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College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
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2026 Best Materials Engineering Schools in the Southeast Region

12 Colleges in the United States
548 Materials Engineering Degrees Awarded
$66,770 Avg Early-Career Salary

Materials Engineering is a field worth a close look when choosing where to study. The schools below stand out for the quality of their materials engineering programs.

To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 24 schools to find the best for materials engineering students.

What’s on this page:

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Best Schools for Materials Engineering in the Southeast Region

If you are not interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the materials engineering degrees they offer, see the list below.

Top Schools in Materials Engineering

1

No school ranked higher than Georgia Institute Of Technology Main Campus this year for materials engineering. This very large public university is located in the city of Atlanta. Roughly 94% of students complete a degree within six years here. Georgia Institute Of Technology Main Campus awarded about 114 materials engineering degrees in the most recent data year. Students who receive their materials engineering degree from Georgia Institute Of Technology Main Campus earn around $76,488 in the first couple years of their career. Georgia Institute Of Technology Main Campus graduates carry a median of $17,123 in student loans. More information about a degree in materials engineering from Georgia Institute Of Technology Main Campus

2

University Of Virginia Main Campus came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best materials engineering schools. Set in the suburb of Charlottesville, University Of Virginia Main Campus is a very large public institution. Roughly 96% of students complete a degree within six years here. University Of Virginia Main Campus awarded about 36 materials engineering degrees in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, materials engineering degree recipients from University Of Virginia Main Campus generally make around $69,126. Students borrow a median of $18,627 to complete this degree. More information about a degree in materials engineering from University Of Virginia Main Campus

3
University Of Florida crest
University Of Florida
Gainesville, FL

University Of Florida came in at #3 on our 2026 list of the best materials engineering schools. This very large public university is located in the city of Gainesville. University Of Florida graduates 91% of students within six years. University Of Florida awarded about 101 materials engineering degrees in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, materials engineering degree recipients from University Of Florida generally make around $88,363. Typical student debt for the program is $17,669. Get the full materials engineering details for University Of Florida

4

North Carolina State University At Raleigh is one of the finest schools in the country for a degree in materials engineering, ranking #4. North Carolina State University At Raleigh is a very large public school located in the city of Raleigh. Roughly 85% of students complete a degree within six years here. There were roughly 63 materials engineering students who graduated with this degree at North Carolina State University At Raleigh in the most recent data year. Graduates of the materials engineering program make about $74,058 in their early career. Students borrow a median of $21,111 to complete this degree. See the full materials engineering program report for North Carolina State University At Raleigh

5

Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University came in at #5 on our 2026 list of the best materials engineering schools. Set in the city of Blacksburg, Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University is a very large public institution. About 86% of students finish within six years. About 65 materials engineering degrees were awarded at Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University in the most recent year. Soon after graduation, materials engineering degree recipients from Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University generally make around $66,888. Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University graduates carry a median of $27,000 in student loans. See the full materials engineering program report for Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University

6

The University Of Tennessee earned the #6 position for materials engineering this year. This very large public university is located in the city of Knoxville. The University Of Tennessee graduates 74% of students within six years. There were roughly 39 materials engineering students who graduated with this degree at The University Of Tennessee in the most recent data year. Graduates of the materials engineering program make about $63,505 in their early career. Students borrow a median of $19,500 to complete this degree. More information about a degree in materials engineering from The University Of Tennessee

7
Auburn University crest
Auburn University
Auburn, AL

Auburn University earned the #7 position for materials engineering this year. Located in the city of Auburn, Auburn University is a very large public university. About 82% of students finish within six years. Auburn University awarded about 22 materials engineering degrees in the most recent data year. Students who receive their materials engineering degree from Auburn University earn around $55,422 in the first couple years of their career. Typical student debt for the program is $22,803. Read more about the materials engineering program at Auburn University

8

University Of Central Florida placed #8 among the best materials engineering schools. This very large public university is located in the suburb of Orlando. The six-year graduation rate is 78%. There were roughly 30 materials engineering students who graduated with this degree at University Of Central Florida in the most recent data year. Students who receive their materials engineering degree from University Of Central Florida earn around $51,790 in the first couple years of their career. University Of Central Florida graduates carry a median of $21,620 in student loans. More information about a degree in materials engineering from University Of Central Florida

9
Clemson University crest
Clemson University
Clemson, SC

Clemson University ranked #9 on our 2026 list of the best materials engineering schools. Located in the suburb of Clemson, Clemson University is a very large public university. Clemson University graduates 87% of students within six years. There were roughly 35 materials engineering students who graduated with this degree at Clemson University in the most recent data year. Students who receive their materials engineering degree from Clemson University earn around $69,763 in the first couple years of their career. Clemson University graduates carry a median of $25,243 in student loans. Get the full materials engineering details for Clemson University

10

University Of Kentucky came in at #10 for materials engineering this year. This very large public university is located in the city of Lexington. About 71% of students finish within six years. There were roughly 23 materials engineering students who graduated with this degree at University Of Kentucky in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, materials engineering degree recipients from University Of Kentucky generally make around $49,568. Typical student debt for the program is $24,094. Read more about the materials engineering program at University Of Kentucky

11

University Of Alabama At Birmingham earned the #11 position for materials engineering this year. This very large public university is located in the city of Birmingham. The six-year graduation rate is 64%. About 20 materials engineering degrees were awarded at University Of Alabama At Birmingham in the most recent year. Materials Engineering graduates of University Of Alabama At Birmingham earn a median of $69,498 early in their careers. Typical student debt for the program is $26,162. See the full materials engineering program report for University Of Alabama At Birmingham

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Notes and References

This list is compiled 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 · 24 schools evaluated.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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