Chemistry at Hope College

That $21,199 first-year salary for Hope College chemistry graduates sits far below what you'd expect—just 10th percentile among Michigan chemistry programs and 5th percentile nationally, where the median is $42,581. Even accounting for the small sample size (under 30 graduates), that's roughly half what Eastern Michigan or Grand Valley chemistry grads earn their first year out. The debt load of $26,636 is actually close to typical, but when paired with such low initial earnings, it creates a concerning 1.26 debt-to-earnings ratio.

The small sample caveat matters here—chemistry is a field where career paths vary wildly (lab tech versus pharmaceutical sales versus grad school), and with fewer than 30 recent graduates in this dataset, a couple students pursuing low-paid research positions or graduate stipends could dramatically skew the numbers downward. Chemistry careers often require advanced degrees to unlock higher earning potential, which might explain depressed first-year earnings if many graduates head straight to graduate programs.

Before dismissing this program entirely, investigate where Hope's chemistry graduates actually go after graduation—if most pursue PhDs or medical school, these first-year numbers might reflect graduate stipends rather than career failure. But if your child needs to start earning immediately after their bachelor's, other Michigan programs show much stronger near-term financial outcomes. The data suggests serious questions about return on investment unless there's a compelling post-graduation story the numbers don't capture.