College Rankings

Best Chemistry Schools

The top 25 of 208 U.S. colleges offering an undergraduate Chemistry degree, ranked by early-career earnings and return on investment — using each school's real, aid-adjusted net price rather than sticker tuition.

Is Chemistry worth it?

A bachelor’s in chemistry pays off reliably, provided you don't overpay for the degree. The entry-level market for bench chemists, quality control analysts, and lab technicians is vast, but starting salaries are generally solid rather than spectacular. Because of this, the financial winners in this field are overwhelmingly graduates of low-cost public university systems rather than elite private colleges. If you can keep your tuition in check, a chemistry degree offers a highly stable, hands-on career path that quickly pays for itself, particularly if you study near major biotech, pharmaceutical, or petrochemical hubs.

Filter by state

#	School	State	Score	Median earnings	Net price / yr	10-yr net ROI
1	California State University-Long Beach	CA	72	$50,553	$10,440†	+$464K
2	Bridgewater State University	MA	71	$55,376	$16,383†	+$488K
3	University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus	CT	71	$52,216	$10,875†	+$479K
4	Rhode Island College	RI	71	$44,648	$9,478†	+$409K
5	University of North Alabama	AL	70	$49,497	$12,170†	+$446K
6	San Francisco State University	CA	70	$44,140	$12,278†	+$392K
7	University of California-Berkeley	CA	69	$59,576	$13,481†	+$542K
8	Towson University	MD	69	$52,765	$17,413†	+$458K
9	University of Connecticut-Avery Point	CT	69	$52,216	$13,807†	+$467K
10	University of Houston	TX	69	$50,717	$14,276†	+$450K
11	University of California-San Diego	CA	69	$45,310	$12,470†	+$403K
12	Northeastern University	MA	68	$62,511	$30,915	+$501K
13	University of Delaware	DE	68	$54,055	$17,799†	+$469K
14	Ohio University-Eastern Campus	OH	68	$43,349	$3,925†	+$418K
15	University of Connecticut-Stamford	CT	67	$52,216	$16,798†	+$455K
16	University of Connecticut-Hartford Campus	CT	67	$52,216	$16,403†	+$457K
17	University of California-Merced	CA	67	$50,944	$11,983†	+$462K
18	University of Wisconsin-Whitewater	WI	67	$48,903	$14,158†	+$432K
19	University of California-Santa Barbara	CA	67	$47,197	$16,109†	+$408K
20	University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign	IL	67	$47,034	$14,355†	+$413K
21	University of Maryland-College Park	MD	67	$46,140	$15,678†	+$399K
22	Ohio University-Chillicothe Campus	OH	67	$43,349	$5,755†	+$410K
23	Ohio University-Southern Campus	OH	67	$43,349	$5,993†	+$410K
24	Ohio University-Lancaster Campus	OH	67	$43,349	$5,650†	+$411K
25	Ohio University-Zanesville Campus	OH	67	$43,349	$5,746†	+$411K
26	California State University-Stanislaus	CA	67	$39,771	$6,067†	+$373K
27	University of Wisconsin-Madison	WI	66	$48,886	$17,354†	+$419K
28	University of Washington-Bothell Campus	WA	66	$46,369	$12,319†	+$414K
29	California State University-Sacramento	CA	66	$42,581	$9,338†	+$388K
30	Rowan University	NJ	65	$53,607	$22,408†	+$446K
31	University of Washington-Seattle Campus	WA	65	$46,369	$14,091†	+$407K
32	University of California-Davis	CA	65	$42,204	$14,741†	+$363K
33	Western Washington University	WA	64	$48,527	$21,193†	+$400K
34	Cleveland State University	OH	64	$48,147	$14,764†	+$422K
35	East Carolina University	NC	64	$47,875	$15,739†	+$416K
36	University of Minnesota-Twin Cities	MN	64	$47,451	$16,778†	+$407K
37	Southern Illinois University Edwardsville	IL	64	$46,659	$14,889†	+$407K
38	University of California-Irvine	CA	64	$43,766	$14,251†	+$381K
39	California State University-San Bernardino	CA	64	$40,402	$4,564†	+$386K
40	University of Wisconsin-Platteville	WI	63	$49,386	$16,032†	+$430K
