2023 Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Materials Engineering School for You
Out of all the majors we analyze each year, materials engineering was ranked #158 in the country. In fact 3,415 degrees and certificates were handed out in 2020-2021.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.
The Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 15 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which programs offered the best value experiences for materials engineering students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 10 Best Materials Engineering Schools
Our analysis found University of Dayton to be the best value school for materials engineering students who want to pursue a degree in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the midsize city of Dayton, UDayton is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UDayton are $44,890 a year.
In addition to its great value ranking, UDayton is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.
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Out of the 15 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Purdue University - Main Campus landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the small city of West Lafayette, Purdue is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Purdue are $28,794 a year. After completing their degree, materials engineering graduates from Purdue carry an average student debtload of $18,125.
Purdue also claimed a spot on our Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.
Read full report on Materials Engineering at Purdue University - Main Campus
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of Wisconsin - Madison is a great value for materials engineering students. Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UW - Madison are $38,608 per year. After completing their degree, materials engineering graduates from UW - Madison carry an average student debtload of $26,535.
UW - Madison also claimed a spot on our Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.
Read full report on Materials Engineering at University of Wisconsin - Madison
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The excellent programs at Michigan Technological University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best materials engineering schools in the Great Lakes Region . Michigan Tech is a moderately-sized public school located in the remote town of Houghton.
Michigan Tech undergraduate students pay an average of $39,723 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, materials engineering majors at Michigan Tech accumulate an average of around $26,750 in student debt.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Michigan Tech also is in the top 5% of our Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking.
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a great value for materials engineering students. Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UIUC are $37,632 per year. While working on their degree, materials engineering majors at UIUC accumulate an average of around $21,000 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $453, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UIUC also is in the top 5% of our Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking.
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University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the city of Milwaukee, UWM is a public college with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UWM are $21,475 a year. The average amount in student loans that materials engineering majors at UWM take out is $27,125.
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Ohio State University - Main Campus came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the large city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Ohio State undergraduate students pay an average of $35,019 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that materials engineering majors at Ohio State take out is $23,421.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Ohio State also is in the top 15% of our Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking.
Read full report on Materials Engineering at Ohio State University - Main Campus
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Michigan State University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value materials engineering programs. Michigan State is a fairly large public school located in the city of East Lansing.
Michigan State undergraduate students pay an average of $41,290 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, materials engineering graduates from Michigan State carry an average student debtload of $24,692.
In addition to its great value ranking, Michigan State is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.
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Wright State University - Main Campus came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Wright State University - Main Campus is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Dayton.
Wright State University - Main Campus undergraduate students pay an average of $19,252 in tuition and fees each year.
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Northwestern University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Materials Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Northwestern are $60,768 a year.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Northwestern is ranked #2 for overall quality for materials engineering in the Great Lakes Region .
Request InformationBest Materials Engineering Colleges by State
Explore the best materials engineering colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Michigan | 183 |
| Ohio | 179 |
| Illinois | 203 |
| Indiana | 98 |
| Wisconsin | 77 |
More Materials Engineering Rankings in the Great Lakes Region
Majors Related to Materials Engineering
One of 40 majors within the area of study, materials engineering has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Majors Related 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 15 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.
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