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2026 Best Value General Materials Engineering Schools in Colorado

[General Materials Engineering](/majors/engineering/materials-engineering/general-materials-engineering/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.

For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 3 schools to find the best return on investment for general materials engineering students.

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• Best Value General Materials Engineering Schools in Colorado

2026 Best Value General Materials Engineering Schools in Colorado

Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in general materials engineering, balancing cost against outcomes.

Best Value General Materials Engineering Schools

1

Metropolitan State College Of Denver
Denver, CO

$11,124 In-State Tuition & Fees

$27,484 Avg Student Debt

$52,093 Median Earnings (10yr)

Our analysis ranked Metropolitan State College Of Denver the best value for a degree in general materials engineering in Colorado. Metropolitan State College Of Denver is a very large public school located in the city of Denver. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $11,124, compared with $30,684 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for general materials engineering graduates is $27,484. Soon after graduation, general materials engineering degree recipients from Metropolitan State College Of Denver generally make around $44,861. That is a strong return on a $27,484 median debt. Roughly 99% of applicants are accepted.

2

Colorado School Of Mines
Golden, CO

$21,914 In-State Tuition & Fees

$24,521 Avg Student Debt

$97,335 Median Earnings (10yr)

Students looking for strong value in general materials engineering will find it at Colorado School Of Mines, which ranked #2. Colorado School Of Mines is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Golden. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $21,914, while out-of-state students pay about $45,824. Typical student debt for general materials engineering graduates is $24,521. Early-career general materials engineering graduates make about $76,298. Set against $24,521 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 61% of applicants are accepted.

View All General Materials Engineering Rankings >

Notes and References

This list is compiled 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 · 3 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.