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Best Chemical Engineering Schools by Graduate Salary & ROI (2026)

158 schools ranked by DegreeOutlook Score · Updated 2026

These are the top schools offering Chemical Engineering, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score. The score combines graduate earnings, AI automation resilience, job market demand, and return on tuition investment. The average Chemical Engineering graduate earns $72,288/yr across 158 schools.

What do Chemical Engineering graduates do? See career paths and salaries →

Why the University of Florida Is #1

The University of Florida earns its top spot by combining elite academics with outstanding financial value. As a top-tier research institution, its Wertheim College of Engineering maintains deep ties with Florida's growing aerospace, biotech, and semiconductor industries, creating a direct talent pipeline. For Florida residents, the incredibly low tuition supercharges this effect, resulting in a massive 40.0x Return on Investment and graduate earnings of $87,164 per year, rivaling any school in the country.

How a Texas School You've Never Heard Of Ranks #2

Lamar University’s #2 ranking isn't a data error; it’s a lesson in geography. Located in Beaumont, Texas, Lamar sits in the heart of the Gulf Coast petrochemical corridor, home to giants like ExxonMobil and Chevron Phillips. The program is a direct feeder into these high-paying, in-demand jobs, allowing its graduates to earn an astonishing $87,284 annually. This demonstrates that for industrial fields like chemical engineering, a direct pipeline to a local industry can be more powerful than a prestigious national brand.

The Public University Stranglehold on Engineering

It's not a coincidence that 19 of the top 20 programs are at public universities. Chemical engineering requires hugely expensive, state-of-the-art labs and facilities that large, state-funded research universities are built to support. More importantly, their relatively low tuition creates an ROI that most private schools can't touch. The one private school in the top 20, Brigham Young (#8), proves the rule with its own famously low tuition, delivering a stellar 41.2x ROI that allows it to compete.

AI Won't Steal Your Job, It Will Become Your Coworker

The 54% "AI Risk" score for this field doesn't mean your job is disappearing. It means the job is changing. Repetitive tasks like running process simulations and analyzing routine data will be automated by AI. This frees you up for higher-value work: framing complex problems, interpreting AI-generated models, and making critical, systems-level decisions. Your career will be less about performing calculations and more about using judgment to guide AI as a powerful analytical tool.

Programs Ranked

158

Avg Earnings

$72,288/yr

Avg DW Score

68/100

AI Risk

High

54% task exposure

All Chemical Engineering Programs Ranked

Click any row for full AI scenario analysis, earnings projections, and career path breakdown.

