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2024 Best Chemistry Schools

240 Colleges in the United States
21,239 Chemistry Degrees Awarded
$40,656 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on majoring in chemistry, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #51 in the country in terms of popularity. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 240 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for chemistry students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 21,239 degrees in chemistry during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Chemistry School

Best Chemistry Schools The chemistry program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Chemistry rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for chemistry schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Chemistry Rankings by Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Chemistry
Bachelor's Degrees in Chemistry
Master's Degrees in Chemistry
Doctor's Degrees in Chemistry

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Chemistry Schools list to help you make the college decision. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Chemistry in the United States

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the chemistry degrees they offer, see the list below. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Top Schools in Chemistry

1
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
14th Most Popular In CA
58 Chemistry Degrees Awarded

Stanford University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in chemistry. Located in the large suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #3 out of 2,238 schools nationwide means Stanford is a great university overall.

There were roughly 58 chemistry students who graduated with this degree at Stanford in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in chemistry from Stanford University

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
146 Chemistry Degrees Awarded
$36,403 Median Starting Salary

Every student pursuing a degree in chemistry needs to look into University of Chicago. UChicago is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #2 out of 2,238 colleges nationwide means UChicago is a great university overall.

There were roughly 146 chemistry students who graduated with this degree at UChicago in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, chemistry degree recipients typically make about $36,403 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in chemistry from University of Chicago

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
62 Chemistry Degrees Awarded
$72,080 Median Starting Salary

Northwestern University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in chemistry. Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,238 colleges nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.

There were about 62 chemistry students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent year we have data available. Those chemistry students who get their degree from Northwestern University make $31,424 more than the typical chemistry grad.

More information about a degree in chemistry from Northwestern University

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
170 Chemistry Degrees Awarded
$77,446 Median Starting Salary

University of California - Berkeley is a great option for students interested in a degree in chemistry. Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #10 out of 2,238 schools nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.

There were about 170 chemistry students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the chemistry program at University of California - Berkeley make $36,789 above the standard college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in chemistry from University of California - Berkeley

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
194 Chemistry Degrees Awarded
$65,477 Median Starting Salary

UIUC is a fairly large public university located in the city of Champaign. This university ranks 3rd out of 87 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were about 194 chemistry students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent year we have data available. Those chemistry students who get their degree from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign earn $24,820 more than the standard chemistry student.

More information about a degree in chemistry from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In MI
119 Chemistry Degrees Awarded

Located in the medium-sized city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #20 out of 2,238 colleges nationwide means U-M is a great university overall.

There were approximately 119 chemistry students who graduated with this degree at U-M in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in chemistry from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In MD
58 Chemistry Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #14 out of 2,238 colleges nationwide means Johns Hopkins is a great university overall.

There were roughly 58 chemistry students who graduated with this degree at Johns Hopkins in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in chemistry from Johns Hopkins University

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
117 Chemistry Degrees Awarded
2.6% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #26 out of 2,238 colleges nationwide means Cornell is a great university overall.

There were approximately 117 chemistry students who graduated with this degree at Cornell in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, chemistry degree recipients generally earn about $37,662 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in chemistry from Cornell University

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
126 Chemistry Degrees Awarded
5.6% Growth in Graduates

UCSB is a very large public university located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara. This university ranks 7th out of 170 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 126 chemistry students who graduated with this degree at UCSB in the most recent data year. Those chemistry students who get their degree from University of California - Santa Barbara receive $31,612 more than the typical chemistry grad.

More information about a degree in chemistry from University of California - Santa Barbara

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
412 Chemistry Degrees Awarded
10.2% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 8th out of 170 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 412 chemistry students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent data year. Chemistry degree recipients from University of California - San Diego earn a boost of approximately $15,697 over the typical earnings of chemistry graduates.

More information about a degree in chemistry from University of California - San Diego

11
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
76 Chemistry Degrees Awarded
5.3% Growth in Graduates

UCONN is a very large public university located in the suburb of Storrs. This university ranks 2nd out of 28 schools for overall quality in the state of Connecticut.

There were approximately 76 chemistry students who graduated with this degree at UCONN in the most recent data year. Chemistry degree recipients from University of Connecticut earn a boost of approximately $8,574 over the typical earnings of chemistry majors.

More information about a degree in chemistry from University of Connecticut

12
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
135 Chemistry Degrees Awarded
3.0% Growth in Graduates

UCLA is a very large public university located in the large city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #25 out of 2,238 schools nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.

There were approximately 135 chemistry students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent data year. Chemistry degree recipients from University of California - Los Angeles get an earnings boost of around $5,564 above the average income of chemistry majors.

More information about a degree in chemistry from University of California - Los Angeles

13
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
34 Chemistry Degrees Awarded
14.7% Growth in Graduates

Illinois Tech is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago. This school ranks 10th out of 87 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were about 34 chemistry students who graduated with this degree at Illinois Tech in the most recent year we have data available. Those chemistry students who get their degree from Illinois Institute of Technology make $37,677 more than the average chemistry student.

More information about a degree in chemistry from Illinois Institute of Technology

14
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
64 Chemistry Degrees Awarded
$50,176 Median Starting Salary

Located in the suburb of College Park, UMCP is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 2nd out of 35 schools for overall quality in the state of Maryland.

There were approximately 64 chemistry students who graduated with this degree at UMCP in the most recent data year. Those chemistry students who get their degree from University of Maryland - College Park make $9,520 more than the average chemistry grad.

