How much debt do Cal State LA chemistry graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $11,000, which ranks the lowest of 19 chemistry bachelor's programs in California. That works out to about $117 a month over 10 years.

Is a chemistry degree from Cal State LA worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 24% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 55%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several California programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

Cal State LA Chemistry (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do Cal State LA chemistry graduates stay in California?

Most do. 100% (16 of 16) were working in California one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Chemistry
Public university
Los Angeles, CA
About 20 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Cal State LA chemistry graduates earn about what chemistry graduates earn nationally, $44,944 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $11,000 in federal loans, less than at 98% of chemistry programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying chemistry degrees in California.

First-year earnings$44,94469th percentile of 189 programs nationally

Median federal debt$11,000The lowest of 19 California programs

Debt-to-earnings24%California median 38%, national 55%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The California and national columns are the medians across all chemistry bachelor's programs that report the figure.

	Cal State LA	California	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$44,944	$43,766	$42,204
Median federal debt at graduation	$11,000	$16,100	$23,600
Debt as share of first-year pay	24%	38%	55%
Programs compared		23	189

Debt and first-year pay at every California chemistry program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the California medians.

Cal State LAOther California programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $117 a month, or 3.1% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

100% of graduates (16 of 16) were working in California one year after graduating. Prices in the Los Angeles area are about 14% above the national average, so a $44,944 salary here buys what about $39,575 buys in a typical US city.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to chemistry, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

$101,370

Median pay in California. 99,230 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to stay about the same in number from 2025 to 2035, with about 63,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $64,600Top 10%: $132,600

Data Scientists

$141,590

Median pay in California. 39,310 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 35% from 2025 to 2035, with about 24,800 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $77,480Top 10%: $224,920

Natural Sciences Managers

$210,230

Median pay in California. 14,950 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 8% from 2025 to 2035, with about 9,200 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus 5 years or more of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $130,730Top 10%: $330,050

Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health

$106,510

Median pay in California. 12,490 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 7,300 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $65,350Top 10%: $161,910

About Cal State LA

In-state tuition and fees	$7,160 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$19,760 / year
Average net price after aid	$3,967 / year
Admission rate	91%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	53%
Undergraduate students	19,562

Chemistry ranks 11th of 42 bachelor's programs at Cal State LA by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($98,811), Civil Engineering ($73,178), and Electrical Engineering ($63,981).

Other chemistry bachelor's programs near Los Angeles

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Cal State LALos Angeles, CA · public		$44,944	$11,000
UCLALos Angeles, CA · public	16 mi	$42,358	$14,137
Cal State Long BeachLong Beach, CA · public	20 mi	$50,553	$15,680
Cal Poly PomonaPomona, CA · public	20 mi	$43,294	$23,750
Cal State FullertonFullerton, CA · public	21 mi	$45,076	$18,675
UC IrvineIrvine, CA · public	34 mi	$43,766	$13,276
UC RiversideRiverside, CA · public	49 mi	$39,676	$21,750
Cal State San BernardinoSan Bernardino, CA · public	49 mi	$40,402	$16,553
Cal State Channel IslandsCamarillo, CA · public	50 mi	$46,131	$21,375

Common questions

The median graduate earns $44,944 one year after graduating. The median across chemistry bachelor's programs in California is $43,766.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of California comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the chemistry program.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

Chemistry bachelor's programs in California, ranked23 programs by pay and debt Chemistry bachelor's programs in the US, ranked189 programs by pay and debt All Cal State LA programs, ranked42 programs by pay and debt