41	University at Albany	NY	63	$48,276	$17,167†	+$414K
42	Rutgers University-Camden	NJ	63	$44,949	$18,745†	+$375K
43	Rutgers University-Newark	NJ	63	$44,949	$19,703†	+$371K
44	University of Pittsburgh-Bradford	PA	63	$43,571	$15,350†	+$374K
45	California State Polytechnic University-Pomona	CA	63	$43,294	$11,531†	+$387K
46	University of Arizona	AZ	63	$43,013	$16,674†	+$363K
47	University of California-Los Angeles	CA	63	$42,358	$12,548†	+$373K
48	Texas A&M University-College Station	TX	62	$49,462	$21,315†	+$409K
49	University of Minnesota-Duluth	MN	62	$44,674	$18,743†	+$372K
50	Ohio State University-Main Campus	OH	62	$42,698	$17,339†	+$358K
51	University of Connecticut	CT	61	$52,216	$25,097†	+$422K
52	University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire	WI	61	$50,659	$16,550†	+$440K
53	Purdue University-Main Campus	IN	61	$47,213	$14,600†	+$414K
54	Wichita State University	KS	61	$43,740	$13,194†	+$385K
55	San Diego State University	CA	61	$43,603	$15,364†	+$375K
56	University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg	PA	61	$43,571	$17,945†	+$364K
57	University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown	PA	61	$43,571	$18,202†	+$363K
58	Northern Illinois University	IL	61	$43,061	$13,391†	+$377K
59	Indiana University-Bloomington	IN	61	$42,889	$16,264†	+$364K
60	Colorado State University-Fort Collins	CO	61	$42,660	$21,279†	+$341K
61	Florida State University	FL	61	$40,629	$11,297†	+$361K
62	Portland State University	OR	61	$35,395	$9,552†	+$316K
63	Millersville University of Pennsylvania	PA	60	$50,524	$20,787†	+$422K
64	Weber State University	UT	60	$50,350	$10,258†	+$462K
65	George Mason University	VA	60	$50,304	$17,915†	+$431K
66	Murray State University	KY	60	$48,334	$9,096†	+$447K
67	California State University-Los Angeles	CA	60	$44,944	$3,967†	+$434K
68	Ball State University	IN	60	$42,677	$14,940†	+$367K
69	Northern Arizona University	AZ	60	$40,845	$14,158†	+$352K
70	Kalamazoo College	MI	60	$39,940	$19,072	+$323K
71	University of Missouri-Kansas City	MO	60	$39,725	$13,310†	+$344K
72	West Virginia University Institute of Technology	WV	60	$36,891	$9,337†	+$332K
73	CUNY Brooklyn College	NY	60	$34,239	$3,103†	+$330K
74	California State University-San Marcos	CA	59	$49,382	$10,229†	+$453K
75	Drexel University	PA	59	$49,215	$38,509	+$338K
76	California State University-Fullerton	CA	59	$45,076	$6,555†	+$425K
77	Eastern Michigan University	MI	59	$45,060	$15,407†	+$389K
78	Rutgers University-New Brunswick	NJ	59	$44,949	$24,406†	+$352K
79	California State University-Northridge	CA	59	$44,874	$7,021†	+$421K
80	Indiana University-Indianapolis	IN	59	$42,482	$11,668†	+$378K
81	Austin Peay State University	TN	59	$42,475	$9,735†	+$386K
82	Oregon State University-Cascades Campus	OR	59	$41,779	$18,048†	+$346K
83	University of Utah	UT	59	$41,275	$16,200†	+$348K
84	The University of Texas at San Antonio	TX	59	$40,700	$10,836†	+$364K
85	University of Memphis	TN	59	$36,881	$12,397†	+$319K
86	Eastern Kentucky University	KY	59	$34,512	$11,040†	+$301K
87	Montclair State University	NJ	58	$55,389	$15,566†	+$492K
88	Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Erie-Behrend College	PA	58	$47,009	$24,558†	+$372K
89	Grand Valley State University	MI	58	$46,496	$16,317†	+$400K
90	University of Northern Colorado	CO	58	$45,406	$17,760†	+$383K
91	Ohio University-Main Campus	OH	58	$43,349	$21,637†	+$347K
92	Oregon State University	OR	58	$41,779	$19,604†	+$339K
93	The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga	TN	58	$41,588	$14,265†	+$359K
94	Williams College	MA	58	$40,840	$17,716	+$338K
95	Kent State University at Kent	OH	58	$39,790	$20,787†	+$315K
96	Kennesaw State University	GA	58	$38,790	$15,048†	+$328K
