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2023 Most Popular Chemistry Schools

1,387 Colleges
$40,656 Avg Salary
$22,680 Avg Student Debt

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.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Most Popular Chemistry Schools ranking. This report analyzed 1,387 schools in the United States to see which ones were the most popular programs for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Chemistry program at each school on the list.

Check out the chemistry programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in the United States.

Our 2023 rankings named University of California - San Diego the most popular school in the United States for chemistry students. Located in the large city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public school with a very large student population.

Chemistry majors at UCSD take out an average of $15,833 in student loans while working on their egree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $167.

Read full report on Chemistry at University of California - San Diego

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a great place for chemistry students. UNC Chapel Hill is a very large public school located in the city of Chapel Hill.

Chemistry majors at UNC Chapel Hill take out an average of $15,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Chemistry at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

The excellent programs at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best chemistry schools in the United States. UIUC is a very large public school located in the small city of Champaign.

After completing their degree, chemistry graduates from UIUC carry an average student debt load of $21,500. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $458.

Read full report on Chemistry at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a great place for chemistry students. Located in the city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public school with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that chemistry majors at UMN Twin Cities take out is $21,449. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $344, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

#5

University of Florida

Gainesville, FL

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means University of Florida is a great place for chemistry students. UF is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Gainesville.

Chemistry majors at UF take out an average of $14,368 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $134, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Chemistry at University of Florida Report

University of California - Irvine landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular chemistry programs. UC Irvine is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Irvine.

On average, chemistry graduates from UC Irvine take out $15,000 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $201, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Chemistry at University of California - Irvine

University of California - Berkeley did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for chemistry students. It came in at #7 on the list. UC Berkeley is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Berkeley.

After completing their degree, chemistry graduates from UC Berkeley carry an average student debt load of $12,138.

Read full report on Chemistry at University of California - Berkeley

University of Virginia - Main Campus ranked #8 on this year’s Most Popular Chemistry Schools list. Located in the suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public college with a very large student population.

After completing their degree, chemistry graduates from University of Virginia carry an average student debt load of $21,500.

Full Chemistry at University of Virginia - Main Campus Report

University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular chemistry programs. UW - Madison is a very large public school located in the city of Madison.

The average amount in student loans that chemistry majors at UW - Madison take out is $23,117.

Read full report on Chemistry at University of Wisconsin - Madison

#10

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, IN

Purdue University - Main Campus ranked #10 on this year’s Most Popular Chemistry Schools list. Purdue is a fairly large public school located in the small city of West Lafayette.

After completing their degree, chemistry graduates from Purdue carry an average student debt load of $25,000. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $256, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Chemistry at Purdue University - Main Campus

The University of Texas at Austin ranked #11 on this year’s Most Popular Chemistry Schools list. UT Austin is a very large public school located in the large city of Austin.

After completing their degree, chemistry graduates from UT Austin carry an average student debt load of $19,336. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $243.

Full Chemistry at The University of Texas at Austin Report

#12

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL

University of Chicago came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Chemistry Schools ranking. Located in the large city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Read More…

Florida International University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Chemistry Schools ranking. Located in the suburb of Miami, FIU is a public college with a very large student population.

On average, chemistry graduates from FIU take out $10,464 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read More…

University of California - Los Angeles landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular chemistry programs. UCLA is a fairly large public school located in the city of Los Angeles.

While working on their degree, chemistry majors at UCLA accumulate an average of around $14,452 in student debt.

Read full report on Chemistry at University of California - Los Angeles

#15

Hunter College

New York, NY

With a ranking of #15, Hunter College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for chemistry students. Hunter is a very large public school located in the large city of New York.

The average amount in student loans that chemistry majors at Hunter take out is $7,500.

Read More…

#16

Georgia State University

Atlanta, GA

Georgia State University ranked #16 on this year’s Most Popular Chemistry Schools list. Georgia State is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Atlanta.

While working on their degree, chemistry majors at Georgia State accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $158, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Chemistry at Georgia State University

University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular chemistry programs. Located in the city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average amount in student loans that chemistry majors at UW Seattle take out is $14,899.

