2023 Best Chemistry Schools
Finding the Best Chemistry School for You
In 2020-2021, 21,239 people earned a degree or certificate in chemistry, making the major the #51 most popular in the United States.
It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Chemistry Schools to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 264 schools in the United States to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Chemistry Schools in the United States
The colleges and universities below are the best for chemistry majors pursuing a .
Top 25 Top Schools in Chemistry
Our 2023 rankings named Stanford University the best school in the United States for chemistry students. Located in the large suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Chemistry Schools list. Northwestern is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Evanston.
Chemistry majors at Northwestern take out an average of $17,417 in student loans while working on their egree.
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The excellent programs at Illinois Institute of Technology helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best chemistry schools in the United States. Illinois Tech is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means University of California - Berkeley is a great place for chemistry students. UC Berkeley is a very large public school located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley.
Chemistry majors at UC Berkeley take out an average of $12,138 in student loans while working on their egree.
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The excellent programs at Rochester Institute of Technology helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best chemistry schools in the United States. RIT is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Rochester.
On average, chemistry graduates from RIT take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
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University of Maryland - College Park landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best chemistry programs. Located in the large suburb of College Park, UMCP is a public school with a fairly large student population.
After completing their degree, chemistry graduates from UMCP carry an average student debtload of $20,000.
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University of Chicago ranked #7 on this year’s Best Chemistry Schools list. Located in the city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
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Northeastern University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Chemistry Schools ranking. Located in the city of Boston, Northeastern is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.
After completing their degree, chemistry graduates from Northeastern carry an average student debtload of $23,369.
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Cornell University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for chemistry students. It came in at #9 on the list. Cornell is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Ithaca.
On average, chemistry graduates from Cornell take out $17,135 in student loans while working on their degree.
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The University of Texas at Austin came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Chemistry Schools ranking. UT Austin is a fairly large public school located in the city of Austin.
On average, chemistry graduates from UT Austin take out $19,336 in student loans while working on their degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $243.
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Wake Forest University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for chemistry students. It came in at #11 on the list. Wake Forest University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Winston-Salem.
While working on their degree, chemistry majors at Wake Forest University accumulate an average of around $21,500 in student debt.
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With a ranking of #12, College of the Holy Cross did quite well on this year’s best schools for chemistry students. Located in the city of Worcester, Holy Cross is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
The average amount in student loans that chemistry majors at Holy Cross take out is $27,000.
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Iowa State University landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best chemistry programs. Iowa State is a fairly large public school located in the city of Ames.
On average, chemistry graduates from Iowa State take out $20,468 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Williams College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Chemistry Schools ranking. Located in the fringe town of Williamstown, Williams is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
On average, chemistry graduates from Williams take out $12,999 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for chemistry students. It came in at #15 on the list. Louisiana State University is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Baton Rouge.
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University of Delaware came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Chemistry Schools ranking. UD is a very large public school located in the suburb of Newark.
After completing their degree, chemistry graduates from UD carry an average student debtload of $24,786.
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With a ranking of #17, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on this year’s best schools for chemistry students. UCSB is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Santa Barbara.
After completing their degree, chemistry graduates from UCSB carry an average student debtload of $19,530. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $343.
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With a ranking of #18, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on this year’s best schools for chemistry students. UIUC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Champaign.
The average amount in student loans that chemistry majors at UIUC take out is $21,500. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $458.
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St Olaf College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for chemistry students. It came in at #19 on the list. St. Olaf is a small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Northfield.
The average amount in student loans that chemistry majors at St. Olaf take out is $25,000.
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With a ranking of #20, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well on this year’s best schools for chemistry students. Located in the city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public school with a fairly large student population.
While working on their degree, chemistry majors at UMN Twin Cities accumulate an average of around $21,449 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $344, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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University of Wisconsin - River Falls did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for chemistry students. It came in at #21 on the list. UW - River Falls is a medium-sized public school located in the distant town of River Falls.
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North Carolina State University landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best chemistry programs. NC State is a very large public school located in the city of Raleigh.
On average, chemistry graduates from NC State take out $22,443 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Virginia Tech landed the #23 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best chemistry programs. Located in the city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public school with a very large student population.
On average, chemistry graduates from Virginia Tech take out $20,500 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Christopher Newport University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Chemistry Schools ranking. Located in the midsize city of Newport News, CNU is a public college with a small student population.
Chemistry majors at CNU take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
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University of Wyoming ranked #25 on this year’s Best Chemistry Schools list. Located in the remote town of Laramie, UW is a public college with a large student population.
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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 |
|---|---|---|
| 40 | Texas A&M University - College Station | College Station, TX |
| 41 | University of North Alabama | Florence, AL |
| 42 | Pacific Lutheran University | Tacoma, WA |
| 43 | Hope College | Holland, MI |
| 44 | University of Virginia - Main Campus | Charlottesville, VA |
| 45 | York College of Pennsylvania | York, PA |
| 46 | University of Wisconsin - Madison | Madison, WI |
| 47 | University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire | Eau Claire, WI |
| 48 | Eastern Washington University | Cheney, WA |
| 49 | Oklahoma State University - Main Campus | Stillwater, OK |
| 50 | Temple University | Philadelphia, PA |
| 51 | Smith College | Northampton, MA |
| 52 | Ohio State University - Main Campus | Columbus, OH |
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 |
| Great Lakes |
More Chemistry Rankings
Chemistry Related Rankings by Major
Chemistry is one of 8 different types of programs to choose from.
Most Popular Related Majors
| 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 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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