BACHELOR'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES
Is a bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering worth it?
Compare cost, debt and earnings across 159 college programs with reportable data.
Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Positive payoff
+$258,442 over 10 years
National scenario across reporting bachelor's degree programs, using median year-4 earnings, their institutions’ average net prices and a typical 4-year duration.
5.0 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
+100%Estimated return after 10 years
$96,798Observed earnings · year 4
$84,495Highest annual price before payoff reaches $0
The price benchmark is $64,610 per year below this threshold.
Start with your decision
What do you need to compare?
PRICE SENSITIVITY
The price can change the verdict.
Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.
← Negative payoff$0Positive payoff →
$0Annual price+$337,980
$20,000Current college-wide context+$257,980
$40,000Annual price+$177,980
$60,000Annual price+$97,980
$80,000Annual price+$17,980
$100,000Annual price−$62,020
Outcomes at a glance
$96,798Typical earnings four years after completion
$98,111Average earnings five years after completion
$23,274Typical federal student debt
92thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
26Degrees awarded in 2024–25
159College programs reporting earnings
Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 12 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.
Four useful answers about Chemical Engineering
How much do Chemical Engineering bachelor's degree graduates earn?
The national median is $96,798 four years after completion across reportable bachelor's degree programs in this federal field.
How much federal debt do graduates have?
The median reported federal debt is $23,274. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.
Does the college matter for Chemical Engineering?
Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $91,580 to $101,815 in observed year-4 earnings.
What careers are related to Chemical Engineering?
DegreeVerdict links this field to 5 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.
More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.
Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.
CURRENT VIEW
Bachelor's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $96,798
- Federal debt
- $23,274
- Programs in the comparison
- 159
Master's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $114,037
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 11
Doctoral Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $173,065
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 2
Where the middle half of programs lands
Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.
Median
25th percentile$91,580National median$96,79875th percentile$101,815
159 programs report year‑4 earnings.BEFORE YOU CHOOSE
Compare price, debt and earnings together
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION
Three useful places to start
Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.
Highest observed earnings
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
$122,093 four years after completionCambridge, MA · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debtRice University
$13,178 among completer borrowersHouston, TX · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating classTexas A&M University-College Station
234 reported awards in 2024–25College Station, TX · inspect the full program →PRICE × EARNINGS MAP
Where colleges sit for this exact degree
Move left for a lower annual college-wide net price and up for higher observed year-4 earnings.
$121,027Observed year-4 earnings$104,317
Massachusetts Institute of Technology$20,111 price · $122,093 earningsVanderbilt University$15,846 price · $121,641 earningsUniversity of California, Berkeley$13,481 price · $121,027 earningsCornell University$28,690 price · $116,165 earningsLafayette College$34,433 price · $115,726 earningsThe University of Texas at Austin$19,857 price · $115,423 earningsLouisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College$19,151 price · $114,226 earningsUniversity of Notre Dame$26,780 price · $113,614 earningsRice University$13,370 price · $113,605 earningsUniversity of California, Santa Barbara$16,109 price · $113,317 earningsTexas A&M University-College Station$21,315 price · $111,073 earningsNorthwestern University$29,167 price · $111,040 earningsCarnegie Mellon University$31,944 price · $110,378 earningsUniversity of Houston$14,276 price · $110,184 earningsUniversity of Pennsylvania$28,699 price · $109,884 earningsUniversity of Florida$6,541 price · $109,607 earningsUniversity of Washington-Seattle Campus$14,091 price · $109,551 earningsNorth Carolina A&T State University$10,846 price · $109,537 earningsUniversity of Michigan-Ann Arbor$13,138 price · $109,405 earningsUniversity of California, Los Angeles$12,548 price · $108,066 earningsWashington University in St Louis$21,786 price · $107,843 earningsNortheastern University$30,915 price · $107,767 earningsUniversity of Mississippi$13,314 price · $107,548 earningsAuburn University$24,323 price · $106,726 earningsVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State University$24,953 price · $106,011 earningsUniversity of Virginia-Main Campus$21,565 price · $105,724 earningsNorth Carolina State University at Raleigh$17,303 price · $104,705 earningsPurdue University-Main Campus$14,600 price · $104,514 earningsUniversity of Illinois Urbana-Champaign$14,355 price · $104,317 earningsGeorgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus$12,116 price · $104,104 earnings
$10,846Annual college-wide average net price$30,915
Choose colleges offering this exact degree
Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.
30 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 25 shown
Search every reporting program →
See the spread, not just the national number.
1Massachusetts Institute of Technology$122,0932Vanderbilt University$121,6413University of California, Berkeley$121,0274Cornell University$116,1655Lafayette College$115,7266The University of Texas at Austin$115,4237Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College$114,2268University of Notre Dame$113,6149Rice University$113,60510University of California, Santa Barbara$113,317Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking
Jobs this degree may lead to
Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.
Pay and projected demand
Related careers do not share one outlook
Bubble size = annual openings2025–35 national projection
Higher median wage ↑
-7%Projected employment growth →12%
Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.
Architectural and Engineering Managers$171,270 median wage220,260 jobs nationwide+5.5% projected growth through 2035 · 14,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$120,810–$262,760 typical wage rangeChemical Engineers$125,040 median wage21,070 jobs nationwide+4.7% projected growth through 2035 · 1,100 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$79,420–$182,880 typical wage rangeEngineering Teachers, Postsecondary$109,270 median wage40,270 jobs nationwide+7.8% projected growth through 2035 · 3,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$61,550–$210,370 typical wage rangeEngineers, All Other$122,930 median wage154,070 jobs nationwide+3.7% projected growth through 2035 · 8,800 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$66,810–$189,950 typical wage rangeBioengineers and Biomedical Engineers$109,370 median wage23,480 jobs nationwide+7.6% projected growth through 2035 · 1,200 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$71,850–$168,180 typical wage range
BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.
Where this degree has enough data to compare
State pages are published only when at least five operating colleges report year-4 earnings for this exact field and credential.
This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.