2026 Best Value General Materials Engineering Schools in Minnesota

[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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2026 Best Value General Materials Engineering Schools in Minnesota
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
For return on investment in general materials engineering, no school beat University Of Minnesota Twin Cities this year. Set in the city of Minneapolis, University Of Minnesota Twin Cities is a very large public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $17,214, compared with $38,362 for out-of-state students. General Materials Engineering graduates carry a median of $21,250 in student loans. General Materials Engineering graduates of University Of Minnesota Twin Cities earn a median of $60,445 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $21,250 median debt. Roughly 80% of applicants are accepted.
Winona State University is a great value for students pursuing a degree in general materials engineering, landing the #2 spot this year. Winona State University is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Winona. Students from in state pay about $10,576 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $17,308. Typical student debt for general materials engineering graduates is $22,000. General Materials Engineering graduates of Winona State University earn a median of $72,944 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $22,000 median debt. Roughly 76% of applicants are accepted.
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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.