Best Chemistry Degrees in the US by ROI

Top colleges ranked by estimated 20-year net return on investment across all active states. Data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

Programs Analyzed

188

Colleges with salary data

Average 20-Yr Net ROI

-$21,197

Across all programs

Average Annual Cost

$30,566

Cost of attendance

#	College	State	20-Yr Net ROI	Median Salary	Annual Cost	Avg Debt
1	Keene State College Grad rate: 58.9%	NH	+$517,744	$73,792	$29,524	N/A	Full ROI →
2	William Paterson University of New Jersey Grad rate: 51.9%	NJ	+$485,040	$71,563	$26,555	N/A	Full ROI →
3	Northeastern University Oakland	CA	+$456,045	$66,456	N/A	$24,500	Full ROI →
4	University of North Alabama Grad rate: 53.1%	AL	+$447,835	$70,485	$22,086	$24,830	Full ROI →
5	Texas State University Grad rate: 56.0%	TX	+$425,403	$70,396	$26,348	$27,500	Full ROI →
6	William & Mary Grad rate: 91.0%	VA	+$422,403	$72,660	$41,118	$19,500	Full ROI →
7	Rowan University Grad rate: 68.2%	NJ	+$398,686	$70,580	$34,116	$27,000	Full ROI →
8	University of Delaware Grad rate: 79.2%	DE	+$365,566	$67,828	$29,347	$24,893	Full ROI →
9	Kalamazoo College Grad rate: 80.9%	MI	+$355,518	$75,833	$71,173	$27,000	Full ROI →
10	Colorado State University-Fort Collins Grad rate: 66.8%	CO	+$331,482	$65,800	$29,696	$19,062	Full ROI →
11	Rhode Island College Grad rate: 45.0%	RI	+$305,379	$61,903	$18,490	$13,867	Full ROI →
12	Boise State University Grad rate: 60.8%	ID	+$278,840	$62,749	$25,387	$25,623	Full ROI →
13	West Virginia University Institute of Technology Grad rate: 35.0%	WV	+$273,067	$60,966	$18,343	$24,356	Full ROI →
14	University of New Hampshire-Main Campus Grad rate: 77.1%	NH	+$272,172	$62,522	$34,567	N/A	Full ROI →
15	San Francisco State University Grad rate: 52.2%	CA	+$270,848	$60,594	$25,258	N/A	Full ROI →
16	West Virginia University Grad rate: 61.7%	WV	+$251,727	$60,966	$23,678	$24,356	Full ROI →
17	Stockton University Grad rate: 73.7%	NJ	+$231,684	$60,016	$32,159	N/A	Full ROI →
18	SUNY College at Geneseo Grad rate: 73.2%	NY	+$217,156	$58,150	$26,461	N/A	Full ROI →
19	Worcester State University Grad rate: 57.1%	MA	+$209,276	$56,781	$21,586	N/A	Full ROI →
20	University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Grad rate: 84.6%	MN	+$208,844	$59,673	$29,013	$21,158	Full ROI →
21	Kent State University at Kent Grad rate: 65.1%	OH	+$199,790	$59,546	$29,345	$25,000	Full ROI →
22	Texas Tech University Grad rate: 67.1%	TX	+$194,673	$59,067	$27,472	$27,243	Full ROI →
23	Western Washington University Grad rate: 65.5%	WA	+$178,739	$58,090	$28,305	$22,104	Full ROI →
24	Northern Kentucky University Grad rate: 49.2%	KY	+$176,696	$54,729	$19,471	N/A	Full ROI →
25	Boston College Grad rate: 91.0%	MA	+$175,958	$68,817	$83,683	$19,000	Full ROI →
26	Saginaw Valley State University Grad rate: 51.8%	MI	+$171,448	$55,381	$24,043	N/A	Full ROI →
27	East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania Grad rate: 44.8%	PA	+$168,324	$55,290	$24,369	N/A	Full ROI →
28	Winthrop University Grad rate: 61.1%	SC	+$167,730	$58,199	$30,275	$26,037	Full ROI →
29	Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Grad rate: 70.4%	LA	+$163,579	$58,051	$34,328	$14,910	Full ROI →
30	University at Albany Grad rate: 64.7%	NY	+$162,054	$57,546	$28,490	$25,856	Full ROI →
31	University of Massachusetts-Amherst Grad rate: 83.1%	MA	+$159,164	$56,636	$33,389	N/A	Full ROI →
32	San Diego State University Grad rate: 78.1%	CA	+$156,528	$56,479	$27,357	$17,499	Full ROI →
33	Binghamton University Grad rate: 83.2%	NY	+$155,007	$56,998	$29,657	$19,500	Full ROI →
34	University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus Grad rate: 59.7%	CT	+$151,498	$55,524	$20,917	$26,158	Full ROI →
35	University of Connecticut-Avery Point Grad rate: 57.8%	CT	+$148,754	$55,524	$21,603	$26,158	Full ROI →
36	University of Connecticut-Hartford Campus Grad rate: 63.9%	CT	+$135,042	$55,524	$25,031	$26,158	Full ROI →
37	Texas A&M University-College Station Grad rate: 83.7%	TX	+$134,115	$56,439	$32,085	$19,500	Full ROI →
38	Northeastern University Grad rate: 90.8%	MA	+$130,633	$66,456	$81,353	$24,500	Full ROI →
39	University of Cincinnati-Main Campus Grad rate: 71.8%	OH	+$125,605	$55,640	$28,783	$23,750	Full ROI →
40	Cleveland State University Grad rate: 48.9%	OH	+$125,255	$55,195	$26,310	$24,744	Full ROI →
41	University of Connecticut-Stamford Grad rate: 59.5%	CT	+$124,218	$55,524	$27,737	$26,158	Full ROI →
42	Bowling Green State University-Main Campus Grad rate: 62.1%	OH	+$118,188	$55,512	$29,238	$26,000	Full ROI →
43	University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Grad rate: 70.5%	WI	+$112,060	$51,226	$18,115	N/A	Full ROI →
44	University of Missouri-St Louis Grad rate: 54.4%	MO	+$108,392	$52,908	$27,442	N/A	Full ROI →
45	Eastern Washington University Grad rate: 48.4%	WA	+$108,032	$51,956	$22,772	N/A	Full ROI →
46	University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Grad rate: 84.8%	IL	+$106,239	$55,190	$32,134	$21,500	Full ROI →
47	University of Wisconsin-Madison Grad rate: 89.3%	WI	+$104,161	$54,520	$27,770	$26,043	Full ROI →
48	University of Connecticut Grad rate: 83.5%	CT	+$88,878	$55,524	$36,572	$26,158	Full ROI →
49	California State University-Sacramento Grad rate: 55.1%	CA	+$87,382	$52,785	$22,714	$27,749	Full ROI →
50	Colorado School of Mines Grad rate: 80.5%	CO	+$81,236	$53,773	$38,556	N/A	Full ROI →

How ROI is calculated

20-Year Net ROI = Gross Earnings (salary × 20) − Total Degree Cost − Debt Payoff (×1.35) − Baseline Opportunity Cost ($42,000 × 20). Data from the U.S. College Scorecard.

Find Best Chemistry Degrees by State

Browse Chemistry programs ranked by 20-year ROI in every state that offers this degree.