Chemistry at Washington & Jefferson College

The $26,677 debt load at Washington & Jefferson sits just below Pennsylvania's $27,000 median for chemistry bachelor's programs, though the estimated first-year earnings of $43,571—derived from comparable PA programs—land squarely at the state median. This creates a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.61, meaning graduates carry roughly seven months of their first year's salary in student loans. That's manageable territory, especially since W&J's debt figure ranks in the 13th percentile nationally (meaning only 13% of chemistry programs produce lower debt loads).

The challenge is knowing how this specific program truly performs. When the Department of Education suppresses earnings data due to small cohort size, we're left comparing W&J to peer programs across Pennsylvania rather than seeing actual graduate outcomes. Some PA schools like Millersville and Drexel report earnings in the $49,000-$50,500 range, suggesting that chemistry programs at different institutions can vary significantly even within the same state. Whether W&J's smaller cohorts translate to better mentoring and research opportunities—or simply mean fewer chemistry majors overall—matters for understanding the program's actual value.

Given the modest debt and reasonable estimated earnings, this appears to be a sensible investment if your child is committed to chemistry. The 82% admission rate and 29% Pell enrollment suggest W&J isn't filtering for only the highest achievers, yet manages to keep debt well below national averages for this major. Just understand you're making this choice with peer-program projections rather than W&J's verified track record.