Majors

Best Colleges for Chemical Engineering, by Earnings

174 of the colleges we track award a bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering, about 8,935 degrees a year. Across the 150 that report earnings, graduates make a median of $97,298 four years after finishing.

Rank	College	State	Median earnings, 4 years out	Degrees a year	Acceptance rate
1	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	MA	$122,093	39	4.5%
2	Vanderbilt University	TN	$121,641	35	5.9%
3	University of California-Berkeley	CA	$121,027	149	11%
4	Cornell University	NY	$116,165	41	8.8%
5	Lafayette College	PA	$115,726	22	31.5%
6	University of Texas at Austin	TX	$115,423	155	26.6%
7	Louisiana State University	LA	$114,226	74	73.3%
8	University of Notre Dame	IN	$113,614	70	11.3%
9	Rice University	TX	$113,605	29	8%
10	University of California-Santa Barbara	CA	$113,317	41	33%
11	Texas A&M University	TX	$111,073	234	57.4%
12	Northwestern University	IL	$111,040	34	7.7%
13	Carnegie Mellon University	PA	$110,378	41	11.7%
14	University of Houston	TX	$110,184	89	73.9%
15	University of Pennsylvania	PA	$109,884	36	5.4%
16	University of Florida	FL	$109,607	110	24.2%
17	University of Washington	WA	$109,551	69	39.1%
18	North Carolina A & T State University	NC	$109,537	32	49.9%
19	University of Michigan	MI	$109,405	97	15.6%
20	University of California-Los Angeles	CA	$108,066	75	9%
21	Washington University in St Louis	MO	$107,843	28	12.1%
22	Northeastern University	MA	$107,767	124	5.2%
23	University of Mississippi	MS	$107,548	15	96.6%
24	Auburn University	AL	$106,726	76	45.9%
25	Virginia Tech	VA	$106,011	88	54.8%
26	University of Virginia	VA	$105,724	42	16.8%
27	North Carolina State University	NC	$104,705	131	41.7%
28	Purdue University	IN	$104,514	147	49.9%
29	University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign	IL	$104,317	122	42.4%
30	Georgia Institute of Technology	GA	$104,104	170	14.1%
31	University of Delaware	DE	$103,910	67	70.6%
32	Kettering University	MI	$103,868	17	78.7%
33	Pennsylvania State University	PA	$103,728	139	60.6%
34	Villanova University	PA	$103,601	50	27%
35	University of Rhode Island	RI	$103,525	26	72.2%
36	California State Polytechnic University-Pomona	CA	$102,849	96	75.2%
37	University of California-Davis	CA	$102,649	61	41.8%
38	Michigan State University	MI	$102,223	104	84.8%
39	University of Maryland	MD	$102,149	56	44.8%
40	University of Louisiana at Lafayette	LA	$102,119	34	87%
41	University of Arizona	AZ	$101,815	68	86.1%
42	Brigham Young University	UT	$101,726	68	67.8%
43	Lehigh University	PA	$101,720	42	25.9%
44	University of Wisconsin-Madison	WI	$101,676	102	45.2%
45	University of Tulsa	OK	$101,626	28	61.5%
46	University of Louisville	KY	$101,068	46	79.4%
47	Lamar University	TX	$101,018	50	86.4%
48	The University of Alabama	AL	$100,857	101	76.6%
49	Rutgers University-New Brunswick	NJ	$100,729	94	58.1%
50	University of Southern California	CA	$100,646	41	9.8%
51	University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point	WI	$100,375	18	91.8%
52	Worcester Polytechnic Institute	MA	$100,199	51	60.2%
53	The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art	NY	$100,191	21	20.7%
54	Texas Tech University	TX	$99,747	89	72.7%
55	Bucknell University	PA	$99,536	23	28.9%
56	Washington State University	WA	$99,506	35	86.6%
57	Drexel University	PA	$99,338	76	79.4%
58	Florida Institute of Technology	FL	$99,312	23	57.7%
59	Ohio State University	OH	$98,851	155	60.6%
60	Stevens Institute of Technology	NJ	$98,782	51	47.6%
61	Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute	NY	$98,679	61	63.5%
62	Oklahoma State University-Main Campus	OK	$98,557	64	75%
63	Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology	IN	$98,341	27	76.9%
64	University of South Carolina	SC	$98,244	58	60.2%
65	Louisiana Tech University	LA	$98,240	32	86.4%
66	University of Utah	UT	$98,215	46	86%
67	University of Kentucky	KY	$98,003	83	92.9%
68	University of Massachusetts-Amherst	MA	$97,990	61	59.7%
69	Texas A&M University-Kingsville	TX	$97,811	29	90.9%
70	Virginia Commonwealth University	VA	$97,781	46	92.6%
71	University of California-Irvine	CA	$97,656	59	28.6%
72	New Jersey Institute of Technology	NJ	$97,371	51	65.1%
73	University of Iowa	IA	$97,329	39	83.6%
74	University of Pittsburgh	PA	$97,324	73	58.1%
75	University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown	PA	$97,324	16	94.8%
76	Colorado State University	CO	$97,271	72	88.5%
77	University of Cincinnati	OH	$97,220	123	85.3%
78	University of Dayton	OH	$97,184	62	65.5%
79	University of New Mexico-Main Campus	NM	$96,810	27	95.2%
80	University of California-San Diego	CA	$96,798	101	26.7%
81	Case Western Reserve University	OH	$96,533	50	36.5%
82	West Virginia University	WV	$96,503	42	89%
83	West Virginia University Institute of Technology	WV	$96,503	3	36.7%
84	Manhattan University	NY	$96,134	21	78.9%
85	Miami University-Oxford	OH	$96,025	39	75.4%
86	University of Missouri	MO	$95,989	42	78.5%
87	Mississippi State University	MS	$95,968	89	77.6%
88	University of Colorado Boulder	CO	$95,780	44	78.1%
89	Rowan University	NJ	$95,769	38	77.7%
90	University at Buffalo	NY	$95,424	47	74.2%
91	University of Massachusetts-Lowell	MA	$94,972	67	83%
92	University of Maine	ME	$94,964	30	96.6%
93	Missouri University of Science and Technology	MO	$94,686	86	72.6%
94	Johns Hopkins University	MD	$94,671	81	6.4%
95	Rochester Institute of Technology	NY	$94,641	35	66.9%
96	Colorado School of Mines	CO	$94,598	149	60.7%
97	Michigan Technological University	MI	$94,478	78	92.4%
98	University of South Florida	FL	$94,387	73	43.2%
99	University of Oklahoma	OK	$94,291	44	76.6%
100	University of Toledo	OH	$94,065	58	92%