Read More…

With a ranking of #18, Virginia Commonwealth University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for chemistry students. Located in the city of Richmond, VCU is a public college with a fairly large student population.

After completing their degree, chemistry graduates from VCU carry an average student debt load of $23,756. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $185.

Full Chemistry at Virginia Commonwealth University Report

University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for chemistry students. It came in at #18 on the list. UCSB is a very large public school located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara.

The average amount in student loans that chemistry majors at UCSB take out is $19,530. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $343.

Full Chemistry at University of California - Santa Barbara Report

University of California - Davis landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular chemistry programs. UC Davis is a fairly large public school located in the small suburb of Davis.

While working on their degree, chemistry majors at UC Davis accumulate an average of around $13,992 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $272, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Chemistry at University of California - Davis

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for chemistry students. It came in at #20 on the list. U-M is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor.

After completing their degree, chemistry graduates from U-M carry an average student debt load of $17,431.

Read full report on Chemistry at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

#20

University of Utah

Salt Lake City, UT

University of Utah came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Chemistry Schools ranking. Located in the midsize city of Salt Lake City, U of U is a public school with a fairly large student population.

On average, chemistry graduates from U of U take out $19,367 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read More…

#23

Cornell University

Ithaca, NY

With a ranking of #23, Cornell University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for chemistry students. Cornell is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Ithaca.

The average amount in student loans that chemistry majors at Cornell take out is $17,135.

Read More…

Ohio University - Athens Campus ranked #24 on this year’s Most Popular Chemistry Schools list. OHIO Athens is a very large public school located in the town of Athens.

While working on their degree, chemistry majors at OHIO Athens accumulate an average of around $25,000 in student debt.

Read full report on Chemistry at Ohio University - Athens Campus

Texas A&M University - College Station landed the #25 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular chemistry programs. Located in the midsize city of College Station, Texas A&M College Station is a public school with a very large student population.

While working on their degree, chemistry majors at Texas A&M College Station accumulate an average of around $22,766 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $199, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Chemistry at Texas A&M University - College Station

