering | 46,178 |
| Electrical Engineering | 28,844 |
| Civil Engineering | 21,388 |
| Computer Engineering | 17,987 |
| Chemical Engineering | 12,917 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 16 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 the rest 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).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Panoramedia.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
Course Advisor provides higher-education, college and university, degree, program, career, salary, and other helpful information to students, faculty, institutions, and other internet audiences. Presented information and data are subject to change. Inclusion on this website does not imply or represent a direct relationship with the company, school, or brand. Information, though believed correct at time of publication, may not be correct, and no warranty is provided. Contact the schools to verify any information before relying on it. Financial aid may be available for those who qualify. The displayed options may include sponsored or recommended results, not necessarily based on your preferences.
© 2025 Course Advisor – All Rights Reserved.