Pasadena, California · Private Non-Profit
Materials Engineering at California Institute of Technology
Read the reported program-share signal, school-wide price, and outcome proxy before comparing peer schools in this field. The enrollment proxy is about 39 students when that share is applied to current enrollment.
Program snapshot
3.9% reported share makes this a focused program signal in federal data.
This major
- Program signal
- 3.9%
- Enrollment proxy
- ~39
- Schools with reported signal
- 110
Admissions
- Acceptance rate (school)
- 2.6%
- Graduation rate
- 94.4%
Cost
- Avg net price (school)
- $16,075/yr
- 4-year cost (est.)
- $64,300
Outcomes
- Median earnings 10y
- $128,566/yr
- ROI grade (school)
- A+
College Scorecard reports school-wide earnings and price, not per-major outcomes for individual colleges. Program share is a concentration signal, not a promise of department quality. Use it as a proxy, then verify department-level outcomes with the school.
Value among peer schools
Compared with 110 schools that report this field.
This page treats cost and earnings as school-wide context, not department-level outcomes. The reported share is 7.2x the national average concentration; the school-wide net price is lower than the peer average ($3,570 below), and ten-year median earnings are higher than the peer average ($55,826 above). That combination produces a A+ value grade and a top 6% ROI position within this field set.
See the national program hub →Comparable programs
Peer schools below also report a positive program-share signal and are sorted by value grade.
Stanford University Stanford, CA · 1.8% reported share · $13,807 net A+ Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus Atlanta, GA · 1.2% reported share · $12,116 net A+ 
California State University-Northridge Northridge, CA · 0.1% reported share · $7,021 net A+ New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology Socorro, NM · 4.7% reported share · $9,873 net A+ Snow College Ephraim, UT · 0.7% reported share · $5,552 net A+ Questions about this program
How big is the program signal?
Materials Engineering accounts for 3.9% of reported programs at California Institute of Technology, which is bigger than 98% of schools in this field set and 7.2x the national average concentration. The enrollment proxy is about 39 students when that share is applied to current enrollment.
How should I read the cost number?
California Institute of Technology's average net price is $16,075 per year, about $64,300 over four years. That is $3,570 below the $19,645 peer average, before your own aid package changes the final bill.
Are the earnings major-specific?
No. The $128,566 median earnings figure is school-wide ten years after entry. It is $55,826 above the $72,740 average among schools reporting this field, so treat it as an outcomes proxy rather than a department guarantee.
What should I compare next?
Start with program share, net price after aid, graduation rate, location, and whether the department publishes placement or licensure outcomes. EduGradify ranks California Institute of Technology #7 of 110 schools in this field set by school-wide ROI proxy.