97	College of the Holy Cross	MA	57	$47,313	$38,782	+$318K
98	California State University-Channel Islands	CA	57	$46,131	$9,849†	+$422K
99	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University	VA	57	$45,513	$24,953†	+$355K
100	The University of Texas at Austin	TX	57	$43,383	$19,857†	+$354K
101	State University of New York at Oswego	NY	56	$52,645	$16,236†	+$462K
102	University of Cincinnati-Main Campus	OH	56	$47,387	$25,648†	+$371K
103	Missouri State University-Springfield	MO	56	$41,166	$17,613†	+$341K
104	University of California-Santa Cruz	CA	56	$39,700	$17,890†	+$325K
105	West Virginia University	WV	56	$36,891	$15,634†	+$306K
106	Augusta University	GA	55	$48,382	$13,787†	+$429K
107	University of North Carolina Wilmington	NC	55	$44,473	$20,109†	+$364K
108	Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania	PA	55	$44,137	$15,699†	+$379K
109	Sam Houston State University	TX	55	$43,940	$16,404†	+$374K
110	University of Central Florida	FL	55	$43,634	$10,411†	+$395K
111	Appalachian State University	NC	55	$40,488	$16,836†	+$338K
112	University of Houston-Downtown	TX	55	$38,954	$10,542†	+$347K
113	Valparaiso University	IN	55	$37,526	$18,578	+$301K
114	William & Mary	VA	55	$35,130	$19,096†	+$275K
115	Marshall University	WV	55	$32,143	$7,502†	+$291K
116	Salem State University	MA	54	$49,439	$15,996†	+$430K
117	Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus	PA	54	$47,009	$32,875†	+$339K
118	University of Iowa	IA	54	$44,847	$22,531†	+$358K
119	St Olaf College	MN	54	$44,020	$23,874	+$345K
120	University of Indianapolis	IN	54	$40,612	$21,602	+$320K
121	University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee	WI	54	$36,771	$15,014†	+$308K
122	Binghamton University	NY	54	$35,115	$21,620†	+$265K
123	Salisbury University	MD	53	$50,169	$17,743†	+$431K
124	University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus	PA	53	$43,571	$30,434†	+$314K
125	Temple University	PA	53	$42,022	$28,198†	+$307K
126	University of California-Riverside	CA	53	$39,676	$14,304†	+$340K
127	University of South Carolina-Columbia	SC	53	$39,018	$22,811†	+$299K
128	Wayne State University	MI	53	$35,813	$12,766†	+$307K
129	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	NC	53	$32,516	$11,655†	+$279K
130	Western Illinois University	IL	53	$31,980	$12,937†	+$268K
131	University of North Florida	FL	53	$31,663	$10,154†	+$276K
132	CUNY Hunter College	NY	53	$29,340	$2,984†	+$281K
133	The University of Texas at Dallas	TX	52	$48,783	$18,267†	+$415K
134	Brandeis University	MA	52	$46,641	$35,736	+$323K
135	University of Akron Main Campus	OH	52	$44,970	$13,946†	+$394K
136	Fort Hays State University	KS	52	$44,261	$12,569†	+$392K
137	Louisiana Tech University	LA	52	$42,572	$11,864†	+$378K
138	The University of Tennessee-Knoxville	TN	52	$41,589	$18,976†	+$340K
139	University of North Texas	TX	52	$38,006	$15,649†	+$317K
140	University of North Carolina Asheville	NC	52	$36,891	$12,250†	+$320K
141	University of North Carolina at Charlotte	NC	52	$35,482	$15,435†	+$293K
142	Georgia Southern University	GA	52	$34,977	$15,267†	+$289K
143	Bloomfield College of Montclair State University	NJ	51	$55,389	$28,014†	+$442K
144	Hamline University	MN	51	$50,007	$20,744	+$417K
145	North Carolina State University at Raleigh	NC	51	$47,071	$17,303†	+$401K
146	Bowling Green State University-Main Campus	OH	51	$43,840	$24,022†	+$342K
147	Arizona State University Campus Immersion	AZ	51	$38,766	$14,967†	+$328K
148	Georgia State University	GA	51	$33,836	$15,931†	+$275K
149	Florida International University	FL	51	$28,660	$9,288†	+$249K
150	Monmouth University	NJ	50	$43,512	$30,988	+$311K
