Best Materials Engineering Degrees in the US by ROI

Top colleges ranked by estimated 20-year net return on investment across all active states. Data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

Programs Analyzed

Colleges with salary data

Average 20-Yr Net ROI

+$470,095

Across all programs

Average Annual Cost

$37,336

Cost of attendance

#	College	State	20-Yr Net ROI	Median Salary	Annual Cost	Avg Debt
1	University of Pennsylvania Grad rate: 96.5%	PA	+$746,568	$96,476	$85,738	N/A	Full ROI →
2	California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo Grad rate: 85.3%	CA	+$732,238	$85,743	$29,918	$17,000	Full ROI →
3	University of North Texas Grad rate: 59.2%	TX	+$700,288	$83,919	$25,470	$26,823	Full ROI →
4	Arizona State University Campus Immersion Grad rate: 67.4%	AZ	+$699,272	$84,175	$28,047	$23,733	Full ROI →
5	University of Washington-Seattle Campus Grad rate: 84.0%	WA	+$659,376	$82,437	$30,282	$20,915	Full ROI →
6	University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Grad rate: 93.2%	MI	+$599,597	$79,847	$33,345	$17,750	Full ROI →
7	University of Maryland-College Park Grad rate: 88.9%	MD	+$591,048	$77,167	$28,073	N/A	Full ROI →
8	Michigan State University Grad rate: 81.9%	MI	+$527,369	$76,359	$30,528	$27,925	Full ROI →
9	University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Grad rate: 84.8%	IL	+$523,957	$75,834	$32,134	$17,916	Full ROI →
10	Ohio State University-Main Campus Grad rate: 87.9%	OH	+$523,815	$75,371	$29,320	$19,500	Full ROI →
11	Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus Grad rate: 92.4%	GA	+$517,435	$74,587	$27,797	$17,123	Full ROI →
12	University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Grad rate: 84.6%	MN	+$500,900	$74,282	$29,013	$21,250	Full ROI →
13	Michigan Technological University Grad rate: 68.2%	MI	+$488,690	$74,767	$32,550	$27,000	Full ROI →
14	Iowa State University Grad rate: 75.0%	IA	+$472,465	$71,846	$23,309	$23,125	Full ROI →
15	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Grad rate: 86.3%	VA	+$431,350	$71,798	$32,040	$27,000	Full ROI →
16	University of Alabama at Birmingham Grad rate: 63.4%	AL	+$430,196	$69,075	$27,826	N/A	Full ROI →
17	Drexel University Grad rate: 77.6%	PA	+$420,302	$80,141	$75,167	$31,000	Full ROI →
18	University of Wisconsin-Madison Grad rate: 89.3%	WI	+$415,267	$69,713	$27,770	$20,676	Full ROI →
19	Winona State University Grad rate: 60.7%	MN	+$382,848	$67,302	$23,373	$22,000	Full ROI →
20	Cornell University Grad rate: 95.2%	NY	+$377,356	$78,722	$83,196	$18,000	Full ROI →
21	University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus Grad rate: 59.7%	CT	+$359,342	$65,973	$20,917	$27,000	Full ROI →
22	University of Connecticut-Avery Point Grad rate: 57.8%	CT	+$356,598	$65,973	$21,603	$27,000	Full ROI →
23	University of Connecticut-Hartford Campus Grad rate: 63.9%	CT	+$342,886	$65,973	$25,031	$27,000	Full ROI →
24	Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Grad rate: 83.5%	NY	+$340,476	$76,580	$79,934	$23,250	Full ROI →
25	University of Connecticut-Stamford Grad rate: 59.5%	CT	+$332,062	$65,973	$27,737	$27,000	Full ROI →
26	Massachusetts Institute of Technology Grad rate: 95.5%	MA	+$301,120	$73,026	$79,850	N/A	Full ROI →
27	University of Connecticut Grad rate: 83.5%	CT	+$296,722	$65,973	$36,572	$27,000	Full ROI →
28	University of Florida Grad rate: 90.7%	FL	+$287,564	$60,722	$21,719	N/A	Full ROI →
29	Clemson University Grad rate: 86.6%	SC	+$275,645	$64,385	$34,494	$25,243	Full ROI →

How ROI is calculated

20-Year Net ROI = Gross Earnings (salary × 20) − Total Degree Cost − Debt Payoff (×1.35) − Baseline Opportunity Cost ($42,000 × 20). Data from the U.S. College Scorecard.

Find Best Materials Engineering Degrees by State

Browse Materials Engineering programs ranked by 20-year ROI in every state that offers this degree.