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Most Popular Schools for Chemistry

2026 Most Popular Chemistry Schools

There are 1,380 colleges that offer a degree in Chemistry. The most popular schools, by student demand, are below:

Finding the Best Chemistry School for You

Today’s Chemistry students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. With more and more schools offering online options, you’re no longer limited to schools in your local area.

The Most Popular Chemistry Schools ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 1,380 schools in the United States to see which Chemistry programs were the most popular. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from each school’s program.

The colleges and universities below are the most popular for Chemistry majors.

Our 2026 rankings named University of California-San Diego the most popular school in the U.S. for Chemistry majors. University of California-San Diego is a public school located in La Jolla, CA. This school awarded 255 degrees in Chemistry in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $44,612. Read full report on Chemistry at University of California-San Diego

#2

University of Florida

Gainesville, FL

University of Florida comes in at #2 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Chemistry majors. University of Florida is a public school located in Gainesville, FL. This school awarded 218 degrees in Chemistry in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $48,898. Read More…

University of California-Berkeley landed the #3 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Chemistry Schools ranking. Located in Berkeley, CA, this is a public institution. This school awarded 209 degrees in Chemistry in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $57,445. Full Chemistry at University of California-Berkeley Report

University of Wisconsin-Madison landed the #4 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Chemistry Schools ranking. University of Wisconsin-Madison is a public school located in Madison, WI. During the most recent year for which we have data, 195 people earned their degree in Chemistry from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $53,379. Full Chemistry at University of Wisconsin-Madison Report

University of California-Irvine comes in at #5 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Chemistry majors. University of California-Irvine is a public school located in Irvine, CA. This school awarded 186 degrees in Chemistry in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,474. Read More…

#6

University of Virginia-Main Campus

Charlottesville, VA

University of Virginia-Main Campus landed the #6 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Chemistry Schools ranking. University of Virginia-Main Campus is a public school located in Charlottesville, VA. This school awarded 180 degrees in Chemistry in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $64,471. Read More…

#7

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL

University of Chicago landed the #7 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Chemistry Schools ranking. University of Chicago is a private nonprofit school located in Chicago, IL. During the most recent year for which we have data, 174 people earned their degree in Chemistry from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $77,119. Full Chemistry at University of Chicago Report

#8

Purdue University-Main Campus

West Lafayette, IN

Purdue University-Main Campus comes in at #8 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Chemistry majors. Purdue University-Main Campus is a public school located in West Lafayette, IN. During the most recent year for which we have data, 169 people earned their degree in Chemistry from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $61,124. Read More…

University of California-Los Angeles comes in at #9 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Chemistry majors. University of California-Los Angeles is a public school located in Los Angeles, CA. This school awarded 168 degrees in Chemistry in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $41,763. Read More…

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign comes in at #10 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Chemistry majors. Located in Champaign, IL, this is a public institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 168 people earned their degree in Chemistry from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $53,513. Read More…

#11

Emory University

Atlanta, GA

Emory University landed the #11 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Chemistry Schools ranking. Emory University is a private nonprofit school located in Atlanta, GA. During the most recent year for which we have data, 157 people earned their degree in Chemistry from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $61,856. Read full report on Chemistry at Emory University

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill comes in at #12 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Chemistry majors. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public school located in Chapel Hill, NC. During the most recent year for which we have data, 151 people earned their degree in Chemistry from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $51,058. Full Chemistry at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Report

University of Michigan-Ann Arbor comes in at #13 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Chemistry majors. Located in Ann Arbor, MI, this is a public institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 144 people earned their degree in Chemistry from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $64,597. Read More…

University of Washington-Seattle Campus comes in at #14 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Chemistry majors. Located in Seattle, WA, this is a public institution. This school awarded 140 degrees in Chemistry in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $53,990. Full Chemistry at University of Washington-Seattle Campus Report

The University of Texas at Austin comes in at #15 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Chemistry majors. Located in Austin, TX, this is a public institution. This school awarded 136 degrees in Chemistry in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $51,060. Read full report on Chemistry at The University of Texas at Austin

#16

Stony Brook University

Stony Brook, NY

Stony Brook University landed the #16 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Chemistry Schools ranking. Located in Stony Brook, NY, this is a public institution. This school awarded 134 degrees in Chemistry in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $51,412. Read More…

Ohio University-Main Campus comes in at #17 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Chemistry majors. Located in Athens, OH, this is a public institution. This school awarded 132 degrees in Chemistry in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $53,614. Read full report on Chemistry at Ohio University-Main Campus

