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Materials Engineering.
Bachelor's Degree•58 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 Price | Median 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.