#	School	DW Score	Earnings	ROI
1	University of Florida Gainesville, FL · Public	77 74–78	$87,164/yr	40.0x
2	Lamar University Beaumont, TX · Public	77 74–78	$87,284/yr	30.8x
3	North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, NC · Public	76 73–77	$81,492/yr	28.1x
4	Oklahoma State University-Main Campus Stillwater, OK · Public	76 73–77	$82,466/yr	24.9x
5	University of Houston Houston, TX · Public	76 73–77	$84,468/yr	24.5x
6	Texas A & M University-College Station College Station, TX · Public	76 73–77	$86,176/yr	22.6x
7	The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX · Public	76 73–77	$87,365/yr	22.7x
8	Brigham Young University Provo, UT · Private nonprofit	76 73–77	$77,565/yr	41.2x
9	Auburn University Auburn, AL · Public	75 72–76	$82,217/yr	20.5x
10	University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR · Public	75 72–76	$75,102/yr	25.0x
11	University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA · Public	75 72–77	$81,553/yr	20.3x
12	Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus Atlanta, GA · Public	75 72–76	$85,847/yr	20.6x
13	Kansas State University Manhattan, KS · Public	75 72–76	$77,492/yr	23.2x
14	Mississippi State University Mississippi State, MS · Public	75 72–77	$78,183/yr	25.6x
15	North Carolina A & T State University Greensboro, NC · Public	75 72–76	$78,323/yr	31.3x
16	University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI · Public	75 72–77	$85,945/yr	21.8x
17	Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette, IN · Public	75 72–76	$81,105/yr	22.8x
18	Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ · Public	74 71–76	$78,813/yr	20.2x
19	California State Polytechnic University-Pomona Pomona, CA · Public	74 72–75	$69,009/yr	33.8x
20	Florida State University Tallahassee, FL · Public	74 72–76	$70,797/yr	42.4x
21	Iowa State University Ames, IA · Public	74 71–75	$76,184/yr	21.9x
22	Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA · Public	74 72–76	$74,786/yr	22.3x
23	University of Maryland-College Park College Park, MD · Public	74 71–75	$81,777/yr	19.1x
24	University of Nebraska-Lincoln Lincoln, NE · Public	74 71–75	$79,603/yr	21.0x
25	New Mexico State University-Main Campus Las Cruces, NM · Public	74 71–75	$75,766/yr	26.4x
26	Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY · Public	74 71–75	$72,868/yr	22.8x
27	University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus Norman, OK · Public	74 71–75	$77,751/yr	22.6x
28	South Dakota School of Mines and Technology Rapid City, SD · Public	74 72–75	$72,785/yr	23.6x
29	University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT · Public	74 71–75	$73,841/yr	24.5x
30	University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA · Public	73 71–75	$76,680/yr	18.1x
31	University of California-Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA · Public	73 70–74	$79,737/yr	16.4x
32	University of South Florida Tampa, FL · Public	73 71–74	$70,659/yr	31.9x
33	University of Idaho Moscow, ID · Public	73 71–75	$75,915/yr	23.4x
34	University of Iowa Iowa City, IA · Public	73 70–74	$75,340/yr	19.7x
35	University of North Dakota Grand Forks, ND · Public	73 70–74	$73,112/yr	20.1x
36	Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, OH · Public	73 70–74	$77,455/yr	17.9x
37	Ohio University-Eastern Campus Saint Clairsville, OH · Public	73 71–74	$67,322/yr	34.7x
38	Ohio University-Chillicothe Campus Chillicothe, OH · Public	73 71–74	$67,322/yr	34.7x
39	Ohio University-Southern Campus Ironton, OH · Public	73 71–74	$67,322/yr	34.7x
40	Ohio University-Lancaster Campus Lancaster, OH · Public	73 71–74	$67,322/yr	34.7x
41	Ohio University-Zanesville Campus Zanesville, OH · Public	73 71–74	$67,322/yr	34.7x
42	University of Toledo Toledo, OH · Public	73 70–75	$79,750/yr	18.4x
43	University of South Carolina-Columbia Columbia, SC · Public	73 70–74	$75,680/yr	18.7x
44	Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX · Public	73 71–75	$77,586/yr	19.3x
45	West Virginia University Institute of Technology Beckley, WV · Public	73 71–74	$69,875/yr	26.8x
46	The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL · Public	72 70–73	$69,809/yr	19.4x
47	University of South Alabama Mobile, AL · Public	72 70–73	$71,116/yr	21.7x
48	University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO · Public	72 70–73	$70,359/yr	16.5x
49	University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL · Public	72 70–74	$77,440/yr	15.8x
50	University of Louisville Louisville, KY · Public	72 70–73	$70,675/yr	18.1x
51	University of Louisiana at Lafayette Lafayette, LA · Public	72 70–73	$63,886/yr	23.3x
52	University of Maine Orono, ME · Public	72 69–73	$78,838/yr	16.6x
53	University of Cincinnati-Main Campus Cincinnati, OH · Public	72 69–74	$82,372/yr	16.1x
54	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA · Public	72 69–74	$82,382/yr	15.0x
55	University of Virginia-Main Campus Charlottesville, VA · Public	72 68–73	$85,772/yr	12.8x
