How much debt do Ohio University chemistry graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $25,751, which ranks 5th lowest of 8 chemistry bachelor's programs in Ohio. That works out to about $273 a month over 10 years.

Is a chemistry degree from Ohio University worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 59% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 55%. Compare the cost with other Ohio programs before deciding.

Do Ohio University chemistry graduates stay in Ohio?

Most do. 83% (35 of 42) were working in Ohio one year after graduating.

Ohio University Chemistry (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Chemistry
Public university
Athens, OH
About 38 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Ohio University chemistry graduates earn about what chemistry graduates earn nationally, $43,349 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $25,751 in federal loans, close to the national median of $23,600. Several Ohio programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$43,34958th percentile of 189 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$71,66565% more than year one

Median federal debt$25,7515th lowest of 8 Ohio programs

Debt-to-earnings59%Ohio median 59%, national 55%

How it compares

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

	Ohio University	Ohio	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$43,349	$43,595	$42,204
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$71,665	$65,924	$66,546
Median federal debt at graduation	$25,751	$25,751	$23,600
Debt as share of first-year pay	59%	59%	55%
Programs compared		8	189

Five years out, Ohio University graduates earn more than the national figure and about $5,741 more than the Ohio median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Ohio chemistry program

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

Ohio UniversityOther Ohio programs

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

What graduates earn over time

Pay rises about 65% between the first and fifth year.

Ohio University grads, year 1$43,349

Ohio University grads, year 5$71,665

All Ohio chemistry grads, year 5$65,924

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Does family income change the outcome?

Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned more in their first year than other graduates. At this program, the outcome does not look worse for students with less money.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$45,306Median debt $27,000

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$39,826Median debt $25,291

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $273 a month, or 7.6% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

21 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $44,045.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

83% of graduates (35 of 42) were working in Ohio one year after graduating. Prices in the parts of Ohio outside metro areas are about 12% below the national average, so a $43,349 salary here buys what about $49,086 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

$78,800

Median pay in Ohio. 49,540 people work in this job in Ohio. 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%: $48,370Top 10%: $103,150

Data Scientists

$102,630

Median pay in Ohio. 6,100 people work in this job in Ohio. 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%: $61,710Top 10%: $160,650

Natural Sciences Managers

$137,170

Median pay in Ohio. 1,560 people work in this job in Ohio. 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%: $78,720Top 10%: $217,760

Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health

$78,540

Median pay in Ohio. 2,460 people work in this job in Ohio. 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%: $50,610Top 10%: $109,490

About Ohio University

In-state tuition and fees	$14,158 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$24,838 / year
Average net price after aid	$21,637 / year
Admission rate	85%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	65%
Undergraduate students	19,633

Chemistry ranks 19th of 53 bachelor's programs at Ohio University by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($75,809), Computer Science ($73,932), and Industrial Engineering ($70,199).

Common questions

The median graduate earns $43,349 one year after graduating and $71,665 five years after. The median across chemistry bachelor's programs in Ohio is $43,595.

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 Ohio 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 Ohio, ranked8 programs by pay and debt Chemistry bachelor's programs in the US, ranked189 programs by pay and debt All Ohio University programs, ranked60 programs by pay and debt