Best Schools for Chemistry
Chemistry graduates earn a median of $66,701 within four years of graduating, ranking #131 out of 283 tracked majors — 7% above the median across all fields. There are 297 colleges nationwide with tracked earnings for this major, producing 7,096 recent graduates.
Where you study matters: College of the Holy Cross graduates earn $93,122 while University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras graduates earn $43,731 — a $49,391 difference. Factors like location, employer networks, co-op programs, and curriculum focus drive this gap. Across all fields, though, which major you pick separates earnings more than which college does.
Early career salary growth is modest: Chemistry graduates see an average 5% increase between year 1 and year 2 post-graduation, reflecting career advancement and skill development in the first years after college.
Public vs Private: Chemistry
Private schools produce $2,293 more in early earnings on average for Chemistry graduates. Factor in tuition difference to calculate which offers better ROI.
Chemistry by State
Also by state: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Oregon, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin
Top Chemistry Schools by Graduate Earnings
College of the Holy Cross
Worcester, MA · Private
The College of New Jersey
Ewing, NJ · Public
Northeastern University
Boston, MA · Private
New York University
New York, NY · Private
University of Connecticut
Storrs, CT · Public
University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus
Waterbury, CT · Public
University of Connecticut-Avery Point
Groton, CT · Public
University of Connecticut-Stamford
Stamford, CT · Public
University of Connecticut-Hartford Campus
Hartford, CT · Public
University of Delaware
Newark, DE · Public
University of California-Berkeley
Berkeley, CA · Public
University of New Hampshire-Main Campus
Durham, NH · Public
Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA · Private
University of Oregon
Eugene, OR · Public
Salem State University
Salem, MA · Public
Bridgewater State University
Bridgewater, MA · Public
California State University-Northridge
Northridge, CA · Public
University of Maryland-College Park
College Park, MD · Public
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville
Knoxville, TN · Public
Rowan University
Glassboro, NJ · Public
Willamette University
Salem, OR · Private
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY · Private
University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth
North Dartmouth, MA · Public
Emory University
Atlanta, GA · Private
Boise State University
Boise, ID · Public
Oregon State University
Corvallis, OR · Public
Oregon State University-Cascades Campus
Bend, OR · Public
University of Massachusetts-Amherst
Amherst, MA · Public
William & Mary
Williamsburg, VA · Public
Temple University
Philadelphia, PA · Public
George Mason University
Fairfax, VA · Public
Le Moyne College
Syracuse, NY · Private
University of California-San Diego
La Jolla, CA · Public
North Carolina State University at Raleigh
Raleigh, NC · Public
Metropolitan State University of Denver
Denver, CO · Public
Towson University
Towson, MD · Public
Central Washington University
Ellensburg, WA · Public
SUNY College at Geneseo
Geneseo, NY · Public
University of California-Irvine
Irvine, CA · Public
University of California-Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA · Public
San Diego State University
San Diego, CA · Public
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA · Public
University of Massachusetts-Lowell
Lowell, MA · Public
California State University-Sacramento
Sacramento, CA · Public
Bloomfield College of Montclair State University
Bloomfield, NJ · Public
Montclair State University
Montclair, NJ · Public
Indiana State University
Terre Haute, IN · Public
University of Kentucky
Lexington, KY · Public
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Blacksburg, VA · Public
California State University-Stanislaus
Turlock, CA · Public
Showing top 50 of 297 schools. View all or filter by state above.
Majors with Similar Earnings
Frequently Asked Questions
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Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Earnings are median 2 years after graduation for bachelor's degree holders, from the field-of-study file last updated June 2026. Institution-level figures elsewhere on the site come from the June 2026 release — Scorecard publishes the two separately.
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