Chemistry at Benedictine College

A debt load of roughly $25,000 for a chemistry bachelor's degree sits right at the national median for this field, but the estimated first-year earnings of $42,581 trail what peer programs in Kansas typically produce. Fort Hays State and Wichita State graduates start closer to $44,000—a gap that matters when you're making loan payments. The 0.59 debt-to-earnings ratio suggests manageable payments, but chemistry majors who go directly into industry (rather than graduate school) usually see stronger starting positions than these estimates indicate.

What complicates the picture here is that we're working entirely with estimates—both the earnings and debt figures come from national patterns, not actual outcomes from Benedictine's chemistry graduates. The small graduate cohort means we can't see how this specific program performs. That's particularly relevant given Benedictine's 76% admission rate and lower Pell grant enrollment suggest a different student population than the broader national pool these estimates draw from.

The fundamentals aren't alarming—a debt load under $25,000 with mid-40s earnings creates breathing room—but chemistry degrees usually command stronger returns, especially in the Midwest's pharmaceutical and agricultural sectors. Before committing, your family should press Benedictine's career services for placement specifics: which companies hire their chemistry graduates, what percentage pursue graduate degrees, and whether lab experience translates into competitive job offers. Without actual outcome data, you're betting on a program's reputation rather than its track record.