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Best Schools for Chemical Engineering

Chemical Engineering graduates earn a median of $66,408 within two years of graduation, ranking #16 out of 292 tracked majors — 87% above the median across all fields. There are 152 colleges nationwide with tracked earnings for this major, producing 10,331 recent graduates.

Where you study matters: Stanford University graduates earn $91,744 while CUNY City College graduates earn $35,416 — a $56,328 difference. Factors like location, employer networks, co-op programs, and curriculum focus drive this gap.

Early career salary growth is modest: Chemical Engineering graduates see an average 2% increase between year 1 and year 2 post-graduation, reflecting career advancement and skill development in the first years after college.

152
Schools
$66,408
Avg. 2yr Earnings
#16
of 292 Majors
10,331
Graduates

Public vs Private: Chemical Engineering

Public (110 schools)
$64,635
avg. 2yr earnings
Private (42 schools)
$71,054
avg. 2yr earnings

Private schools produce $6,419 more in early earnings on average for Chemical Engineering graduates. Factor in tuition difference to calculate which offers better ROI.

Chemical Engineering by State

California
12 schools
$62,832
New York
12 schools
$62,855
Pennsylvania
10 schools
$71,371
Ohio
10 schools
$68,150
Texas
8 schools
$70,069
Michigan
6 schools
$73,272
Massachusetts
6 schools
$70,218
Connecticut
5 schools
$66,989