56	West Virginia University Morgantown, WV · Public	72 70–73	$69,875/yr	22.3x
57	Oregon State University-Cascades Campus Bend, OR · Public	72 70–73	$71,618/yr	18.1x
58	University of Arizona Tucson, AZ · Public	71 69–73	$73,479/yr	16.6x
59	University of California-Davis Davis, CA · Public	71 69–73	$68,337/yr	16.9x
60	University of Delaware Newark, DE · Public	71 68–72	$80,564/yr	13.7x
61	University of Maryland-Baltimore County Baltimore, MD · Public	71 69–72	$66,023/yr	18.0x
62	University of Massachusetts-Lowell Lowell, MA · Public	71 68–72	$77,380/yr	14.1x
63	University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI · Public	71 68–72	$79,551/yr	13.5x
64	Michigan State University East Lansing, MI · Public	71 68–72	$79,023/yr	14.0x
65	Wayne State University Detroit, MI · Public	71 69–73	$71,373/yr	16.6x
66	Missouri University of Science and Technology Rolla, MO · Public	71 68–72	$78,369/yr	14.8x
67	University of Nevada-Reno Reno, NV · Public	71 69–72	$64,039/yr	23.0x
68	University of New Mexico-Main Campus Albuquerque, NM · Public	71 70–73	$62,907/yr	26.7x
69	University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY · Public	71 69–72	$67,873/yr	19.5x
70	University of Akron Main Campus Akron, OH · Public	71 69–73	$71,873/yr	17.3x
71	Oregon State University Corvallis, OR · Public	71 69–73	$71,618/yr	16.8x
72	Clemson University Clemson, SC · Public	71 69–73	$75,951/yr	14.9x
73	The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Knoxville, TN · Public	71 68–72	$76,302/yr	15.6x
74	University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle, WA · Public	71 69–72	$67,624/yr	18.1x
75	Colorado State University-Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO · Public	70 68–71	$62,468/yr	17.9x
76	University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN · Public	70 68–72	$73,245/yr	14.3x
77	University of Missouri-Columbia Columbia, MO · Public	70 68–71	$69,950/yr	15.2x
78	Montana State University Bozeman, MT · Public	70 69–71	$62,206/yr	24.5x
79	Miami University-Oxford Oxford, OH · Public	70 67–71	$77,542/yr	12.7x
80	Youngstown State University Youngstown, OH · Public	70 68–71	$69,609/yr	18.2x
81	University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown Johnstown, PA · Public	70 68–72	$73,072/yr	14.9x
82	Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA · Public	70 67–71	$79,721/yr	13.0x
83	Washington State University Pullman, WA · Public	70 68–71	$69,820/yr	16.0x
84	University of California-Irvine Irvine, CA · Public	69 68–70	$57,540/yr	17.0x
85	University of California-Riverside Riverside, CA · Public	69 67–70	$68,245/yr	15.0x
86	University of Kansas Lawrence, KS · Public	69 67–70	$63,870/yr	17.5x
87	University of Massachusetts-Amherst Amherst, MA · Public	69 67–70	$72,514/yr	13.0x
88	Michigan Technological University Houghton, MI · Public	69 66–71	$80,193/yr	11.9x
89	University of Minnesota-Duluth Duluth, MN · Public	69 67–70	$67,152/yr	14.9x
90	CUNY City College New York, NY · Public	69 67–70	$67,450/yr	22.4x
91	Cleveland State University Cleveland, OH · Public	69 67–70	$69,043/yr	15.7x
92	Ohio University-Main Campus Athens, OH · Public	69 67–70	$67,322/yr	15.0x
93	University of Rhode Island Kingston, RI · Public	69 66–70	$75,406/yr	12.6x
94	The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga Chattanooga, TN · Public	69 68–71	$57,952/yr	21.0x
95	Tennessee Technological University Cookeville, TN · Public	69 68–71	$60,300/yr	20.4x
96	Prairie View A & M University Prairie View, TX · Public	69 68–71	$58,627/yr	19.6x
97	Texas A & M University-Kingsville Kingsville, TX · Public	69 68–71	$55,622/yr	22.4x
98	University of California-San Diego La Jolla, CA · Public	68 67–69	$59,508/yr	15.0x
99	University of New Hampshire-Main Campus Durham, NH · Public	68 66–70	$71,599/yr	12.1x
100	Rutgers University-New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ · Public	68 66–70	$67,777/yr	13.2x
101	University of Illinois Chicago Chicago, IL · Public	67 66–68	$58,377/yr	14.8x
102	University of Kentucky Lexington, KY · Public	67 66–69	$65,389/yr	14.8x
103	University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus Waterbury, CT · Public	67 65–68	$68,025/yr	12.3x
104	University of Connecticut-Avery Point Groton, CT · Public	67 65–68	$68,025/yr	12.3x
105	University of Connecticut-Stamford Stamford, CT · Public	67 65–68	$68,025/yr	12.3x
106	University of Connecticut-Hartford Campus Hartford, CT · Public	67 65–68	$68,025/yr	12.3x
107	Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, MI · Public	66 65–68	$68,632/yr	12.6x
108	University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA · Public	66 63–67	$73,072/yr	9.8x
109	University of Wyoming Laramie, WY · Public	66 67–67	$46,398/yr	30.7x
110	University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez Mayaguez, PR · Public	66 67–67	$47,701/yr	37.8x
111	California State University-Long Beach Long Beach, CA · Public	65 66–66	$45,164/yr	31.6x
112	Colorado School of Mines Golden, CO · Public	65 64–67	$68,318/yr	10.3x
