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Best Chemical Engineering Programs in Michigan (2026)

Updated

Part of Best Engineering Colleges in Michigan

This page ranks the 6 Chemical Engineering programs in Michigan with a published earnings cohort. Programs are ordered by the median earnings of their Chemical Engineering graduates four years after completing, highest first.

Only programs with a reported earnings cohort in Michigan appear. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor ranks 1st on this list, reporting $109,405 in median earnings of Chemical Engineering graduates four years after completing.

Across the 6 listed programs, the median figure is $98,350, with a range from $109,405 to $91,777.

The list is 83% public, with 5 public institutions and 1 private nonprofit. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor ranks 16th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, and it is also the most selective program on the page, admitting 16% of applicants. Wayne State University posts the lowest average net price at $12,766.

The ranked list

6 schools in list order
RankSchoolProgram EarningsAverage net priceNet price, families under $30KAdmission rate
1University of Michigan-Ann Arbor · Ann Arbor, MI$109,405$13,138$1,04315.6%
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor reports median earnings of $109,405 for its Chemical Engineering graduates four years after completing, the highest on this list.
2Kettering University · Flint, MI$103,868$34,660$24,91078.7%
A private nonprofit university in Flint, Kettering University shows a median federal debt of $29,000 among Chemical Engineering completers who borrowed.
3Michigan State University · East Lansing, MI$102,223$19,680$7,06884.8%
Michigan State University admits 85% of applicants and posts median earnings of $102,223 for its Chemical Engineering graduates four years after completing.
4Michigan Technological University · Houghton, MI$94,478$14,182$2,04592.4%
With an admission rate of 92%, Michigan Technological University ranks 251st on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.
5Wayne State University · Detroit, MI$93,047$12,766$11,09081.2%
Wayne State University carries an average net price of $11,090 for families earning under $30,000 and reports median earnings of $93,047 for its Chemical Engineering graduates four years after completing.
6Western Michigan University · Kalamazoo, MI$91,777$15,273$5,26384.6%
Western Michigan University lists a median federal debt of $27,758 among Chemical Engineering completers who borrowed and an admission rate of 85%.

How this list is ordered

Programs are ordered by the median earnings of their Chemical Engineering graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only programs with a reported earnings cohort in Michigan appear. The figure covers federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled four years after completing. It does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost, or who enrolls, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. The gap between first-ranked University of Michigan-Ann Arbor and second-ranked Kettering University is $5,537. Across the six listed programs, the median is $98,350, with a spread of $17,628 from University of Michigan-Ann Arbor at $109,405 to the lowest figure of $91,777.

Job market context in Michigan

Chemical Engineering graduates in Michigan enter occupations such as Engineers, All Other and Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary. The median annual wage across those occupations is $123,192, and a quarter of workers in those occupations earn less than $95,552. Projections for 2024 to 2034 put employment in those occupations about 1.8% higher, with 1,440 projected openings a year, or about 403 openings a year for every hundred graduates. That is more projected openings than graduates. Wages and top occupations exclude management occupations; openings include them. The ranking above uses graduate earnings four years after completing, not the broader occupational wage figures shown here.

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