Top Chemical Engineering Schools by Graduate Earnings

#1
S

Stanford University

Stanford, CA · Private

$91,744
2yr Earnings
Acceptance: 3.9%
#2
H

Howard University

Washington, DC · Private

$84,653
2yr Earnings
Acceptance: 34.9%
#3
R

Rice University

Houston, TX · Private

$83,915
2yr Earnings
1yr: $78,801
Grads: 54
Acceptance: 7.9%
#4
C

Cornell University

Ithaca, NY · Private

$83,351
2yr Earnings
1yr: $74,126
Grads: 89
Acceptance: 8.2%
#5
K

Kettering University

Flint, MI · Private

$83,177
2yr Earnings
1yr: $75,152
Grads: 20
Acceptance: 79.1%
#6
T

The University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX · Public

$82,830
2yr Earnings
1yr: $77,308
Grads: 117
Acceptance: 29.1%
#7
M

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA · Private

$80,964
2yr Earnings
1yr: $81,524
Grads: 41
Acceptance: 4.7%
#8
U

University of California-Berkeley

Berkeley, CA · Public

$80,718
2yr Earnings
1yr: $70,767
Grads: 56
Acceptance: 11.7%
#9
T

Texas A&M University-College Station

College Station, TX · Public

$80,669
2yr Earnings
1yr: $76,110
Grads: 105
Acceptance: 63.2%
#10
N

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL · Private

$79,688
2yr Earnings
1yr: $71,607
Grads: 32
Acceptance: 7.1%
#11
R

Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Terre Haute, IN · Private

$79,473
2yr Earnings
1yr: $69,749
Grads: 86
Acceptance: 72.8%
#12
U

University of Arkansas

Fayetteville, AR · Public

$78,343
2yr Earnings
1yr: $72,033
Grads: 67
Acceptance: 71.7%
#13
U

University of Louisville

Louisville, KY · Public

$77,715
2yr Earnings
1yr: $67,646
Grads: 39
Acceptance: 80.5%
#14
U

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, IN · Private

$76,460
2yr Earnings
1yr: $73,118
Grads: 83
Acceptance: 12.4%
#15
L

Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College

Baton Rouge, LA · Public

$76,460
2yr Earnings
1yr: $80,305
Grads: 90
Acceptance: 74.0%
#16
W

Wayne State University

Detroit, MI · Public

$76,460
2yr Earnings
1yr: $64,406
Grads: 43
Acceptance: 82.0%
#17
B

Bucknell University

Lewisburg, PA · Private

$76,460
2yr Earnings
1yr: $71,437
Grads: 25
Acceptance: 32.0%
#18
B

Brigham Young University

Provo, UT · Private

$76,460
2yr Earnings
1yr: $67,199
Grads: 73
Acceptance: 69.2%
#19
C

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA · Private

$75,432
2yr Earnings
1yr: $80,722
Grads: 46
Acceptance: 11.4%
#20
C

Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY · Private

$75,204
2yr Earnings
1yr: $65,500
Grads: 26
Acceptance: 4.2%
#21
Y

Youngstown State University

Youngstown, OH · Public

$75,204
2yr Earnings
1yr: $60,173
Grads: 35
Acceptance: 80.3%
#22
U

University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI · Public

$75,104
2yr Earnings
1yr: $75,199
Grads: 125
Acceptance: 17.9%
#23
C

Clemson University

Clemson, SC · Public

$74,721
2yr Earnings
1yr: $70,368
Grads: 70
Acceptance: 38.0%
#24
A

Auburn University

Auburn, AL · Public

$74,576
2yr Earnings
1yr: $75,285
Grads: 46
Acceptance: 50.5%
#25
U

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA · Private

$74,576
2yr Earnings
1yr: $66,484
Grads: 18
Acceptance: 5.9%
#26
G

Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus

Atlanta, GA · Public

$74,307
2yr Earnings
1yr: $75,560
Grads: 184
Acceptance: 16.5%
#27
M

Mississippi State University

Mississippi State, MS · Public

$74,307
2yr Earnings
1yr: $70,757
Grads: 89
Acceptance: 76.3%
#28
U

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL · Public

$74,279
2yr Earnings
1yr: $73,493
Grads: 156
Acceptance: 43.7%
#29
L

Lehigh University

Bethlehem, PA · Private

$74,200
2yr Earnings
1yr: $67,293
Grads: 60
Acceptance: 29.3%
#30
T

Tufts University

Medford, MA · Private

$73,635
2yr Earnings
1yr: $56,529
Grads: 20
Acceptance: 10.1%
#31
V

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN · Private

$73,446
2yr Earnings
1yr: $73,971
Grads: 24
Acceptance: 6.3%
#32
U

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Madison, WI · Public

$73,378
2yr Earnings
1yr: $72,510
Grads: 70
Acceptance: 43.4%
#33
V

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Blacksburg, VA · Public

$73,272
2yr Earnings
1yr: $72,805
Grads: 88
Acceptance: 57.0%
#34
U

University of Florida

Gainesville, FL · Public

$73,145
2yr Earnings
1yr: $72,850
Grads: 125
Acceptance: 24.0%
#35
W

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Worcester, MA · Private

$72,881
2yr Earnings
1yr: $67,835
Grads: 100
Acceptance: 58.5%
#36
U

University of Toledo

Toledo, OH · Public

$72,742
2yr Earnings
1yr: $66,253
Grads: 60
Acceptance: 94.8%
#37
U

University of Virginia-Main Campus

Charlottesville, VA · Public

$72,605
2yr Earnings
1yr: $69,927
Grads: 37
Acceptance: 16.9%
#38
U

University of Maine

Orono, ME · Public

$72,509
2yr Earnings
1yr: $66,852
Grads: 45
Acceptance: 95.7%
#39
U

University of Dayton

Dayton, OH · Private

$72,274
2yr Earnings
1yr: $68,637
Grads: 62
Acceptance: 61.7%
#40
N

Northeastern University

Boston, MA · Private

$72,022
2yr Earnings
1yr: $69,307
Grads: 121
Acceptance: 5.7%
#41
D

Drexel University

Philadelphia, PA · Private

$71,661
2yr Earnings
1yr: $67,486
Grads: 90
Acceptance: 77.5%
#42
M

Michigan State University

East Lansing, MI · Public

$71,351
2yr Earnings
1yr: $70,092
Grads: 147
Acceptance: 83.9%
#43
U

University of Akron Main Campus

Akron, OH · Public

$71,015
2yr Earnings
1yr: $66,094
Grads: 74
Acceptance: 70.9%
#44
L

Lamar University

Beaumont, TX · Public

$71,015
2yr Earnings
1yr: $73,299
Grads: 41
Acceptance: 85.7%
#45
U

University of South Carolina-Columbia

Columbia, SC · Public

$70,680
2yr Earnings
1yr: $65,370
Grads: 69
Acceptance: 61.5%
#46
M

Michigan Technological University

Houghton, MI · Public

$70,536
2yr Earnings
1yr: $68,391
Grads: 101
Acceptance: 87.9%
#47
K

Kansas State University

Manhattan, KS · Public

$70,456
2yr Earnings
1yr: $71,780
Grads: 44
Acceptance: 79.4%
#48
U

University of Cincinnati-Main Campus

Cincinnati, OH · Public

$70,456
2yr Earnings
1yr: $73,396
Grads: 100
Acceptance: 87.7%
#49
U

University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN · Public

$70,176
2yr Earnings
1yr: $68,745
Grads: 86
Acceptance: 77.0%
#50
O

Oklahoma State University-Main Campus

Stillwater, OK · Public

$70,176
2yr Earnings
1yr: $72,362
Grads: 63
Acceptance: 70.9%

Showing top 50 of 152 schools. View all or filter by state above.

Majors with Similar Earnings

Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology $68,764 Computer Science $67,769 Computational Science $67,660 Manufacturing Engineering $67,653 Industrial Engineering $67,414 Metallurgical Engineering $66,313

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best school for Chemical Engineering?
Stanford University ranks #1 for Chemical Engineering with median graduate earnings of $91,744 within two years. There are 152 schools nationwide offering this major with tracked earnings data.
How much do Chemical Engineering graduates earn?
Chemical Engineering graduates earn an average of $66,408 within two years of graduation. This is 87% above the median across all majors. Earnings range from $35,416 to $91,744 depending on the school.
How hard is it to get into a top Chemical Engineering program?
The average acceptance rate across Chemical Engineering programs is 59.7%. The most selective program is at Stanford University with a 3.9% acceptance rate. Competitive programs value strong math/analytical skills and relevant coursework.
Is a public or private school better for Chemical Engineering?
Private Chemical Engineering programs average $71,054 in early earnings vs $64,635 at public schools. Private schools lead in earnings, but cost significantly more — calculate net price before deciding.

Data updated June 2026. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Earnings are median 2 years after graduation for bachelor's degree holders.

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