Cheapest Materials Engineering Colleges in California

Stanford makes Materials Engineering remarkably accessible with $12,136 net costs despite $62,484 sticker prices, leading nine California programs spanning $12,136 to $18,902. This reflects California's massive financial aid infrastructure supporting the state's aerospace and semiconductor industries, where materials engineers develop everything from SpaceX rocket components to advanced computer chips. The UC system dominates affordability with six schools under $16,000 net cost.

Programs

$12,136 – $18,902

Net Price Range

$68,219

Avg. Program Earnings

82.8%

Avg. Graduation Rate

9 Materials Engineering Programs

Program rankings
#	School	Net Price	In-State Tuition	Graduation Rate	Acceptance Rate
1	Stanford University Stanford, California	$12,136	$62,484	92.8%	3.7%
2	University of California-Merced Merced, California	$12,744	$14,167	69.1%	89.5%
3	University of California-Irvine Irvine, California	$12,840	$14,237	86.0%	21.2%
4	University of California-Riverside Riverside, California	$13,707	$14,170	76.6%	68.7%
5	San Jose State University San Jose, California	$13,741	$7,992	64.7%	76.7%
6	University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, California	$14,013	$13,747	92.7%	8.6%
7	University of California-Davis Davis, California	$15,288	$15,247	85.1%	37.3%
8	California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, California	$15,624	$11,075	85.2%	30.4%
9	California Institute of Technology Pasadena, California	$18,902	$63,255	93.2%	2.7%

Frequently Asked Questions

How does Stanford achieve such low net costs for Materials Engineering students?

Stanford's net cost of $12,136 represents a $50,348 discount from its $62,484 sticker price through need-based financial aid. This makes Stanford actually cheaper than most UC campuses for qualifying students, despite being a private institution.

What explains the wide acceptance rate gap between California's Materials Engineering programs?

Acceptance rates range from Caltech's ultra-selective 2.69% to UC Merced's accessible 89.46%, a 33-fold difference. This reflects California's tiered higher education system, where newer UC campuses like Merced provide broader access while maintaining research university quality.

Does graduation rate correlate with program cost in California Materials Engineering?

The highest graduation rates come from Stanford (92.80%), UCLA (92.70%), and Caltech (93.20%), which also represent the most expensive sticker prices. However, net costs tell a different story, with Stanford and UCLA both offering sub-$15,000 net costs for many students.

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Net price reflects the average cost after grants and scholarships for first-time, full-time students. See our methodology for details.