College ROI

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Back to Materials Engineering And Materials Science

Materials Engineering.

Bachelor's Degree58 Institutions

Completers Only: Federal median earnings data strictly reflects outcomes for students who successfully graduated. Students who do not complete their degree typically earn significantly less and face higher risks of debt default.

Annual Full Cost vs. Median Earnings

Each dot represents one program at an institution. Shows the spread of annual sticker price (or net price if sticker price is unavailable) vs earnings 4 years post-grad.

Field Median ($90,828)
P25-P75 Interval ($83,945 - $94,694)
HS Baseline ($35,872)
Breakeven Line (0% ROI)
Institution
State
Earnings
Avg Net PriceMedian Debt
Lifetime Value Added
West Lafayette
IN
$107,557
Nat: $91,449
4yr Post-Grad
$14,600
/yr
$22,111
+$364k
Irvine
CA
$106,547
Nat: $91,449
4yr Post-Grad
$14,251
/yr
$7,500
+$357k
San Luis Obispo
CA
$100,599
Nat: $91,449
4yr Post-Grad
$16,665
/yr
$17,000
+$303k
Ann Arbor
MI
$98,879
Nat: $91,449
4yr Post-Grad
$13,138
/yr
$16,250
+$303k
Champaign
IL
$97,924
Nat: $91,449
4yr Post-Grad
$14,355
/yr
$17,350
+$291k
College Park
MD
$97,714
Nat: $91,449
4yr Post-Grad
$15,678
/yr
-
+$285k
Seattle
WA
$95,314
Nat: $91,449
4yr Post-Grad
$14,091
/yr
$19,485
+$272k
Waterbury
CT
$93,464
Nat: $91,449
4yr Post-Grad
$10,875
/yr
$27,000
+$270k
Groton
CT
$93,464
Nat: $91,449
4yr Post-Grad
$13,807
/yr
$27,000
+$259k
Atlanta
GA
$92,260
Nat: $91,449
4yr Post-Grad
$12,116
/yr
$16,936
+$256k
East Lansing
MI
$95,761
Nat: $91,449
4yr Post-Grad
$19,680
/yr
$24,385
+$255k
Hartford
CT
$93,464
Nat: $91,449
4yr Post-Grad
$16,403
/yr
$27,000
+$250k
Stamford
CT
$93,464
Nat: $91,449
4yr Post-Grad
$16,798
/yr
$27,000
+$248k
Houghton
MI
$92,070
Nat: $91,449
4yr Post-Grad
$14,182
/yr
$26,000
+$247k
Gainesville
FL
$87,779
Nat: $91,449
4yr Post-Grad
$6,541
/yr
-
+$242k
Winona
MN
$91,528
Nat: $91,449
4yr Post-Grad
$17,503
/yr
$22,000
+$231k
Madison
WI
$91,265
Nat: $91,449
4yr Post-Grad
$17,354
/yr
$20,195
+$229k
Davis
CA
$89,983
Nat: $91,449
4yr Post-Grad
$14,741
/yr
$18,777
+$229k
Tempe
AZ
$89,913
Nat: $91,449
4yr Post-Grad
$14,967
/yr
$23,557
+$228k
Raleigh
NC
$89,968
Nat: $91,449
4yr Post-Grad
$17,303
/yr
$21,111
+$220k
Storrs
CT
$93,464
Nat: $91,449
4yr Post-Grad
$25,097
/yr
$27,000
+$218k
Bethlehem
PA
$97,904
Nat: $91,449
4yr Post-Grad
$36,931
/yr
$26,324
+$210k
Pullman
WA
$86,145
Nat: $91,449
4yr Post-Grad
$14,971
/yr
$28,750
+$199k
Blacksburg
VA
$90,828
Nat: $91,449
4yr Post-Grad
$24,953
/yr
$27,000
+$199k
Columbus
OH
$86,084
Nat: $91,449
4yr Post-Grad
$17,339
/yr
$19,500
+$190k
Philadelphia
PA
$94,694
Nat: $91,449
4yr Post-Grad
$38,509
/yr
$31,000
+$179k
