Best Chemical Engineering Programs in the West (2026)
Updated
Part of Best Engineering Colleges in the West
Regional list from Chemical Engineering Programs in the United States
This page lists the 29 Chemical Engineering programs in the West with a reported earnings cohort, ordered by median earnings of Chemical Engineering graduates four years after completing, highest first. University of California-Berkeley ranks 1st on this list, reporting $121,027 for its graduates four years after completing.
Across the listed programs, the figure ranges from $121,027 to $55,512, with a median of $96,798. For 2 of the 29 programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one.
Public institutions account for 26 of the 29 programs, and private nonprofits for 3. New Mexico State University-Main Campus posts the lowest average net price on the page, at $8,889.
University of California-San Diego ranks 1st on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of California-Berkeley · Berkeley, CA | $121,027 | $13,481 | $5,311 | 11.0% |
| University of California-Berkeley reports median earnings of $121,027 for its Chemical Engineering graduates four years after completing, with a cohort of 104. | |||||
| 2 | University of California-Santa Barbara · Santa Barbara, CA | $113,317 | $16,109 | $9,231 | 33.0% |
| An admission rate of 33% and median earnings of $113,317 for its Chemical Engineering graduates four years after completing mark University of California-Santa Barbara, which ranks 2nd on this list. | |||||
| 3 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus · Seattle, WA | $109,551 | $14,091 | $6,384 | 39.2% |
| Graduates across all fields who borrowed at University of Washington-Seattle Campus left with a median of $14,615 in federal loans, and the school's Chemical Engineering graduates earn a median of $109,551 four years after completing. | |||||
| 4 | University of California-Los Angeles · Los Angeles, CA | $108,066 | $12,548 | $5,579 | 9.0% |
| University of California-Los Angeles has an average net price of $12,548 and ranks 22nd on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
| 5 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona · Pomona, CA | $102,849 | $11,531 | $7,851 | 75.2% |
| California State Polytechnic University-Pomona posts median earnings of $102,849 for its Chemical Engineering graduates four years after completing, alongside an admission rate of 75%. | |||||
| 6 | University of California-Davis · Davis, CA | $102,649 | $14,741 | $9,211 | 41.8% |
| University of California-Davis ranks 18th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports an average net price of $14,741. | |||||
| 7 | University of Arizona · Tucson, AZ | $101,815 | $16,674 | $13,353 | 86.1% |
| With an admission rate of 86%, University of Arizona reports median earnings of $101,815 for its Chemical Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 8 | Brigham Young University · Provo, UT | $101,726 | $15,564 | $10,444 | 67.8% |
| Brigham Young University, a private nonprofit university in Provo, reports median earnings of $101,726 for its Chemical Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 9 | University of Southern California · Los Angeles, CA | $100,646 | $32,740 | $13,516 | 9.8% |
| University of Southern California has an average net price of $32,740 and a median federal debt of $18,000 across all of its borrowers who completed. | |||||
| 10 | Washington State University · Pullman, WA | $99,506 | $14,971 | $7,074 | 86.6% |
| Washington State University ranks 10th on this list, with a cohort of 25 graduates in the earnings cohort for its Chemical Engineering program. | |||||
| 11 | University of Utah · Salt Lake City, UT | $98,215 | $16,200 | $13,123 | 86.0% |
| University of Utah reports median earnings of $98,215 for its Chemical Engineering graduates four years after completing and an admission rate of 86%. | |||||
| 12 | University of California-Irvine · Irvine, CA | $97,656 | $14,251 | $8,123 | 28.6% |
| Ranking 12th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, University of California-Irvine reports median earnings of $97,656 for its Chemical Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 13 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins · Fort Collins, CO | $97,271 | $21,279 | $13,259 | 88.5% |
| Colorado State University-Fort Collins reports median earnings of $97,271 for its Chemical Engineering graduates four years after completing, with 75 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 14 | University of New Mexico-Main Campus · Albuquerque, NM | $96,810 | $15,489 | $11,938 | 95.2% |
| Graduates across all fields who borrowed at University of New Mexico-Main Campus left with a median of $18,450 in federal loans, and the school's Chemical Engineering completers earn $96,810 four years after completing. | |||||
| 15 | University of California-San Diego · La Jolla, CA | $96,798 | $12,470 | $7,525 | 26.7% |
| University of California-San Diego ranks 1st on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, alongside median earnings of $96,798 for its Chemical Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 16 | University of Colorado Boulder · Boulder, CO | $95,780 | $25,346 | $14,231 | 78.1% |