#26

Emory University

Atlanta, GA
#28

San Diego State University

San Diego, CA
#29

Stony Brook University

Stony Brook, NY
#35

East Carolina University

Greenville, NC
#36

University of Oregon

Eugene, OR
#37

Michigan State University

East Lansing, MI
#39

Harvard University

Cambridge, MA
#39

New York University

New York, NY
#41

The University of Alabama

Tuscaloosa, AL
#41

Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL
#44

Princeton University

Princeton, NJ
#45

University at Buffalo

Buffalo, NY
#45

Orange Coast College

Costa Mesa, CA
#48

University of Arkansas

Fayetteville, AR
#50

University of Houston

Houston, TX

Additional Award Winners

This list shows the rest of the schools awarded a Most Popular Chemistry Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 1387 different United States chemistry schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
50 California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Pomona, CA
52 University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA
52 Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ
52 University of Connecticut Storrs, CT
55 Binghamton University Vestal, NY
56 University of South Florida - Main Campus Tampa, FL
56 University of North Carolina at Wilmington Wilmington, NC
58 Yale University New Haven, CT
58 University of Central Florida Orlando, FL
60 Colorado State University - Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO
60 Washington University in St Louis Saint Louis, MO
62 Towson University Towson, MD
62 San Jose State University San Jose, CA
62 University of Kentucky Lexington, KY
62 Wayne State University Detroit, MI
62 Oregon State University Corvallis, OR
67 The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Edinburg, TX
68 North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC
68 Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus Atlanta, GA
68 University of Maryland - College Park College Park, MD
68 Irvine Valley College Irvine, CA
68 University of Iowa Iowa City, IA
73 Northwestern University Evanston, IL
74 Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN
74 Western Carolina University Cullowhee, NC
76 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA
76 University of Arizona Tucson, AZ
78 University of Georgia Athens, GA
78 Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD
78 Stanford University Stanford, CA
81 Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ
81 University of Delaware Newark, DE
81 Kent State University at Kent Kent, OH
81 University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras San Juan, PR
85 University of Memphis Memphis, TN
85 Iowa State University Ames, IA
85 University of Cincinnati - Main Campus Cincinnati, OH
88 University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, AL
88 William & Mary Williamsburg, VA
88 Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA
88 University of South Carolina - Columbia Columbia, SC
88 Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA
88 University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO
88 Duke University Durham, NC
88 Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH
96 University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, IL
96 Temple University Philadelphia, PA
96 Boston University Boston, MA
96 California State University - Long Beach Long Beach, CA
96 University of North Texas Denton, TX
101 University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez Mayaguez, PR
101 University of California - Merced Merced, CA
103 University of Rochester Rochester, NY
103 Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX
103 University of Minnesota - Duluth Duluth, MN
106 University of Mississippi University, MS
106 Fullerton College Fullerton, CA
108 Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, GA
108 Rice University Houston, TX
110 Northeastern University Boston, MA
110 Auburn University Auburn, AL
112 University at Albany Albany, NY
112 Western Washington University Bellingham, WA
112 Montana State University Bozeman, MT
112 University of Massachusetts Amherst Amherst, MA
116 Brooklyn College Brooklyn, NY
117 Kalamazoo College Kalamazoo, MI
117 University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA
117 The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Knoxville, TN
120 Bowling Green State University - Main Campus Bowling Green, OH
120 Appalachian State University Boone, NC
120 California State University - San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA
123 Mississippi State University Mississippi State, MS
123 University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC
123 Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA
123 California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA
123 Northern Illinois University Dekalb, IL
123 The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX
129 Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA
129 Clemson University Clemson, SC
131 University of Louisville Louisville, KY
131 Georgia Southern University Statesboro, GA
131 Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL
134 Villanova University Villanova, PA
134 Texas State University San Marcos, TX
134 Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Edwardsville, IL
134 University of Nevada - Reno Reno, NV
138 University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN
138 California State University - Northridge Northridge, CA
138 Drexel University Philadelphia, PA
138 Miami University - Oxford Oxford, OH
142 Lehman College Bronx, NY
142 University of Puerto Rico - Humacao Humacao, PR
142 Saddleback College Mission Viejo, CA
142 Brandeis University Waltham, MA
146 Missouri State University - Springfield Springfield, MO
146 James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA
146 Syracuse University Syracuse, NY
149 University of Missouri - Columbia Columbia, MO
149 California State University - Sacramento Sacramento, CA
151 Washington State University Pullman, WA
151 California State University - Fresno Fresno, CA
151 Diablo Valley College Pleasant Hill, CA
151 University of Northern Colorado Greeley, CO
151 West Virginia University Morgantown, WV
151 Eastern Kentucky University Richmond, KY
157 Brown University Providence, RI
157 University of Kansas Lawrence, KS
157 Golden West College Huntington Beach, CA
157 The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX
157 Sam Houston State University Huntsville, TX
162 The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga Chattanooga, TN
162 Boise State University Boise, ID
162 Haverford College Haverford, PA
162 Brigham Young University - Provo Provo, UT
162 Western Kentucky University Bowling Green, KY
162 Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago, IL
162 George Mason University Fairfax, VA
169 Western Illinois University Macomb, IL
169 St Olaf College Northfield, MN
169 University of Miami Coral Gables, FL
169 Moorpark College Moorpark, CA
169 Evergreen Valley College San Jose, CA
174 University of Nebraska - Lincoln Lincoln, NE
174 Tennessee Technological University Cookeville, TN
174 St John’s University - New York Queens, NY
174 California State University - Fullerton Fullerton, CA
174 Santiago Canyon College Orange, CA
174 Prairie View A & M University Prairie View, TX
174 Southern Connecticut State University New Haven, CT
174 Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC
174 University of Massachusetts - Lowell Lowell, MA
174 California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA
174 The Graduate Center, CUNY New York, NY
174 Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN
186 The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX
186 California State University - Channel Islands Camarillo, CA
188 The University of Texas at El Paso El Paso, TX
188 George Washington University Washington, DC
188 Georgetown University Washington, DC
188 University of San Francisco San Francisco, CA
188 University of Southern Mississippi Hattiesburg, MS
188 South Dakota State University Brookings, SD
188 Central Washington University Ellensburg, WA
188 Austin Community College District Austin, TX
196 Illinois State University Normal, IL
196 Tufts University Medford, MA
196 California State University - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
196 College of the Holy Cross Worcester, MA
196 Rowan University Glassboro, NJ
196 Xavier University of Louisiana New Orleans, LA
202 Santa Barbara City College Santa Barbara, CA
202 Creighton University Omaha, NE
202 East Tennessee State University Johnson City, TN
202 Lewis University Romeoville, IL
202 Williams College Williamstown, MA
202 Ball State University Muncie, IN
202 University of New Mexico - Main Campus Albuquerque, NM
202 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, NY
202 Butler University Indianapolis, IN

