by our College Data Analytics Team
[Materials Engineering](/majors/engineering/materials-engineering/) is a field where your choice of school can shape what you earn after graduation. The schools below stand out for the salaries their materials engineering graduates go on to command.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 6 schools on the early-career earnings of their materials engineering graduates.
What’s on this page:
The right materials engineering school can pay off in your paycheck for years to come. That is why we built our Highest Paid Materials Engineering Graduates ranking. It looks at the median early-career salaries graduates earn, so you can find the schools whose materials engineering degrees pay off the most.
Read more about our methodology
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we offer several rankings, including this Highest Paid Materials Engineering Graduates list, to help you choose. Want schools in a particular part of the country? Narrow the list by region or state.
Want to compare schools head to head? Try our College Combat tool to weigh the factors that matter most to you.
If you want to know which schools send materials engineering graduates into the highest-paying careers, see the list below.
For graduate earnings in materials engineering, no school beat Arizona State University this year. Set in the city of Tempe, Arizona State University is a public institution. Materials Engineering graduates of Arizona State University earn a median of about $108,956 a year early in their careers.
A rank of #2 makes Arizona State University Skysong one of the highest-paying schools for materials engineering. Located in the city of Scottsdale, Arizona State University Skysong is a public institution. Materials Engineering graduates of Arizona State University Skysong earn a median of about $108,956 a year early in their careers.
University Of California Los Angeles came in at #3 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying materials engineering schools. Set in the city of Los Angeles, University Of California Los Angeles is a public institution. Early-career materials engineering graduates from University Of California Los Angeles make a median of around $98,154 per year.
Strong graduate earnings at University Of Florida earned it the #4 place for materials engineering. Set in the city of Gainesville, University Of Florida is a public institution. After graduating, materials engineering degree recipients from University Of Florida typically earn about $97,525 annually.
A rank of #5 makes Drexel University one of the highest-paying schools for materials engineering. Located in the city of Philadelphia, Drexel University is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, materials engineering degree recipients from Drexel University typically earn about $85,503 annually.
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University Of Washington Seattle Campus came in at #6 for materials engineering graduate earnings this year. University Of Washington Seattle Campus is a public school located in the city of Seattle. After graduating, materials engineering degree recipients from University Of Washington Seattle Campus typically earn about $73,738 annually.
This ranking is produced by College Factual, 2026 edition. The methodology measures the salaries materials engineering graduates go on to earn early in their careers, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).
Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 6 schools evaluated.
*Salary figures reflect median early-career earnings (about 5 years after graduation) and may vary by how long a person takes to complete their degree.
More about our data sources and methodologies.