How much debt do UCF chemistry graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $19,706, which ranks 4th lowest of 7 chemistry bachelor's programs in Florida. That works out to about $209 a month over 10 years.

Is a chemistry degree from UCF worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 45% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 55%.

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

Q: Do UCF chemistry graduates stay in Florida?

Most do. 90% (26 of 29) were working in Florida one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Chemistry
Public university
Orlando, FL
About 55 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

UCF chemistry graduates earn about what chemistry graduates earn nationally, $43,634 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $19,706 in federal loans, less than at 76% of chemistry programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying chemistry degrees in Florida.

First-year earnings$43,63460th percentile of 189 programs nationally

Median federal debt$19,7064th lowest of 7 Florida programs

Debt-to-earnings45%Florida median 57%, national 55%

How it compares

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

	UCF	Florida	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$43,634	$31,663	$42,204
Median federal debt at graduation	$19,706	$19,706	$23,600
Debt as share of first-year pay	45%	57%	55%
Programs compared		7	189

Debt and first-year pay at every Florida chemistry program

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

UCFOther Florida 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 $209 a month, or 5.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

90% of graduates (26 of 29) were working in Florida one year after graduating. Prices in the Orlando area are about 1% above the national average, so a $43,634 salary here buys what about $43,024 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

$60,410

Median pay in Florida. 49,810 people work in this job in Florida. 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%: $49,210Top 10%: $77,100

Data Scientists

$115,820

Median pay in Florida. 10,240 people work in this job in Florida. 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%: $63,080Top 10%: $174,140

Natural Sciences Managers

$112,220

Median pay in Florida. 4,370 people work in this job in Florida. 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%: $62,660Top 10%: $216,330

Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health

$60,830

Median pay in Florida. 5,950 people work in this job in Florida. 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%: $42,600Top 10%: $109,290

About UCF

In-state tuition and fees	$6,368 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$22,467 / year
Average net price after aid	$10,411 / year
Admission rate	40%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	78%
Undergraduate students	59,146

Chemistry ranks 24th of 59 bachelor's programs at UCF by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Engineering ($76,819), Electrical Engineering ($75,498), and Nursing ($73,765).

Common questions

The median graduate earns $43,634 one year after graduating. The median across chemistry bachelor's programs in Florida is $31,663.

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 Florida 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 Florida, ranked7 programs by pay and debt Chemistry bachelor's programs in the US, ranked189 programs by pay and debt All UCF programs, ranked59 programs by pay and debt