Bachelor's · Austin, Texas
Is Chemical Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin worth it?
High confidence High confidence: 100+ graduates behind the earnings figures.
The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans
Pays back fast: graduates typically recover the cost in about 1.5 years.
- Earnings 1 year after graduating
- $100,275
- Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Earnings 4 years after graduating
- $123,978
- Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Typical federal debt at graduation
- $15,438
- NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
- Net cost to graduate, all families
- $79k (likely $79k – $90k)
- AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
- Earnings bump, year 4
- $87k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in TX
- 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Payback
- 1.5 years (likely 1.3–1.9)
- Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
- 10-year net return
- $609k (likely $496k – $738k)
- Today's dollars
- 20-year net return
- $1.62M (likely $1.37M – $1.95M)
- Today's dollars
- Odds of finishing (school-wide)
- 89%
- 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 Chemical Engineering at other schools
🏗️ Getting ready in high school
Students heading toward engineering & architecture majors like this one often take these classes. Every school offers a different mix, so check with your counselor.
AP classes
- AP Calculus AB or BC
- AP Physics 1
- AP Physics C: Mechanics
- AP Chemistry
IB Higher Level
- Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches HL
- Physics HL
Build my roadmap 🗺️ Middle school to career, plus high schools near you that offer these classes.
Other majors at The University of Texas at Austin
- Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering (Master's)$219,705
- Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's)$197,707
- Engineering-Related Fields (Master's)$173,195
- Computer and Information Sciences, General (Master's)$169,498
- Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's)$161,081
- Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's)$155,168
- Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's)$146,003
- Electrical and Computer Engineering (Master's)$145,037
- Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (Doctoral)$142,359
- Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral)$140,262
- Petroleum Engineering (Bachelor's)$139,867
- Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral)$134,846
Chemical Engineering at other schools in Texas
- Rice University$113,605
- Texas A&M University-College Station$111,073
- University of Houston$110,184
- Lamar University$101,018
- Texas Tech University$99,747
- Texas A&M University-Kingsville$97,811
- Prairie View A & M University$92,591