Best Chemical Engineering Programs in New York (2026)
Updated
Part of Best Engineering Colleges in New York
This page ranks the 13 Chemical Engineering programs in New York by the median earnings of Chemical Engineering graduates four years after completing, highest first. Cornell University leads the list with median earnings of $116,165 for its graduates four years after completing.
Across the listed programs, the figure ranges from $116,165 to $75,204, with a median of $93,614. For 1 of the 13 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one.
The list includes 3 public and 10 private nonprofit institutions. Stony Brook University ranks 45th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, the best on the page. CUNY City College reports the lowest average net price, at $3,776.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cornell University · Ithaca, NY | $116,165 | $28,690 | $1,776 | 8.8% |
| Cornell University reports $116,165 in median earnings for its Chemical Engineering graduates four years after completing, alongside an admission rate of 9%. | |||||
| 2 | The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art · New York, NY | $100,191 | $13,269 | $3,749 | 20.7% |
| The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art ranks 2nd on this list, with median earnings of $100,191 for its Chemical Engineering graduates four years after completing and an average net price of $13,269. | |||||
| 3 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute · Troy, NY | $98,679 | $36,228 | $24,078 | 63.5% |
| Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute posts median earnings of $98,679 for its Chemical Engineering graduates four years after completing, with median federal debt of $24,985 among Chemical Engineering completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 4 | Manhattan University · Riverdale, NY | $96,134 | $27,256 | $27,281 | 78.9% |
| Manhattan University admits 79% of applicants and reports median earnings of $96,134 for its Chemical Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 5 | University at Buffalo · Buffalo, NY | $95,424 | $20,995 | $14,668 | 74.2% |
| University at Buffalo, a public university in Buffalo, reports median earnings of $95,424 for its Chemical Engineering graduates four years after completing and an average net price of $20,995. | |||||
| 6 | Rochester Institute of Technology · Rochester, NY | $94,641 | $34,906 | $24,680 | 66.9% |
| Rochester Institute of Technology ranks 6th on this list, with median earnings of $94,641 for its Chemical Engineering graduates four years after completing and a median federal debt of $30,750 among Chemical Engineering completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 7 | Clarkson University · Potsdam, NY | $93,614 | $30,305 | $21,335 | 77.4% |
| Clarkson University reports median earnings of $93,614 for its Chemical Engineering graduates four years after completing, with an average net price of $30,305. | |||||
| 8 | University of Rochester · Rochester, NY | $92,102 | $29,278 | $9,678 | 40.1% |
| University of Rochester ranks 8th on this list, with median earnings of $92,102 for its Chemical Engineering graduates four years after completing and an admission rate of 40%. | |||||
| 9 | New York University · New York, NY | $89,744 | $37,050 | $16,977 | 9.2% |
| New York University reports median earnings of $89,744 for its Chemical Engineering graduates four years after completing, with median federal debt of $24,125 among Chemical Engineering completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 10 | CUNY City College · New York, NY | $88,659 | $3,776 | $1,251 | 60.0% |
| CUNY City College ranks 10th on this list, with median earnings of $88,659 for its Chemical Engineering graduates four years after completing and an average net price of $3,776. | |||||
| 11 | Stony Brook University · Stony Brook, NY | $88,593 | $18,784 | $12,943 | 49.0% |
| Stony Brook University reports median earnings of $88,593 for its Chemical Engineering graduates four years after completing, with an admission rate of 49%. | |||||
| 12 | Syracuse University · Syracuse, NY | $87,529 | $38,793 | $15,817 | 45.9% |
| Syracuse University ranks 12th on this list, with median earnings of $87,529 for its Chemical Engineering graduates four years after completing and a median federal debt of $27,000 among Chemical Engineering completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 13 | Columbia University in the City of New York · New York, NY | $75,204 | $21,590 | $4,570 | 4.0% |
| Columbia University in the City of New York, a private nonprofit university in New York, admits 4% of applicants and reports median earnings of $75,204 for its Chemical Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
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 New York appear. The figure is the median for federally aided completers of the program who were working and not enrolled, measured four years after completing. For 1 of the 13 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one. The metric does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost, or who enrolls, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. The spread from Cornell University to the bottom of the list is $40,961.
Job market context in New York
Graduates of Chemical Engineering programs in New York enter a labor market linked to occupations such as Engineers, All Other and Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary. The median annual wage across those occupations is $110,119, and a quarter of workers in those occupations earn less than $85,556. More projected openings than graduates: about 248 openings a year for every hundred graduates. Projections for 2024 to 2034 put employment in those occupations about 3.2% higher. Wages and top occupations exclude management occupations; openings include them. The ranking above uses graduate earnings four years after completing, which are not the same measure as the occupational wage figures shown here.