College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2024 Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools

154 Colleges in the United States
10,172 Bachelor's Degrees
$65,011 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on getting your bachelor's degree in chemical engineering, 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.

College Factual reviewed 154 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for bachelor's degree seekers in the field of chemical engineering. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 10,172 bachelor's degrees in chemical engineering during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Chemical Engineering School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools Your choice of chemical engineering for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality chem eng program can vary widely even among the top schools. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we consider a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a combination of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Average Earnings

To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their bachelor's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their bachelor's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for chemical engineering students working on their bachelor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Chemical Engineering Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Chem Eng Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Chemical Engineering in the United States

Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for chemical engineering students seeking a a bachelor's degree. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

23 Top Schools for a Bachelor's in Chem Eng

1
33 Annual Graduates
$81,524 Median Starting Salary
$15,209 Median Student Debt

Any student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering needs to check out Massachusetts Institute of Technology. MIT is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Cambridge.

Those chemical engineering students who get their bachelor's degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology make $16,513 more than the average chem eng graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology

2
185 Annual Graduates
$75,560 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

It is hard to beat Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering. Georgia Tech is a very large public school located in the city of Atlanta.

Those chemical engineering students who get their bachelor's degree from Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus make $10,549 more than the typical chem eng student.

More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus

3
117 Annual Graduates
$75,199 Median Starting Salary
$21,250 Median Student Debt

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a good decision for individuals interested in a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering. Located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Those chemical engineering students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor receive $10,188 more than the standard chem eng graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

4
79 Annual Graduates
$73,118 Median Starting Salary
$19,000 Median Student Debt

University of Notre Dame is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering. Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Notre Dame.

Chemical Engineering bachelor's degree recipients from University of Notre Dame receive an earnings boost of about $8,107 above the typical earnings of chemical engineering graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from University of Notre Dame

5
Rice crest
Rice University
Houston, TX
23 Annual Graduates
$78,801 Median Starting Salary
$13,178 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Houston, Rice is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the chemical engineering major at Rice University earn $13,790 more than the typical college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from Rice University

6
29 Annual Graduates
$71,607 Median Starting Salary
$16,500 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Chemical Engineering bachelor's degree recipients from Northwestern University earn a boost of approximately $6,596 over the average income of chemical engineering graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from Northwestern University

7
232 Annual Graduates
$76,110 Median Starting Salary
$18,135 Median Student Debt

Texas A&M College Station is a very large public university located in the midsize city of College Station.

Chemical Engineering bachelor's degree recipients from Texas A&M University - College Station receive an earnings boost of around $11,099 above the typical earnings of chemical engineering majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from Texas A&M University - College Station

8
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
23 Annual Graduates
$66,484 Median Starting Salary
$20,500 Median Student Debt

UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Philadelphia.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the chem eng program state that they receive average early career wages of $66,484.

More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from University of Pennsylvania

9
50 Annual Graduates
$80,722 Median Starting Salary
$23,125 Median Student Debt

Carnegie Mellon is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Pittsburgh.

Those chemical engineering students who get their bachelor's degree from Carnegie Mellon University receive $15,711 more than the standard chem eng graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University

10
165 Annual Graduates
$75,967 Median Starting Salary
$21,500 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of West Lafayette, Purdue is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Chemical Engineering bachelor's degree recipients from Purdue University - Main Campus earn a boost of approximately $10,956 above the average income of chemical engineering majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from Purdue University - Main Campus

11
156 Annual Graduates
$73,493 Median Starting Salary
$22,850 Median Student Debt

UIUC is a very large public university located in the small city of Champaign.

Bachelor's recipients from the chemical engineering major at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign earn $8,482 more than the average graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

12
164 Annual Graduates
$77,308 Median Starting Salary
$19,844 Median Student Debt

UT Austin is a very large public university located in the city of Austin.

Chemical Engineering bachelor's degree recipients from The University of Texas at Austin get an earnings boost of about $12,297 over the typical income of chemical engineering majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from The University of Texas at Austin

13
69 Annual Graduates
$74,126 Median Starting Salary
$14,361 Median Student Debt

Located in the small city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the chemical engineering program at Cornell University earn $9,115 above the standard college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from Cornell University

14
146 Annual Graduates
$70,767 Median Starting Salary
$18,155 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a very large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the chemical engineering degree program at University of California - Berkeley earn $5,756 above the average college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from University of California - Berkeley

15
98 Annual Graduates
$72,510 Median Starting Salary
$21,947 Median Student Debt

UW - Madison is a very large public university located in the large city of Madison.

Those chemical engineering students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Wisconsin - Madison earn $7,499 more than the typical chem eng grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from University of Wisconsin - Madison

16
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN

Located in the city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Chemical Engineering bachelor's degree recipients from Vanderbilt University receive an earnings boost of about $8,960 over the average income of chemical engineering majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from Vanderbilt University

17
41 Annual Graduates
$73,913 Median Starting Salary
$19,500 Median Student Debt

WUSTL is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Saint Louis.

Bachelor's recipients from the chemical engineering program at Washington University in St Louis get $8,902 more than the typical graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from Washington University in St Louis

18
38 Annual Graduates
$66,458 Median Starting Salary
$13,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the chem eng program state that they receive average early career earnings of $66,458.

More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from University of Southern California

19
Princeton crest
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ

Located in the city of Princeton, Princeton is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the chem eng program state that they receive average early career earnings of $65,473.

More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from Princeton University

20
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
24 Annual Graduates

Located in the suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from Stanford University

21
144 Annual Graduates
$70,029 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Mines is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Golden.

Those chemical engineering students who get their bachelor's degree from Colorado School of Mines make $5,018 more than the typical chem eng grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from Colorado School of Mines

22
46 Annual Graduates
$69,927 Median Starting Salary
$17,733 Median Student Debt

Located in the suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Those chemical engineering students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Virginia - Main Campus earn $4,916 more than the typical chem eng grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from University of Virginia - Main Campus

23
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
99 Annual Graduates
$72,850 Median Starting Salary
$20,050 Median Student Debt

UF is a fairly large public university located in the city of Gainesville.

Chemical Engineering bachelor's degree recipients from University of Florida get an earnings boost of about $7,839 above the typical earnings of chemical engineering majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from University of Florida

Rest of the Top Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Chemical Engineering students that almost earned our Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
26 Ohio State University - Main Campus Columbus, OH
27 University of Delaware Newark, DE
28 University of California - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
29 Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA
29 University of California - San Diego La Jolla, CA
24 North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC
25 University of Washington - Seattle Campus Seattle, WA

Chemical Engineering by Region

View the Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor's Degree 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 >

Chemical Engineering is one of 41 different types of Engineering programs to choose from.

Chem Eng Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Chemical Engineering 10,026
Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering 146

Related Major Annual Graduates
Mechanical Engineering 36,809
Electrical Engineering 17,320
Civil Engineering 15,193
Computer Engineering 12,194
Biomedical Engineering 8,517
Industrial Engineering 5,876
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering 5,581
General Engineering 2,652
Environmental Engineering 1,799
Materials Engineering 1,519

Notes and References

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options