151	University of Louisiana at Lafayette	LA	50	$42,715	$13,530†	+$373K
152	Metropolitan State University of Denver	CO	50	$34,417	$15,327†	+$283K
153	University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus	OK	50	$31,419	$15,300†	+$253K
154	University of Maryland-Baltimore County	MD	49	$44,215	$16,467†	+$376K
155	College of Charleston	SC	49	$39,208	$18,960†	+$316K
156	University of Florida	FL	49	$25,418	$6,541†	+$228K
157	The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley	TX	49	$22,913	$4,831†	+$210K
158	University of Missouri-Columbia	MO	48	$45,279	$20,268†	+$372K
159	Michigan State University	MI	48	$39,531	$19,680†	+$317K
160	Christopher Newport University	VA	48	$39,245	$23,015†	+$300K
161	Virginia Commonwealth University	VA	48	$38,571	$23,433†	+$292K
162	New York University	NY	48	$37,249	$37,050	+$224K
163	University of North Carolina at Pembroke	NC	48	$35,579	$10,260†	+$315K
164	Florida Atlantic University	FL	48	$35,015	$8,752†	+$315K
165	University of Arkansas	AR	48	$34,872	$18,209†	+$276K
166	University of South Florida	FL	48	$29,399	$9,812†	+$255K
167	James Madison University	VA	47	$45,799	$23,322†	+$365K
168	Pacific Lutheran University	WA	47	$44,555	$19,589	+$367K
169	Iowa State University	IA	47	$43,870	$18,589†	+$364K
170	Texas State University	TX	47	$42,897	$16,805†	+$362K
171	University of Wyoming	WY	47	$40,280	$13,599†	+$348K
172	CUNY Lehman College	NY	47	$31,815	$3,148†	+$306K
173	Texas Tech University	TX	46	$31,573	$19,070†	+$239K
174	Carthage College	WI	45	$45,188	$26,565	+$346K
175	University of Louisville	KY	45	$41,842	$17,988†	+$346K
176	University of Alabama at Birmingham	AL	45	$33,931	$18,749†	+$264K
177	University of Nevada-Reno	NV	44	$39,614	$15,927†	+$332K
178	Northwest Missouri State University	MO	44	$39,478	$16,244†	+$330K
179	Radford University	VA	44	$39,090	$14,578†	+$333K
180	University of Idaho	ID	44	$38,664	$14,831†	+$327K
181	University of Virginia-Main Campus	VA	44	$30,599	$21,565†	+$220K
182	Southern Connecticut State University	CT	43	$40,767	$20,857†	+$324K
183	University of Georgia	GA	43	$31,893	$13,936†	+$263K
184	Stony Brook University	NY	43	$31,685	$18,784†	+$242K
185	Western Carolina University	NC	43	$26,513	$13,315†	+$212K
186	California State University-Fresno	CA	43	$18,896	$7,000†	+$161K
187	Emory University	GA	42	$32,130	$22,585	+$231K
188	University at Buffalo	NY	41	$35,284	$20,995†	+$269K
189	Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia	PA	40	$39,914	$29,689	+$280K
190	Boston University	MA	40	$39,157	$24,402	+$294K
191	University of Central Arkansas	AR	40	$36,946	$16,511†	+$303K
192	University of Mississippi	MS	40	$35,132	$13,314†	+$298K
193	Southern Methodist University	TX	38	$38,919	$40,892	+$226K
194	Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania	PA	38	$36,597	$19,608†	+$288K
195	California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt	CA	38	$33,972	$13,171†	+$287K
196	John Carroll University	OH	37	$30,087	$28,746	+$186K
197	Fort Lewis College	CO	36	$34,159	$17,296†	+$272K
198	Hope College	MI	36	$21,199	$27,182	+$103K
199	La Roche University	PA	35	$34,906	$20,794	+$266K
200	Cornell University	NY	33	$28,372	$28,690	+$169K
201	Whitworth University	WA	32	$33,203	$26,534	+$226K
202	University of Puerto Rico-Humacao	PR	32	$22,743	$12,675†	+$177K
203	University of New Mexico-Main Campus	NM	31	$30,122	$15,489†	+$239K
204	University of Arkansas-Fort Smith	AR	29	$22,255	$10,574†	+$180K
205	Duke University	NC	28	$29,748	$29,612	+$179K
206	Mercer University	GA	26	$25,151	$23,847	+$156K
207	University of Richmond	VA	26	$22,881	$31,309	+$104K
208	University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez	PR	25	$16,465	$17,936†	+$93K

