Troy, New York · Private Non-Profit
Materials Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Read the reported program-share signal, school-wide price, and outcome proxy before comparing peer schools in this field. The enrollment proxy is about 91 students when that share is applied to current enrollment.
Program snapshot
1.6% reported share makes this a focused program signal in federal data.
This major
- Program signal
- 1.6%
- Enrollment proxy
- ~91
- Schools with reported signal
- 110
Admissions
- Acceptance rate (school)
- 63.5%
- Graduation rate
- 83.6%
Cost
- Avg net price (school)
- $36,228/yr
- 4-year cost (est.)
- $144,912
- Median debt
- $23,750
Outcomes
- Median earnings 10y
- $102,051/yr
- ROI grade (school)
- C
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 2.9x the national average concentration; the school-wide net price is higher than the peer average ($16,583 above), and ten-year median earnings are higher than the peer average ($29,311 above). That combination produces a C value grade and a top 83% 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+ 
California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA · 3.9% reported share · $16,075 net A+ New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology Socorro, NM · 4.7% reported share · $9,873 net A+ Questions about this program
How big is the program signal?
Materials Engineering accounts for 1.6% of reported programs at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, which is bigger than 92% of schools in this field set and 2.9x the national average concentration. The enrollment proxy is about 91 students when that share is applied to current enrollment.
How should I read the cost number?
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's average net price is $36,228 per year, about $144,912 over four years. That is $16,583 above the $19,645 peer average, before your own aid package changes the final bill.
Are the earnings major-specific?
No. The $102,051 median earnings figure is school-wide ten years after entry. It is $29,311 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 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute #91 of 110 schools in this field set by school-wide ROI proxy.