Materials Engineering graduates from California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo earn $100,599 median salary, above the national average for this program. Median debt: $17,000.
Materials Engineering at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, California • Bachelor's
What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for Materials Engineering at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
This page combines two federal data products: IPEDS institutional characteristics for California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo and the College Scorecard field-of-study (FOS) file for Materials Engineering at the bachelor's credential level. The FOS file is keyed by CIP (Classification of Instructional Programs) code, which means earnings and debt figures here reflect only graduates of this specific program – not the school as a whole. IPEDS reports 48 completers in the most recent cohort for this program at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo, the denominator behind the median earnings figure.
Median graduate earnings of $100,599 represent Treasury-derived wages, deferred compensation, and positive self-employment earnings four years after program completion for federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled. Compared to the national mean of $91,570 across all institutions offering Materials Engineering, graduates here earn above the national average for this program. Across all programs at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo, the mean median-earnings figure is $92,238, providing internal context for whether this specific field out-earns other options at the same institution.
Debt signals complete the ROI picture. The median cumulative federal loan debt for Materials Engineering graduates at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo is $17,000, which translates to roughly $142 per month on a standard 10-year repayment plan. The descriptive debt-to-earnings ratio is 0.17: reported annual earnings exceed cumulative debt. This is a PlainCollege comparison, not a federal gainful-employment verdict. Program-level debt and four-year post-completion earnings come from the Department of Education’s College Scorecard field-of-study snapshot retrieved in March 2026.
Earnings Comparison
Program Details
Debt & ROI
Materials Engineering at Other Schools
| School | Median Earnings | Median Debt |
|---|---|---|
| Purdue University-Main Campus | $107,557 | $22,111 |
| University of California-Irvine | $106,547 | $7,500 |
| California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo (this school) | $100,599 | $17,000 |
| University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | $98,879 | $16,250 |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | $97,924 | $17,350 |
| Lehigh University | $97,904 | $26,324 |
| University of Maryland-College Park | $97,714 | - |
| Michigan State University | $95,761 | $24,385 |
| University of Washington-Seattle Campus | $95,314 | $19,485 |
| Drexel University | $94,694 | $31,000 |
Other Programs at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
| Program | Median Earnings | Median Debt |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | $235,241 | - |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | $158,977 | - |
| Computer Science | $154,784 | $19,500 |
| Computer Engineering | $148,950 | $20,556 |
| Accounting and Related Services | $134,105 | - |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering | $132,720 | - |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | $131,448 | - |
| Mechanical Engineering | $127,908 | $20,500 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | $125,240 | $23,475 |
| Construction Management | $118,331 | $18,500 |
View all 86 programs at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo →
Other Schools with Materials Engineering
Quick picks offering the same program – compare side by side
About the Data
Data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard Field of Study file. Earnings are median earnings for graduates after completion, drawn from U.S. Treasury tax records linked to federal financial aid applicants. Institutional characteristics come from IPEDS. Debt figures represent the median cumulative federal loan debt at graduation.
Debt-to-earnings ratio compares cumulative debt to annual earnings. A ratio below 1.0 indicates that annual earnings exceed total debt, generally considered favorable. Estimated monthly payments assume a standard 10-year repayment plan.
PlainCollege's Scorecard snapshots, retrieved March–July 2026, contain 6,243 postsecondary institutions and 70,827 school-and-program earnings records.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.