More information about a degree in chemistry from University of Maryland - College Park

15
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
155 Chemistry Degrees Awarded
9.7% Growth in Graduates

UW - Madison is a very large public university located in the city of Madison. A Best Colleges rank of #29 out of 2,238 schools nationwide means UW - Madison is a great university overall.

There were approximately 155 chemistry students who graduated with this degree at UW - Madison in the most recent year we have data available. Those chemistry students who get their degree from University of Wisconsin - Madison earn $7,227 more than the average chemistry student.

More information about a degree in chemistry from University of Wisconsin - Madison

16
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
119 Chemistry Degrees Awarded
14.3% Growth in Graduates

UC Davis is a very large public university located in the suburb of Davis. This university ranks 11th out of 170 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 119 chemistry students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent year we have data available. Those chemistry students who get their degree from University of California - Davis receive $6,386 more than the standard chemistry graduate.

More information about a degree in chemistry from University of California - Davis

17
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
152 Chemistry Degrees Awarded
$56,261 Median Starting Salary

UT Austin is a fairly large public university located in the city of Austin. This university ranks 2nd out of 116 colleges for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were about 152 chemistry students who graduated with this degree at UT Austin in the most recent year we have data available. Those chemistry students who get their degree from The University of Texas at Austin earn $15,604 more than the typical chemistry grad.

More information about a degree in chemistry from The University of Texas at Austin

18
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
186 Chemistry Degrees Awarded
$41,794 Median Starting Salary

UMN Twin Cities is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Minneapolis. This university ranks 1st out of 55 colleges for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.

There were approximately 186 chemistry students who graduated with this degree at UMN Twin Cities in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the chemistry program make about $41,794 in their early career salary.

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

19
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
175 Chemistry Degrees Awarded
$51,133 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 14th out of 170 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 175 chemistry students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent data year. Those chemistry students who get their degree from University of California - Irvine earn $10,476 more than the average chemistry graduate.

More information about a degree in chemistry from University of California - Irvine

20
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
32 Chemistry Degrees Awarded
6.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the midsize city of Pasadena, Caltech is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #15 out of 2,238 colleges nationwide means Caltech is a great school overall.

There were about 32 chemistry students who graduated with this degree at Caltech in the most recent data year. Those chemistry students who get their degree from California Institute of Technology make $19,340 more than the average chemistry grad.

More information about a degree in chemistry from California Institute of Technology

21
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
226 Chemistry Degrees Awarded
13.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 2nd out of 93 schools for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were roughly 226 chemistry students who graduated with this degree at UNC Chapel Hill in the most recent year we have data available. Chemistry degree recipients from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill receive an earnings boost of approximately $6,817 over the average earnings of chemistry graduates.

More information about a degree in chemistry from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

22
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
56 Chemistry Degrees Awarded
$45,450 Median Starting Salary

Iowa State is a very large public university located in the small city of Ames. This university ranks 1st out of 40 schools for overall quality in the state of Iowa.

There were approximately 56 chemistry students who graduated with this degree at Iowa State in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the chemistry degree program at Iowa State University make $4,794 above the average graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in chemistry from Iowa State University

23
Emory crest
Emory University
Atlanta, GA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
107 Chemistry Degrees Awarded
$20,784 Median Starting Salary

Emory is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Atlanta. A Best Colleges rank of #30 out of 2,238 colleges nationwide means Emory is a great university overall.

There were roughly 107 chemistry students who graduated with this degree at Emory in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the chemistry program report average early career wages of $20,784.

More information about a degree in chemistry from Emory University

24
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
157 Chemistry Degrees Awarded
29.9% Growth in Graduates

Located in the suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #32 out of 2,238 colleges nationwide means University of Virginia is a great university overall.

There were approximately 157 chemistry students who graduated with this degree at University of Virginia in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, chemistry degree recipients usually make an average of $28,682 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in chemistry from University of Virginia - Main Campus

25
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
108 Chemistry Degrees Awarded
9.3% Growth in Graduates

Texas A&M College Station is a fairly large public university located in the city of College Station. This university ranks 3rd out of 116 colleges for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were approximately 108 chemistry students who graduated with this degree at Texas A&M College Station in the most recent year we have data available. Chemistry degree recipients from Texas A&M University - College Station receive an earnings boost of around $12,275 over the average income of chemistry majors.

More information about a degree in chemistry from Texas A&M University - College Station

Rest of the Top Best Chemistry Schools

25
26
27
28
29
30
31

32
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI

33
34
Williams crest
Williams College
Williamstown, MA
35
36
Boston U crest
Boston University
Boston, MA

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Chemistry Schools award.

Rank College Location
37 Indiana University - Bloomington Bloomington, IN
38 University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA
39 Temple University Philadelphia, PA
40 Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC
41 University of Massachusetts - Lowell Lowell, MA
42 Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA
43 University of Florida Gainesville, FL
44 San Diego State University San Diego, CA
45 Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA
46 Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus Atlanta, GA
47 North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC
48 University of Georgia Athens, GA

Chemistry by Region

View the Best Chemistry Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

View All Rankings >

Chemistry is one of 8 different types of Physical Sciences programs to choose from.

Chemistry Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
General Chemistry 20,056
Other Chemistry 710
Forensic Chemistry 247
Polymer Chemistry 101
Chemical Physics 45
Analytical Chemistry 34
Environmental Chemistry 25
Organic Chemistry 7
Theoretical Chemistry 7
Physical Chemistry 5

View All Chemistry Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Physics 13,674
Geological & Earth Sciences 7,821
General Physical Sciences 3,823
Astronomy & Astrophysics 1,375
Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology 1,140
Materials Sciences 658
Other Physical Science 538
Physics and Astronomy 38

View All Chemistry Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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