Bachelor's · Irvine, California
Is Chemistry at University of California-Irvine worth it?
Medium confidence Medium confidence: 40–99 graduates behind the earnings figures.
The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans
Pays back in time: graduates typically recover the cost in about 3.1 years.
- Earnings 1 year after graduating
- $50,325
- Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Earnings 4 years after graduating
- $80,355
- Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Typical federal debt at graduation
- $11,000
- NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
- Net cost to graduate, all families
- $59k (likely $59k – $69k)
- AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
- Earnings bump, year 4
- $40k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in CA
- 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Payback
- 3.1 years (likely 2.6–3.8)
- Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
- 10-year net return
- $142k (likely $58k – $221k)
- Today's dollars
- 20-year net return
- $631k (likely $437k – $828k)
- Today's dollars
- Odds of finishing (school-wide)
- 87%
- Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
- Borrowers making progress / in default, 2 years in
- not reported / ≤ 20%
- NSLDS AY2016-17, AY2017-18 pooled cohorts measured in 2018-19, 2019-20
Change income, residency or loans Compare Chemistry at other schools
🔭 Getting ready in high school
Students heading toward math & physical science majors like this one often take these classes. Every school offers a different mix, so check with your counselor.
AP classes
- AP Calculus BC
- AP Statistics
- AP Physics C: Mechanics
- AP Chemistry
IB Higher Level
- Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches HL
- Physics HL or Chemistry HL
Build my roadmap 🗺️ Middle school to career, plus high schools near you that offer these classes.
Other majors at University of California-Irvine
- Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's)$215,277
- Computer Science (Master's)$175,922
- Human Computer Interaction (Master's)$175,307
- Law (First professional)$153,307
- Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's)$148,411
- Medicine (First professional)$143,530
- Computer Engineering (Bachelor's)$132,357
- Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's)$128,924
- Computer Science (Bachelor's)$127,404
- Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's)$119,502
- Chemistry (Doctoral)$117,395
- Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's)$108,038
Chemistry at other schools in California
- University of California-Berkeley$82,386
- California State University-Northridge$79,878
- University of California-San Diego$77,249
- University of California-Santa Barbara$74,713
- San Diego State University$74,676
- California State University-Sacramento$74,430
- California State University-Stanislaus$73,392
- University of California-Davis$73,365
- University of California-Los Angeles$72,220
- University of California-Santa Cruz$71,348