Chemistry at University of Nebraska at Kearney

A debt load around $23,675 for a chemistry bachelor's degree positions UNK graduates reasonably well for their first year out—comparable programs nationally suggest earnings near $42,600, yielding a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.56. That's manageable territory where monthly loan payments shouldn't consume an unreasonable chunk of take-home pay. Chemistry bachelor's programs across Nebraska typically leave students with slightly higher debt (around $26,700), so UNK's estimated figure suggests some relative affordability within the state.

The caveat here is visibility: the Department of Education can't publish actual outcomes for this specific program because the graduate cohort is too small. That small sample size tells its own story—UNK isn't graduating large numbers of chemistry majors, which could mean limited on-campus resources like research opportunities or specialized faculty, or simply that most Nebraska students pursue chemistry at larger institutions. The earnings estimate comes from 205 similar programs nationwide, so it reflects what chemistry graduates generally earn, not necessarily what UNK's particular alumni network and regional employment connections deliver.

For families comfortable with uncertainty, the numbers look workable—debt under $24,000 for a science credential isn't alarming. But the lack of program-specific data means you're betting on UNK's chemistry program performing roughly like the national average without direct evidence it does. If your student is considering graduate school, that path might matter more than these first-year earnings anyway.