Top 10 programs by 10-year net ROI

How to read this: Median earnings = typical pay one year after graduation. Net price = average annual cost after grant aid, incl. living costs — not sticker tuition. 10-yr net ROI = ten years of earnings minus four years of net price. Score = the CollegeRanked Score (0–100) that sets the order — it blends ROI with longer-run earnings, job demand and automation resilience, so a school can outrank one with a slightly higher 10-yr ROI. † = public university — net price shown is the in-state cost; out-of-state students pay more. See the full methodology.

Why these schools rank where they do

California State University-Long Beach takes the #1 spot because it perfectly executes the winning formula for this major: heavily subsidized tuition combined with direct pipeline access to a massive industrial hub. CSULB grads step straight into quality assurance, environmental testing, and R&D roles across Southern California's sprawling biotech, aerospace, and materials science sectors without the crushing debt of their private-school competitors.

The most striking trend on this list is the absolute dominance of regional branch campuses. Nearly a third of the top 25 is occupied by regional outposts of the University of Connecticut (Waterbury, Avery Point, Stamford, Hartford) and Ohio University. These campuses rank incredibly high because they offer the exact same rigorous laboratory training as their flagship counterparts, but at a fraction of the living costs. This allows graduates to enter the lucrative Northeast pharmaceutical corridor or Midwest manufacturing sector with minimal financial baggage.

When a school isn't a low-cost public institution, it has to offer extraordinary industry connections to make the list. The University of Houston (#10) feeds directly into the Texas Gulf Coast's multi-billion-dollar petrochemical and energy sectors. Northeastern University (#12) punches its way into the top tier despite being an expensive private school—a testament to its legendary co-op program that places undergrads in paid, six-month roles at Boston-area pharmaceutical giants like Moderna and Vertex before they even graduate. Similarly, the University of Delaware (#13) rides its historic, century-old ties to DuPont and the broader chemical manufacturing industry to deliver outstanding graduate outcomes.

What is Chemistry?

Chemistry is the central science of matter, bridging physics and biology to understand how substances interact, combine, and change. Graduates spend their days in laboratories and manufacturing plants doing everything from synthesizing new pharmaceutical compounds and testing environmental samples to developing advanced polymers for consumer goods.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to live near a major city for a good chemistry job?

Not necessarily, but geography dictates your industry. The Boston and San Francisco areas (represented here by Bridgewater State, Northeastern, San Francisco State, and UC Berkeley) are global biotech and pharma capitals. Texas and the Gulf Coast dominate petrochemicals and energy. The Midwest is a powerhouse for agricultural chemistry, coatings, and materials science.

Should I get a BA or a BS in Chemistry?

A Bachelor of Science (BS) is generally preferred by employers for heavy laboratory and research roles because it requires more advanced math and physics coursework. A Bachelor of Arts (BA) offers more elective flexibility and is often chosen by students planning to pivot into technical sales, patent law, science writing, or high school teaching.

How important is undergraduate research?

It is the single most important thing on your resume. Employers want to know you can handle sensitive, expensive equipment—like HPLC machines, gas chromatographs, and mass spectrometers—without needing to be taught from scratch. Schools with strong undergraduate research requirements or built-in co-op programs give their grads a massive head start in the hiring process.