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2025 Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region

12 Colleges in the Plains States Region
792 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
Ranked #64 in popularity, chemical engineering is one of the most sought-after degree programs in the nation. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 12 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 792 degrees in chemical engineering to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Chemical Engineering School

Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region Your choice of chemical engineering school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Chemical Engineering School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your Chemical Engineering Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Chem Eng
Master's Degrees in Chem Eng
Doctor's Degrees in Chem Eng

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Chemical Engineering in the Plains States Region

The schools below may not offer all types of chem eng degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Plains States Region Schools in Chem Eng

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In MN
121 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a wonderful choice for students pursuing a degree in chemical engineering. Located in the city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #45 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UMN Twin Cities is a great university overall.

There were roughly 121 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at UMN Twin Cities in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In IA
145 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded

Iowa State University is a wonderful choice for students pursuing a degree in chemical engineering. Located in the small city of Ames, Iowa State is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #88 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Iowa State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 145 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Iowa State in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from Iowa State University

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In MO
56 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded

Washington University in St Louis is a great option for students interested in a degree in chemical engineering. Located in the suburb of Saint Louis, WUSTL is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #21 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means WUSTL is a great university overall.

There were about 56 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at WUSTL in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from Washington University in St Louis

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In MO
99 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded

Every student who is interested in chemical engineering has to look into Missouri University of Science and Technology. Missouri University of Science and Technology is a moderately-sized public university located in the remote town of Rolla. This university ranks 5th out of 48 colleges for overall quality in the state of Missouri.

There were approximately 99 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Missouri University of Science and Technology in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from Missouri University of Science and Technology

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In KS
46 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded

K -State is a large public university located in the city of Manhattan. This university ranks 2nd out of 44 schools for overall quality in the state of Kansas.

There were about 46 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at K -State in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from Kansas State University

6
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In IA
49 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded

Iowa is a fairly large public university located in the city of Iowa City. A Best Colleges rank of #80 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Iowa is a great university overall.

There were about 49 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Iowa in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from University of Iowa

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In MO
43 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded

Mizzou is a fairly large public university located in the city of Columbia. A Best Colleges rank of #131 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Mizzou is a great university overall.

There were about 43 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Mizzou in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from University of Missouri - Columbia

8
KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In KS
66 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded

KU is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Lawrence. This university ranks 1st out of 44 colleges for overall quality in the state of Kansas.

There were roughly 66 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at KU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from University of Kansas

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In NE

UNL is a fairly large public university located in the city of Lincoln. This university ranks 2nd out of 19 colleges for overall quality in the state of Nebraska.

There were approximately 26 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at UNL in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from University of Nebraska - Lincoln

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In SD
33 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded

SD Mines is a small public school located in the city of Rapid City.

There were about 33 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at SD Mines in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from South Dakota School of Mines and Technology

Best Chemical Engineering Colleges by State

Explore the best chemical engineering colleges for a specific state in the Plains States Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Minnesota 742 191
Missouri 693 249
Iowa 648 189
Kansas 599 131
Nebraska 500 36
North Dakota 416 45
South Dakota 381 42

View All Rankings >

One of 2 majors within the Chemical Engineering area of study, Chemical Engineering has other similar majors worth exploring.

Majors Similar to Chem Eng

Related Major Annual Graduates
Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering 7

View All Chem Eng Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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