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College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2026 Best Materials Engineering Schools in Illinois

2 Colleges in the United States
199 Materials Engineering Degrees Awarded
$76,816 Avg Early-Career Salary

Materials Engineering degree programs prepare students for a range of careers in the field. The schools below stand out for the quality of their materials engineering programs.

For its 2026 ranking, College Factual looked at 4 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for materials engineering students pursuing a degree.

What’s on this page:

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Best Schools for Materials Engineering in Illinois

Below are the schools that deliver the strongest overall materials engineering education in Illinois.

Top Schools in Materials Engineering

1

Northwestern University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in materials engineering. Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern University is a very large private not-for-profit university. About 95% of students finish within six years. Northwestern University awarded about 86 materials engineering degrees in the most recent data year. Graduates of the materials engineering program make about $78,551 in their early career. Typical student debt for the program is $16,616. Get the full materials engineering details for Northwestern University

2

A rank of #2 makes University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign one of the top schools for materials engineering. University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign is a very large public school located in the city of Champaign. University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign graduates 85% of students within six years. About 113 materials engineering degrees were awarded at University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign in the most recent year. Materials Engineering graduates of University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign earn a median of $75,080 early in their careers. University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign graduates carry a median of $17,916 in student loans. See the full materials engineering program report for University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign

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Notes and References

The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on a blend of student outcomes (graduation rate, post-graduation earnings), affordability, and program focus, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 4 schools evaluated.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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