Minneapolis
MN
$83,945
Nat: $91,449
4yr Post-Grad
$16,778
/yr
$21,018
+$176k
Lexington
KY
$84,796
Nat: $91,449
4yr Post-Grad
$18,851
/yr
-
+$175k
Clemson
SC
$85,883
Nat: $91,449
4yr Post-Grad
$22,253
/yr
$25,246
+$171k
Birmingham
AL
$83,985
Nat: $91,449
4yr Post-Grad
$18,749
/yr
-
+$169k
Milwaukee
WI
$82,131
Nat: $91,449
4yr Post-Grad
$15,014
/yr
-
+$168k
Ames
IA
$83,416
Nat: $91,449
4yr Post-Grad
$18,589
/yr
$23,000
+$165k
Denton
TX
$78,250
Nat: $91,449
4yr Post-Grad
$15,649
/yr
$24,000
+$136k
Philadelphia
PA
$76,460
Nat: $91,449
2yr Post-Grad
$28,699
/yr
-
+$99k
Troy
NY
$82,947
Nat: $91,449
4yr Post-Grad
$36,228
/yr
$23,250
+$98k
Cambridge
MA
$65,238
Nat: $91,449
2yr Post-Grad
$20,111
/yr
-
+$41k
Ithaca
NY
$68,778
Nat: $91,449
2yr Post-Grad
$28,690
/yr
$16,199
+$38k
Auburn
AL
-
Nat: $91,449
$24,323
/yr
-
-$0
Los Angeles
CA
-
Nat: $91,449
$12,548
/yr
-
-$0
Riverside
CA
-
Nat: $91,449
$14,304
/yr
-
-$0
Boise
ID
-
Nat: $91,449
$21,610
/yr
$21,500
-$0
Moscow
ID
-
Nat: $91,449
$14,831
/yr
-
-$0
Chicago
IL
-
Nat: $91,449
$18,425
/yr
-
-$0
Baton Rouge
LA
-
Nat: $91,449
$19,151
/yr
-
-$0
Baltimore
MD
-
Nat: $91,449
$18,809
/yr
-
-$0
Socorro
NM
-
Nat: $91,449
$9,873
/yr
-
-$0
Alfred
NY
-
Nat: $91,449
$25,620
/yr
-
-$0
Albany
NY
-
Nat: $91,449
$17,167
/yr
-
-$0
Cleveland
OH
-
Nat: $91,449
$41,190
/yr
-
-$0
Wright State University-Main Campus
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
Dayton
OH
-
Nat: $91,449
$15,415
/yr
-
-$0
Pittsburgh
PA
-
Nat: $91,449
$30,434
/yr
-
-$0
Austin
TX
-
Nat: $91,449
$19,857
/yr
-
-$0
Salt Lake City
UT
-
Nat: $91,449
$16,200
/yr
-
-$0
Eau Claire
WI
-
Nat: $91,449
$16,550
/yr
-
-$0
Stanford
CA
-
Nat: $91,449
$13,807
/yr
-
-$0
Merced
CA
-
Nat: $91,449
$11,983
/yr
-
-$0
Evanston
IL
$63,005
Nat: $91,449
2yr Post-Grad
$29,167
/yr
-
-$10k
Knoxville
TN
$58,221
Nat: $91,449
2yr Post-Grad
$18,976
/yr
$19,500
-$12k
Analysis Notes:
  • Lifetime Value Added: Net Present Value (NPV) of estimated career earnings relative to a median high school graduate, accounting for this institution's average cost and taxes.
  • Avg Net Price: The average price paid by students who receive federal financial aid (grants/loans).
Important Note: Your ROI with any major will depend on the cost you pay to attend the program, and your starting salary. Both vary significantly across institutions. We encourage you to explore the ROI of a specific program variant by selecting the Program title of the credential level you are interested in. You will then have a more detailed return analysis for programs at specific institutions. We also encourage you to use the ROI calculator, or for more sophisticated analysis, the Guided ROI Interview, with your specific estimates of cost and salary.