Bachelor's+4% vs national median503 grads tracked
Materials Engineering at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Ranked 2nd of 20 bachelor's programs in Materials Engineering by 5-year earnings.
Median · 1 year out
$78,023
middle 50%: $55,542 – $90,604
Median · 5 years out
$98,443
middle 50%: $76,854 – $121,802
Median · 10 years out
$134,030
middle 50%: $102,295 – $176,056
Salary trajectory
Median earnings vs the national median for Materials Engineering (bachelor's) graduates.
This program (median)National median, same major & degreeMiddle 50% of graduates
Materials Engineering graduates earn a median of $78k in their first year. This climbs to $134k after a decade of professional experience.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau PSEO, release V4.13.0 2025Q4. Earnings are for graduates working in covered states; figures are medians in nominal dollars.
Will the degree pay for itself?
Drag the sliders — payback uses this program's actual salary curve.
Assumes a 6.5% APR loan and this program's median salary trajectory (interpolated between years 1, 5 and 10).
Paid off in
4 yrs
≈ $4,307 total interest
Same major at other universities
Purdue University
$99,765 · 5 yrs out
Georgia Institute of Technology
$98,225 · 5 yrs out
Arizona State University
$98,163 · 5 yrs out
University of Alabama at Birmingham
$96,151 · 5 yrs out
University of Connecticut
$95,850 · 5 yrs out
University of Michigan
$95,736 · 5 yrs out
University of Wisconsin - Madison
$95,335 · 5 yrs out
Iowa State University of Science & Technology
$94,535 · 5 yrs out
University of Cincinnati
$94,485 · 5 yrs out
Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University
$93,428 · 5 yrs out
Ohio State University (The)
$93,261 · 5 yrs out
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
$92,424 · 5 yrs out
Other majors at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services (Doctorate)
$226,077 · 5 yrs out
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services (Master's)
$206,093 · 5 yrs out
Computer Science (Bachelor's)
$177,207 · 5 yrs out
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services (Bachelor's)
$176,681 · 5 yrs out
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services (Doctorate)
$173,815 · 5 yrs out
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's)
$164,239 · 5 yrs out
Mathematics and Computer Science (Bachelor's)
$159,201 · 5 yrs out
Computer Engineering (Bachelor's)
$152,834 · 5 yrs out
Engineering (Doctorate)
$151,479 · 5 yrs out
Physical Sciences (Doctorate)
$126,011 · 5 yrs out
Legal Professions and Studies (Doctorate)
$125,106 · 5 yrs out
Law (Doctorate)
$125,106 · 5 yrs out
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