| An admission rate of 78% and an average net price of $25,346 coincide with $95,780 in median earnings for University of Colorado Boulder's Chemical Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 17 | Colorado School of Mines · Golden, CO | $94,598 | $28,690 | $16,849 | 60.7% |
| Colorado School of Mines's Chemical Engineering graduates earn a median of $94,598 four years after completing, and the school's average net price is $28,690. | |||||
| 18 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion · Tempe, AZ | $93,264 | $14,967 | $9,070 | 89.9% |
| Arizona State University Campus Immersion ranks 21st on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports median earnings of $93,264 for its Chemical Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 19 | Oregon State University · Corvallis, OR | $92,741 | $19,604 | $12,107 | 77.3% |
| A median of $21,221 in federal loans across all of Oregon State University's borrowers who completed sits alongside $92,741 in median earnings for its Chemical Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 20 | California State University-Long Beach · Long Beach, CA | $92,523 | $10,440 | $7,183 | 46.3% |
| California State University-Long Beach admits 46% of applicants and its Chemical Engineering graduates earn a median of $92,523 four years after completing. | |||||
| 21 | Stanford University · Stanford, CA | $91,744 | $13,807 | -$2,536* | 3.6% |
| Stanford University, a private nonprofit university, reports median earnings of $91,744 for its Chemical Engineering graduates four years after completing from a cohort of 12. | |||||
| 22 | University of California-Riverside · Riverside, CA | $91,457 | $14,304 | $8,852 | 76.4% |
| University of California-Riverside's Chemical Engineering graduates earn a median of $91,457 four years after completing, and the school's average net price is $14,304. | |||||
| 23 | New Mexico State University-Main Campus · Las Cruces, NM | $90,091 | $8,889 | $6,648 | 89.0% |
| New Mexico State University-Main Campus carries the lowest average net price on the list at $8,889, and its Chemical Engineering graduates earn a median of $90,091 four years after completing. | |||||
| 24 | Montana State University · Bozeman, MT | $87,590 | $22,499 | $17,797 | 82.1% |
| Montana State University reports median earnings of $87,590 for its Chemical Engineering graduates four years after completing, with an average net price of $22,499. | |||||
| 25 | New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology · Socorro, NM | $85,900 | $9,873 | $5,136 | 44.5% |
| New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology reports median earnings of $85,900 for its Chemical Engineering graduates four years after completing, from a cohort of 21. | |||||
| 26 | University of Nevada-Reno · Reno, NV | $84,965 | $15,927 | $12,674 | 73.7% |
| University of Nevada-Reno, a public university in Reno, admits 74% of applicants and shows an average net price of $15,927. | |||||
| 27 | University of Wyoming · Laramie, WY | $81,629 | $13,599 | $7,977 | 96.9% |
| Graduates across all fields who borrowed left with a median of $18,000 in federal loans at University of Wyoming, which ranks 387th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
| 28 | University of Idaho · Moscow, ID | $80,558 | $14,831 | $11,270 | 75.5% |
| University of Idaho ranks 28th on this list, with Chemical Engineering graduates earning a median of $80,558 four years after completing. | |||||
| 29 | San Jose State University · San Jose, CA | $55,512 | $13,760 | $9,730 | 84.6% |
| San Jose State University posts an average net price of $9,730 for families earning under $30,000 and an admission rate of 85%. | |||||
* Net price can be negative: when grants and scholarships exceed the listed cost of attendance, students can receive the difference as a refund for other expenses.
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 the West appear. The median covers federally aided Chemical Engineering completers who were working and not enrolled four years after completing. For 2 of the 29 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. University of California-Berkeley leads University of California-Santa Barbara by $7,710, and the spread from University of California-Berkeley to the bottom of the list is $65,515.
Job market context in the West
Chemical Engineering graduates in the West enter occupations such as Engineers, All Other and Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary. The median annual wage across those occupations is $127,072, and a quarter of workers in those occupations earn less than $97,338. Projections for 2024 to 2034 show about 7,670 openings a year, or about 407 openings a year for every hundred graduates, with more projected openings than graduates. Projections for 2024 to 2034 put employment in those occupations about 7.2% higher. Wages and top occupations exclude management occupations; openings include them. The ranking above uses graduate earnings four years after completing, not the broader occupational wages reported here.