{
  "major": "Chemical Engineering",
  "slug": "chemical-engineering",
  "field": "Engineering & Architecture",
  "as_of": "2026",
  "url": "https://collegeranked.com/best-chemical-engineering-schools/",
  "source": "U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2026 release); U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics",
  "metric_definitions": {
    "median_earnings": "Median earnings one year after graduation (Scorecard)",
    "net_price": "Average annual cost of attendance after grant aid. For PUBLIC schools this reflects IN-STATE cost; out-of-state students pay more.",
    "roi_10yr_usd": "Ten years of earnings minus four years of net price",
    "public": "true = public university (net_price is in-state basis); false = private (residency-neutral)"
  },
  "total_colleges_with_reported_data": 159,
  "shown": 25,
  "ranking": [
    {
      "rank": 1,
      "school": "Lamar University",
      "state": "TX",
      "median_earnings": 87284,
      "net_price": 9366,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 835376,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 2,
      "school": "University of Florida",
      "state": "FL",
      "median_earnings": 87164,
      "net_price": 6541,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 845476,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 3,
      "school": "Rice University",
      "state": "TX",
      "median_earnings": 87830,
      "net_price": 13370,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 824820,
      "public": false
    },
    {
      "rank": 4,
      "school": "Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus",
      "state": "GA",
      "median_earnings": 85847,
      "net_price": 12116,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 810006,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 5,
      "school": "University of California-Berkeley",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 81553,
      "net_price": 13481,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 761606,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 6,
      "school": "Texas A&M University-College Station",
      "state": "TX",
      "median_earnings": 86176,
      "net_price": 21315,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 776500,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 7,
      "school": "University of Houston",
      "state": "TX",
      "median_earnings": 84468,
      "net_price": 14276,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 787576,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 8,
      "school": "Massachusetts Institute of Technology",
      "state": "MA",
      "median_earnings": 80139,
      "net_price": 20111,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 720946,
      "public": false
    },
    {
      "rank": 9,
      "school": "University of Michigan-Ann Arbor",
      "state": "MI",
      "median_earnings": 79551,
      "net_price": 13138,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 742958,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 10,
      "school": "Brigham Young University",
      "state": "UT",
      "median_earnings": 77565,
      "net_price": 15564,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 713394,
      "public": false
    },
    {
      "rank": 11,
      "school": "University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign",
      "state": "IL",
      "median_earnings": 77440,
      "net_price": 14355,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 716980,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 12,
      "school": "University of California-Los Angeles",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 76680,
      "net_price": 12548,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 716608,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 13,
      "school": "The University of Texas at Austin",
      "state": "TX",
      "median_earnings": 87365,
      "net_price": 19857,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 794222,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 14,
      "school": "University of Wisconsin-Madison",
      "state": "WI",
      "median_earnings": 85945,
      "net_price": 17354,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 790034,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 15,
      "school": "University of Virginia-Main Campus",
      "state": "VA",
      "median_earnings": 85772,
      "net_price": 21565,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 771460,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 16,
      "school": "Oklahoma State University-Main Campus",
      "state": "OK",
      "median_earnings": 82466,
      "net_price": 17447,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 754872,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 17,
      "school": "University of Pennsylvania",
      "state": "PA",
      "median_earnings": 81721,
      "net_price": 28699,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 702414,
      "public": false
    },
    {
      "rank": 18,
      "school": "North Carolina State University at Raleigh",
      "state": "NC",
      "median_earnings": 81492,
      "net_price": 17303,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 745708,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 19,
      "school": "Purdue University-Main Campus",
      "state": "IN",
      "median_earnings": 81105,
      "net_price": 14600,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 752650,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 20,
      "school": "Michigan Technological University",
      "state": "MI",
      "median_earnings": 80193,
      "net_price": 14182,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 745202,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 21,
      "school": "University of California-Santa Barbara",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 79737,
      "net_price": 16109,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 732934,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 22,
      "school": "Arizona State University Campus Immersion",
      "state": "AZ",
      "median_earnings": 78813,
      "net_price": 14967,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 728262,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 23,
      "school": "North Carolina A & T State University",
      "state": "NC",
      "median_earnings": 78323,
      "net_price": 10846,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 739846,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 24,
      "school": "Mississippi State University",
      "state": "MS",
      "median_earnings": 78183,
      "net_price": 17595,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 711450,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 25,
      "school": "New Mexico State University-Main Campus",
      "state": "NM",
      "median_earnings": 75766,
      "net_price": 8889,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 722104,
      "public": true
    }
  ]
}