113	University of Connecticut Storrs, CT · Public	65 63–66	$68,025/yr	10.4x
114	New Jersey Institute of Technology Newark, NJ · Public	65 64–67	$66,617/yr	11.0x
115	University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA · Private nonprofit	65 62–66	$81,721/yr	4.9x
116	Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA · Private nonprofit	64 61–65	$80,139/yr	4.2x
117	Rice University Houston, TX · Private nonprofit	64 61–65	$87,830/yr	4.1x
118	University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Stevens Point, WI · Public	64 61–65	$84,047/yr	22.8x
119	Northwestern University Evanston, IL · Private nonprofit	63 60–64	$80,709/yr	3.6x
120	University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN · Private nonprofit	63 60–64	$83,377/yr	3.5x
121	Cornell University Ithaca, NY · Private nonprofit	63 60–65	$85,578/yr	3.5x
122	Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Terre Haute, IN · Private nonprofit	62 59–64	$82,394/yr	3.7x
123	Louisiana Tech University Ruston, LA · Public	62 59–64	$79,157/yr	18.5x
124	University of Mississippi University, MS · Public	62 59–63	$76,685/yr	19.4x
125	University of Dayton Dayton, OH · Private nonprofit	62 59–64	$79,865/yr	4.2x
126	Bucknell University Lewisburg, PA · Private nonprofit	62 59–63	$80,653/yr	3.3x
127	Lehigh University Bethlehem, PA · Private nonprofit	62 59–63	$82,435/yr	3.3x
128	Trine University Angola, IN · Private nonprofit	61 59–62	$72,875/yr	5.3x
129	Northeastern University Boston, MA · Private nonprofit	61 58–62	$81,880/yr	3.1x
130	Tufts University Medford, MA · Private nonprofit	61 59–63	$75,367/yr	3.3x
131	Worcester Polytechnic Institute Worcester, MA · Private nonprofit	61 58–62	$78,767/yr	3.3x
132	Stevens Institute of Technology Hoboken, NJ · Private nonprofit	61 58–62	$79,339/yr	3.2x
133	Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, NY · Private nonprofit	61 58–63	$78,263/yr	3.3x
134	Drexel University Philadelphia, PA · Private nonprofit	61 58–62	$77,528/yr	3.3x
135	Manhattan College Riverdale, NY · Private nonprofit	60 58–61	$73,333/yr	3.8x
136	Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY · Private nonprofit	60 57–61	$73,984/yr	3.4x
137	Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH · Private nonprofit	60 57–61	$83,706/yr	2.8x
138	Lafayette College Easton, PA · Private nonprofit	60 57–61	$79,602/yr	2.9x
139	Widener University Chester, PA · Private nonprofit	60 58–61	$71,160/yr	3.6x
140	Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN · Private nonprofit	60 58–62	$75,639/yr	3.1x
141	Clarkson University Potsdam, NY · Private nonprofit	59 56–60	$75,887/yr	3.1x
142	University of Rochester Rochester, NY · Private nonprofit	59 57–60	$71,028/yr	3.1x
143	Villanova University Villanova, PA · Private nonprofit	59 56–60	$72,379/yr	2.9x
144	University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA · Private nonprofit	58 56–60	$68,234/yr	2.9x
145	Florida Institute of Technology Melbourne, FL · Private nonprofit	58 58–60	$53,145/yr	5.3x
146	Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit	58 56–59	$64,526/yr	3.6x
147	Tuskegee University Tuskegee, AL · Private nonprofit	57 57–59	$51,473/yr	8.0x
148	Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY · Private nonprofit	57 57–59	$55,154/yr	3.3x
149	New York University New York, NY · Private nonprofit	57 56–59	$60,392/yr	3.3x
150	New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology Socorro, NM · Public	56 55–57	$57,215/yr	14.8x
151	University of Alabama in Huntsville Huntsville, AL · Public	55 53–56	$60,528/yr	11.9x
152	Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD · Private nonprofit	55 55–57	$51,267/yr	3.4x
153	University of Tulsa Tulsa, OK · Private nonprofit	55 55–56	$47,705/yr	4.5x
154	Rowan University Glassboro, NJ · Public	52 50–53	$61,045/yr	8.7x
155	Milwaukee School of Engineering Milwaukee, WI · Private nonprofit	51 50–52	$55,333/yr	2.9x
156	Kettering University Flint, MI · Private nonprofit	49 47–50	$71,411/yr	2.8x
157	Syracuse University Syracuse, NY · Private nonprofit	48 45–49	$72,864/yr	1.9x
158	Washington University in St Louis Saint Louis, MO · Private nonprofit	47 45–48	$69,801/yr	1.8x

Scores calculated using College Scorecard, BLS, and AI task-exposure data. See full methodology →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best school for Chemical Engineering?

Based on our DegreeOutlook Score, University of Florida ranks #1 for Chemical Engineering with a score of 77/100 and graduate earnings of $87,164/yr.

How much do Chemical Engineering graduates earn?

Across 158 schools, Chemical Engineering graduates earn an average of $72,288/yr in their first year. The highest-earning program reports $87,830/yr.

Is Chemical Engineering a good major for AI resistance?

Chemical Engineering has an average AI task exposure of 54%, rated "High". This field has significant AI exposure. Check individual program pages for scenario analysis.