University of Georgia Chemistry (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Chemistry
- Public university
- Athens, GA
- About 43 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
University of Georgia chemistry graduates earn less than graduates of most chemistry programs nationally, $31,893 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $19,493 in federal loans, less than at 79% of chemistry programs in the country. Debt is low, but pay is also below the Georgia median of $33,836.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Georgia and national columns are the medians across all chemistry bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, University of Georgia graduates earn less than the national figure and about $12,047 less than the Georgia median. Several Georgia programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.
Debt and first-year pay at every Georgia chemistry program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Georgia medians.
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 69% between the first and fifth year.
Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $207 a month, or 7.8% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
77% of graduates (17 of 22) were working in Georgia one year after graduating. Prices in the Athens area are about 7% below the national average, so a $31,893 salary here buys what about $34,168 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
$75,480Median pay in Georgia. 25,730 people work in this job in Georgia. 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.
Data Scientists
$104,340Median pay in Georgia. 9,260 people work in this job in Georgia. 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.
Natural Sciences Managers
$167,220Median pay nationwide. 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.
Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health
$85,710Median pay in Georgia. 1,750 people work in this job in Georgia. 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.
About University of Georgia
Chemistry ranks 49th of 65 bachelor's programs at University of Georgia by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Science ($79,546), Management Information Systems ($78,190), and Computer Engineering ($77,882).
Other chemistry bachelor's programs near Athens
Common questions
The median graduate earns $31,893 one year after graduating and $53,904 five years after. The median across chemistry bachelor's programs in Georgia is $33,836.
The median federal loan balance is $19,493, which ranks the lowest of 7 chemistry bachelor's programs in Georgia. That works out to about $207 a month over 10 years.
It depends on your other options. Debt equals 61% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 55%. Compare the cost with other Georgia programs before deciding.
Most do. 77% (17 of 22) were working in Georgia one year after graduating.
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 Georgia 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