Showing the top 100 of 150 colleges that report earnings. 24 more colleges award this degree but have no earnings figure, usually because the program is small.

Keep this list

Email me the Chemical Engineering rankings

The full table, plus a link to compare these colleges on admissions and cost.

I consent to receive transactional text messages (Conversational/Alerts, Appointments, and Booking Confirmations) from Dewey Smart at the number provided. Consent is not a condition of purchase. Msg & data rates may apply. Msg frequency varies. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. See our Privacy Policy, Terms, and SMS Terms.

I agree to receive recurring automated marketing & promotional text messages from Dewey Smart at the number provided. Consent is not a condition of purchase. Msg & data rates may apply. Msg frequency varies. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. See our Privacy Policy, Terms, and SMS Terms.

We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe anytime.

Frequently asked questions

Which college has the highest-paid Chemical Engineering graduates?

Massachusetts Institute of Technology ($122,093), Vanderbilt University ($121,641), University of California-Berkeley ($121,027), Cornell University ($116,165), Lafayette College ($115,726) report the highest median earnings four years after graduation.

How much do Chemical Engineering majors make?

The median across 150 colleges is $97,298 four years after graduation. By college it runs from $74,254 to $122,093.

Which colleges have the biggest Chemical Engineering programs?

By bachelor's degrees awarded in a year: Texas A&M University (234), Georgia Institute of Technology (170), University of Texas at Austin (155), Ohio State University (155), University of California-Berkeley (149).

Does a higher-earning program mean a better program?

Not on its own. Earnings reflect where graduates live, what jobs they take, and who enrolled in the first place, as well as the teaching. The figures cover only graduates who received federal financial aid, and small programs are left out, so a college missing from this list may still have a strong department.

Source: College Scorecard, Most Recent Data by Field of Study (U.S. Department of Education), 2026-06-10 release, federal program category "Chemical Engineering". Earnings are medians for graduates who received federal financial aid, working and not enrolled, four years after a bachelor's degree.