Honorable Mentions

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

Rank College Location
211 Christopher Newport University Newport News, VA
211 Rhodes College Memphis, TN
211 Southeast Missouri State University Cape Girardeau, MO
211 Hope College Holland, MI
211 University of Alabama in Huntsville Huntsville, AL
211 United States Naval Academy Annapolis, MD
211 San Diego Miramar College San Diego, CA
218 Portland State University Portland, OR
218 Rutgers University - Newark Newark, NJ
218 The City College of New York New York, NY
218 University of North Florida Jacksonville, FL
218 University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire Eau Claire, WI
218 Loyola University Chicago Chicago, IL
218 Oklahoma State University - Main Campus Stillwater, OK
218 Baylor University Waco, TX
218 The College of New Jersey Ewing, NJ
227 The University of Tampa Tampa, FL
227 Auburn University at Montgomery Montgomery, AL
227 Blinn College Brenham, TX
230 Cleveland State University Cleveland, OH
230 University of Maryland - Baltimore County Baltimore, MD
230 University of New Orleans New Orleans, LA
230 University of Idaho Moscow, ID
230 Old Dominion University Norfolk, VA
230 Pittsburg State University Pittsburg, KS
230 University of West Georgia Carrollton, GA
230 University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI
230 Mercer University Macon, GA
230 Northern Kentucky University Highland Heights, KY
230 Eastern Michigan University Ypsilanti, MI
241 Lamar University Beaumont, TX
241 Saint Louis University Saint Louis, MO
241 Marshall University Huntington, WV
241 University of Mary Washington Fredericksburg, VA
241 Louisiana Tech University Ruston, LA
241 University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth North Dartmouth, MA
241 Wayne State College Wayne, NE
241 University of Wisconsin - La Crosse La Crosse, WI
249 University of South Dakota Vermillion, SD
249 Antelope Valley College Lancaster, CA
249 Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, TN
249 Radford University Radford, VA
249 Solano Community College Fairfield, CA
249 University of Houston - Downtown Houston, TX
249 University of Central Arkansas Conway, AR
249 University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu, HI
249 Northwest Missouri State University Maryville, MO
249 Lindenwood University Saint Charles, MO
249 Howard University Washington, DC
249 University of Missouri - St Louis Saint Louis, MO
249 Truman State University Kirksville, MO
262 University of Vermont Burlington, VT
262 Niagara County Community College Sanborn, NY
262 Skidmore College Saratoga Springs, NY
262 The University of West Florida Pensacola, FL
262 College of Charleston Charleston, SC
262 SUNY Oswego Oswego, NY
262 University of North Georgia Dahlonega, GA
262 John Carroll University University Heights, OH
262 Smith College Northampton, MA
262 Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, MI
262 Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY
262 Furman University Greenville, SC
262 Sacramento City College Sacramento, CA
262 Missouri University of Science and Technology Rolla, MO
262 Carleton College Northfield, MN
262 University of Louisiana at Lafayette Lafayette, LA

Chemistry by Region

View the Most Popular Chemistry Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

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

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.

  • 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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