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2026 Best Value General Materials Engineering Schools in Illinois
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the general materials engineering degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value General Materials Engineering Schools
University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign tops our 2026 list of the best value general materials engineering schools in Illinois. University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign is a very large public school located in the city of Champaign. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $18,267, compared with $40,096 for out-of-state students. General Materials Engineering graduates carry a median of $17,916 in student loans. Soon after graduation, general materials engineering degree recipients from University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign generally make around $75,080. That is a strong return on a $17,916 median debt. Roughly 42% of applicants are accepted.
Northwestern University is a great value for students pursuing a degree in general materials engineering, landing the #2 spot this year. Set in the city of Evanston, Northwestern University is a very large private not-for-profit institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $68,322. Typical student debt for general materials engineering graduates is $16,616. General Materials Engineering graduates of Northwestern University earn a median of $78,551 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 8% of applicants are accepted.
Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 4 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 2 ranked 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 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
ADBLOCK #116
[General Materials Engineering](/majors/engineering/materials-engineering/general-materials-engineering/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
