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

  • Bachelor's in Chemistry
  • Public university
  • Albany, NY
  • About 25 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

University at Albany chemistry graduates earn more than graduates of most chemistry programs nationally, $48,276 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $25,856 in federal loans, close to the national median of $23,600. It is one of the higher-paying chemistry degrees in New York.

First-year earnings$48,27684th percentile of 189 programs nationally
Earnings after 5 years$67,79440% more than year one
Median federal debt$25,8568th lowest of 9 New York programs
Debt-to-earnings54%New York median 54%, national 55%

How it compares

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

Five years out, University at Albany graduates earn about the national figure and about the same as the New York median.

Debt and first-year pay at every New York chemistry program

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

University at AlbanyOther New York 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 40% between the first and fifth year.

University at Albany grads, year 1$48,276
University at Albany grads, year 5$67,794
All New York chemistry grads, year 5$68,071

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 $6,456 less in their first year than other graduates. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$45,889Median debt $26,000
Other graduates, year 1 earnings$52,345Median debt $24,500

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $274 a month, or 6.8% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

90% of graduates (43 of 48) were working in New York one year after graduating. Prices in the Albany area are about the same as the national average.

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

$97,070

Median pay in New York. 70,660 people work in this job in New York. 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%: $60,070Top 10%: $136,450

Data Scientists

$130,460

Median pay in New York. 23,970 people work in this job in New York. 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%: $73,330Top 10%: $214,080

Natural Sciences Managers

$134,680

Median pay in New York. 5,690 people work in this job in New York. 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%: $65,440Top 10%: $291,780

Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health

$82,160

Median pay in New York. 3,700 people work in this job in New York. 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%: $58,240Top 10%: $139,490

About University at Albany

Chemistry ranks 6th of 31 bachelor's programs at University at Albany by first-year earnings. The top three are Applied Mathematics ($65,604), Accounting ($55,124), and Other Mathematics ($51,917).

Other chemistry bachelor's programs near Albany

Common questions

The median graduate earns $48,276 one year after graduating and $67,794 five years after. The median across chemistry bachelor's programs in New York is $34,677.

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 New York 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

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

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