Texas A&M University-College Station comes in at #18 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Chemistry majors. Texas A&M University-College Station is a public school located in College Station, TX. During the most recent year for which we have data, 131 people earned their degree in Chemistry from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $54,018. Full Chemistry at Texas A&M University-College Station Report

University of Minnesota-Twin Cities landed the #19 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Chemistry Schools ranking. University of Minnesota-Twin Cities is a public school located in Minneapolis, MN. During the most recent year for which we have data, 126 people earned their degree in Chemistry from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $47,373. Read full report on Chemistry at University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

#20

Cornell University

Ithaca, NY

Cornell University landed the #20 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Chemistry Schools ranking. Cornell University is a private nonprofit school located in Ithaca, NY. This school awarded 123 degrees in Chemistry in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $70,710. Read full report on Chemistry at Cornell University

University of California-Davis landed the #21 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Chemistry Schools ranking. University of California-Davis is a public school located in Davis, CA. This school awarded 119 degrees in Chemistry in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $41,123. Read full report on Chemistry at University of California-Davis

Virginia Commonwealth University landed the #22 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Chemistry Schools ranking. Located in Richmond, VA, this is a public institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 119 people earned their degree in Chemistry from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $41,934. Full Chemistry at Virginia Commonwealth University Report

Florida International University landed the #23 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Chemistry Schools ranking. Located in Miami, FL, this is a public institution. This school awarded 116 degrees in Chemistry in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $40,919. Read More…

#24

New York University

New York, NY

New York University comes in at #24 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Chemistry majors. Located in New York, NY, this is a private nonprofit institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 116 people earned their degree in Chemistry from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $59,956. Read More…

#25

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA

University of Pennsylvania landed the #25 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Chemistry Schools ranking. Located in Philadelphia, PA, this is a private nonprofit institution. This school awarded 116 degrees in Chemistry in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $86,069. Full Chemistry at University of Pennsylvania Report

#28

Harvard University

Cambridge, MA
#31

Princeton University

Princeton, NJ
#34

Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL
#36

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD
#37

CUNY Hunter College

New York, NY
#38

Indiana University-Bloomington

Bloomington, IN
#41

Georgia State University

Atlanta, GA
#42

Irvine Valley College

Irvine, CA
#44

The University of Alabama

Tuscaloosa, AL
#45

Wayne State University

Detroit, MI
#46

Western Carolina University

Cullowhee, NC
#49

Boston University

Boston, MA
#50

University of Iowa

Iowa City, IA

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for this major that just missed the list above.

