University of California-Berkeley Chemistry: earnings, debt & careers

Chemistry graduates of University of California-Berkeley earn a median $82,386 four years after graduating ($59,576 after one year), with median federal loan debt of $11,172. That is $15,900 above the U.S. median for Chemistry graduates ($66,486 across 209 colleges), and ranks 1st of 23 California colleges.

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Earnings, 4 years after graduating
$82,386

U.S. median for this major: $66,486.

College Scorecard field of study

Earnings, 1 year after
$59,576

Median for graduates who received federal aid.

College Scorecard field of study

Median debt at graduation
$11,172

About 14% of median earnings 4 years out. U.S. median $23,600.

College Scorecard field of study (federal loans)

What your family pays
$13,481 /yr

Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.

Sticker price $45,619. College Scorecard.

Chemistry at California colleges

Every California college we cover that reports Chemistry graduate earnings, highest first. Net price is the school-wide average after grants.

RankCollegeEarnings, 4 yrsMedian debtAvg. net priceGraduation
1University of California-Berkeley$82,386$11,172$13,48193%
2California State University-Northridge$79,878—$7,02157%
3University of California-San Diego$77,249$16,100$12,47086%
4University of California-Irvine$74,810$13,276$14,25187%
5University of California-Santa Barbara$74,713$15,805$16,10983%
6San Diego State University$74,676$17,499$15,36476%
7California State University-Sacramento$74,430$27,749$9,33856%
8California State University-Stanislaus$73,392—$6,06753%
9University of California-Davis$73,365$14,000$14,74186%
10University of California-Los Angeles$72,220$14,137$12,54893%
11University of California-Santa Cruz$71,348$15,000$17,89075%
12California State Polytechnic University-Pomona$70,741$23,750$11,53168%
13California State University-Long Beach$67,818$15,680$10,44069%
14California State University-Fullerton$64,857$18,675$6,55570%
15University of California-Riverside$64,131$21,750$14,30476%
16California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo$63,882$15,259$16,66586%
17California State University-San Bernardino$63,496$16,553$4,56455%
18California State University-Channel Islands$58,498$21,375$9,84951%
19University of California-Merced$56,888$15,000$11,98369%
20University of Southern California$54,966—$32,74092%
21California State University-Los Angeles$51,747$11,000$3,96753%
22California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt$50,579$24,000$13,17149%
23California State University-Fresno$45,522$17,500$7,00057%

40 more California colleges offer Chemistry but have too few graduates to report earnings.

Careers for Chemistry graduates

Chemist

San Francisco area$127,790
California$97,860
U.S.$91,240

Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +6.4% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.

Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

San Francisco area$102,880
California$101,370
U.S.$72,040

Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs -0.2% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.

Data Scientists

San Francisco area$170,110
California$141,590
U.S.$120,230

Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +34.6% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35. Careers from the federal major-to-occupation crosswalk.

What families pay at University of California-Berkeley, by income

School-wide average after grants for students receiving federal aid. Tap your band.

College Scorecard

About University of California-Berkeley

Related majors at University of California-Berkeley

University of California-Berkeley Chemistry questions

How much do University of California-Berkeley Chemistry graduates earn?

Chemistry graduates of University of California-Berkeley earn a median $82,386 four years after graduating and $59,576 one year after. The U.S. median for Chemistry graduates across 209 colleges is $66,486.

How much debt do University of California-Berkeley Chemistry graduates have?

The median federal loan debt for Chemistry graduates of University of California-Berkeley is $11,172, about 14% of their median earnings four years out. Nationally the median is $23,600.

Where does University of California-Berkeley rank for Chemistry in California?

Of 23 California colleges reporting Chemistry graduate earnings, University of California-Berkeley ranks 1st, the highest.

What jobs do Chemistry graduates get?

A common career is chemist, with a median wage of $127,790 in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA area and $91,240 nationally. Others include secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education and data scientists.

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Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (field of study: median earnings and federal loan debt of graduates who received federal aid); BLS. How we score
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Cite this: “University of California-Berkeley Chemistry: earnings, debt and careers,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/university-of-california-berkeley/majors/chemistry (College Scorecard and BLS data).