Bachelor's · California, Pennsylvania

Is Chemistry at Pennsylvania Western University worth it?

Low confidence Low confidence: fewer than 40 graduates behind the earnings figures.

The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans

Pays back in time: graduates typically recover the cost in about 4.6 years.

Earnings 1 year after graduating: $43,189; Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating: $70,058; Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation: $23,875; NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
Net cost to graduate, all families: $76k (likely $76k – $102k); AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Earnings bump, year 4: $31k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in PA; 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback: 4.6 years (likely 3.3–6.9); Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return: $23k (likely −$100k – $158k); Today's dollars
20-year net return: $406k (likely $144k – $709k); Today's dollars
Odds of finishing (school-wide): 51%; Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26