Rank College Location
51 Yale University New Haven, CT
52 Northwestern University Evanston, IL
53 University of Cincinnati-Main Campus Cincinnati, OH
54 Michigan State University East Lansing, MI
55 Oregon State University Corvallis, OR
56 University of Connecticut Storrs, CT
57 University of Oregon Eugene, OR
58 Binghamton University Vestal, NY
59 University of Illinois Chicago Chicago, IL
60 University of Missouri-Kansas City Kansas City, MO
61 University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus Norman, OK
62 University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT
63 University of Central Florida Orlando, FL
64 Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus Atlanta, GA
65 Iowa State University Ames, IA
66 Rice University Houston, TX
67 University of Georgia Athens, GA
68 San Diego State University San Diego, CA
69 University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY
70 University of Maryland-College Park College Park, MD
71 University of South Carolina-Columbia Columbia, SC
72 Washington University in St Louis St. Louis, MO
73 Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA
74 Appalachian State University Boone, NC
75 Rutgers University-New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ
76 Sam Houston State University Huntsville, TX
77 The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX
78 University of Kentucky Lexington, KY
79 University of Massachusetts-Amherst Amherst, MA
80 Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ
81 University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, AL
82 University of North Texas Denton, TX
83 Northeastern University Boston, MA
84 University of Rochester Rochester, NY
85 Diablo Valley College Pleasant Hill, CA
86 Eastern Kentucky University Richmond, KY
87 The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Edinburg, TX
88 Colorado State University-Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO
89 Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY
90 University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR
91 William & Mary Williamsburg, VA
92 Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH
93 Saddleback College Mission Viejo, CA
94 Stanford University Stanford, CA
95 University of Louisville Louisville, KY
96 University of California-Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA
97 San Jose State University San Jose, CA
98 University of Delaware Newark, DE
99 University of Memphis Memphis, TN
100 Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN
101 Miami University-Oxford Oxford, OH
102 Tufts University Medford, MA
103 University of North Carolina Wilmington Wilmington, NC
104 California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA
105 Montana State University Bozeman, MT
106 Western Washington University Bellingham, WA
107 Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, GA
108 Temple University Philadelphia, PA
109 University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN
110 Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA
111 Clemson University Clemson, SC
112 Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL
113 University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO
114 University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez Mayaguez, PR
115 California State University-San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA
116 Orange Coast College Costa Mesa, CA
117 University of Minnesota-Duluth Duluth, MN
118 University of Missouri-Columbia Columbia, MO
119 University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA
120 Duke University Durham, NC
121 Indiana University-Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN
122 University of Kansas Lawrence, KS
123 Brown University Providence, RI
124 University of Massachusetts-Lowell Lowell, MA
125 East Carolina University Greenville, NC
126 Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Edwardsville, IL
127 The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Knoxville, TN
128 University of Akron Main Campus Akron, OH
129 California State University-Long Beach Long Beach, CA
130 University of Arizona Tucson, AZ
131 University of Houston Houston, TX
132 Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX
133 University of Nevada-Reno Reno, NV
134 University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras San Juan, PR
135 Brigham Young University Provo, UT
136 Northern Illinois University Dekalb, IL
137 University at Albany Albany, NY
138 University of Nebraska-Lincoln Lincoln, NE
139 University of New Haven West Haven, CT
140 Villanova University Villanova, PA
141 California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA
142 West Virginia University Morgantown, WV
143 Baylor University Waco, TX
144 The University of Texas at El Paso El Paso, TX
145 Towson University Towson, MD
146 University of Miami Coral Gables, FL
147 College of the Holy Cross Worcester, MA
148 Kent State University at Kent Kent, OH
149 Mercer University Macon, GA
150 University of New Mexico-Main Campus Albuquerque, NM
151 University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC
152 California State University-Sacramento Sacramento, CA
153 Fullerton College Fullerton, CA
154 Tennessee Technological University Cookeville, TN
155 United States Naval Academy Annapolis, MD
156 University of California-Merced Merced, CA
157 Boise State University Boise, ID
158 CUNY Graduate School and University Center New York, NY
159 California State University-Fresno Fresno, CA
160 California State University-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
161 College of Southern Nevada Las Vegas, NV
162 Haverford College Haverford, PA
163 James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA
164 Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC
165 Auburn University Auburn, AL
166 Brandeis University Waltham, MA
167 George Mason University Fairfax, VA
168 East Tennessee State University Johnson City, TN
169 St Olaf College Northfield, MN
170 Xavier University of Louisiana New Orleans, LA
171 Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA
172 California State University-Fullerton Fullerton, CA
173 Illinois State University Normal, IL
174 Texas State University San Marcos, TX
175 Drexel University Philadelphia, PA
176 The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX
177 University of Southern Mississippi Hattiesburg, MS
178 California State University-Northridge Northridge, CA
179 George Washington University Washington, DC
180 San Diego Miramar College San Diego, CA
181 Washington State University Pullman, WA
182 Ball State University Muncie, IN
183 Carleton College Northfield, MN
184 Missouri University of Science and Technology Rolla, MO
185 University of New Orleans New Orleans, LA
186 Lamar University Beaumont, TX
187 Moorpark College Moorpark, CA
188 St. John’s University-New York Queens, NY
189 United States Air Force Academy USAF Academy, CO
190 University of Alabama in Huntsville Huntsville, AL
191 University of Houston-Downtown Houston, TX
192 University of Maryland-Baltimore County Baltimore, MD
193 University of Toledo Toledo, OH
194 University of West Georgia Carrollton, GA
195 Wayne State College Wayne, NE
196 Mississippi State University Mississippi State, MS
197 Pittsburg State University Pittsburg, KS
198 Santa Barbara City College Santa Barbara, CA
199 Syracuse University Syracuse, NY
200 University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Eau Claire, WI

Chemistry by Region

See the most popular Chemistry schools in a specific region of the United States.

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

More Chemistry Rankings

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this Most Popular Chemistry Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you.

Chemistry Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
General Chemistry 18,323
Other Chemistry 540
Forensic Chemistry 367
Polymer Chemistry 83
Chemical Physics 41
Analytical Chemistry 38
Environmental Chemistry 20
Organic Chemistry 8
Physical Chemistry 8
Theoretical Chemistry 6
Related Major Annual Graduates
Physics 12,910
Geological & Earth Sciences 7,622
General Physical Sciences 2,661
Astronomy & Astrophysics 1,580
Atmospheric Sciences 1,341

References

*The average salary above is for the top 25 schools only.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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