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University of California-Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA 23,205 Undergrads 86.6% Grad Rate
Total Cost
$36,776
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$13,825
After Aid
Median Earnings
$74,915
10yr Post-Entry
Vs. Peer Institutions
Net Price$13,825
Peer Midpoint: $19,729.5
Earnings (10yr)$74,915
Peer Midpoint: $53,747
Graduation Rate86.6%
Peer Midpoint: 58.5%
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients29.1%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time97.7%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS79.1%
Admissions Profile
Acceptance
27.8%
SAT Avg
-
SAT Reading
25th: --75th: -
SAT Math
25th: --75th: -
ACT Composite
25th: --75th: -
ROI Sensitivity Analysis
This analysis tests three cost scenarios (Scholarship, Average Net Price, Full Sticker Price) to show how college costs impact your long-term return compared to the average student and a high school graduate.
Lifetime Value Added (NPV)
Institution Lifetime NPV
Vs Median Peer
Vs HS Grad
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
+$629k
+$233k
+$145k
Median Cost$14k/yr
+$579k
+$183k
+$95k
Full Cost$37k/yr
+$497k
+$100k
+$12k
ROI Efficiency Metrics
Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
30
∞
Median Cost$14k/yr
36
191%
Full Cost$37k/yr
57
9%
Analysis Assumptions:
- Starting Salary: Estimated from the 10-year median earnings (assuming 2% annual growth from graduation).
- Comparisons: "Vs Median Peer" compares to the median student nationwide in a similar level program. "Vs HS Grad" compares to a median high school graduate.
- Break-Even: The age at which the college investment net income exceeds the median high school graduate's lifetime earnings.
- NPV: Net Present Value of all future earnings minus costs and taxes, discounted at 7.8%.
Social Impact ROINew
Measures the societal return on a donor's investment. Calculated as the incremental pre-tax lifetime earnings vs. HS grad, divided by the tax-adjusted donation cost.
Donor Return112%
Gov. Pell Grant ROINew
Measures the government's return on Pell Grants via increased tax revenue. Calculated as the portion of incremental lifetime taxes (discounted at 5.4%) attributed to the Pell Grant investment.
Taxpayer Return-25%
Important Note: Your ROI with any major will depend on the cost you pay to attend the program, and your starting salary. Both vary significantly across institutions. We encourage you to explore the ROI of a specific program variant by selecting the Program title of the credential level you are interested in. You will then have a more detailed return analysis for programs at specific institutions. We also encourage you to use the ROI calculator with your specific estimates of cost and salary.
Program ROI Analysis
Bachelor's Degrees
Anthropology
BachCIP: 4502
Median Debt
$18,000
Earnings (5yr)
$58,077
Lifetime Value Added
-$23k
Applied Mathematics
BachCIP: 2703
Median Debt
$17,000
Earnings (5yr)
$109,292
Lifetime Value Added
+$363k
Area Studies
BachCIP: 0501
Median Debt
$22,697
Earnings (2yr)
$30,409
Lifetime Value Added
-$238k
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology
BachCIP: 2602
Median Debt
$11,750
Earnings (5yr)
$90,796
Lifetime Value Added
+$225k
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
$14,500
Earnings (5yr)
$76,068
Lifetime Value Added
+$115k
Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences
BachCIP: 2604
Median Debt
$19,000
Earnings (5yr)
$57,001
Lifetime Value Added
-$32k
Chemical Engineering
BachCIP: 1407
Median Debt
$14,937
Earnings (5yr)
$104,039
Lifetime Value Added
+$324k
Chemistry
BachCIP: 4005
Median Debt
$15,805
Earnings (5yr)
$79,458
Lifetime Value Added
+$140k
Communication and Media Studies
BachCIP: 0901
Median Debt
$13,000
Earnings (5yr)
$73,857
Lifetime Value Added
+$98k
Computer Engineering
BachCIP: 1409
Median Debt
$14,410
Earnings (5yr)
$139,942
Lifetime Value Added
+$590k
Computer Science
BachCIP: 1107
Median Debt
$13,500
Earnings (5yr)
$145,485
Lifetime Value Added
+$631k
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
BachCIP: 5005
Median Debt
$16,667
Earnings (2yr)
$21,508
Lifetime Value Added
-$320k
Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology
BachCIP: 2613
Median Debt
$12,750
Earnings (5yr)
$49,625
Lifetime Value Added
-$92k
Economics
BachCIP: 4506
Median Debt
$13,440
Earnings (5yr)
$107,948
Lifetime Value Added
+$353k
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering
BachCIP: 1410
Median Debt
$15,500
Earnings (5yr)
$108,865
Lifetime Value Added
+$360k
English Language and Literature, General
BachCIP: 2301
Median Debt
$16,892
Earnings (5yr)
$58,240
Lifetime Value Added
-$22k
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies
BachCIP: 0502
Median Debt
$13,250
Earnings (5yr)
$58,175
Lifetime Value Added
-$22k
Film/Video and Photographic Arts
BachCIP: 5006
Median Debt
$15,000
Earnings (5yr)
$52,687
Lifetime Value Added
-$67k
Fine and Studio Arts
BachCIP: 5007
Median Debt
$15,459
Earnings (5yr)
$48,583
Lifetime Value Added
-$100k
Geography and Cartography
BachCIP: 4507
Median Debt
$14,000
Earnings (5yr)
$64,880
Lifetime Value Added
+$30k
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences
BachCIP: 4006
Median Debt
$16,298
Earnings (5yr)
$71,720
Lifetime Value Added
+$82k
History
BachCIP: 5401
Median Debt
$14,282
Earnings (5yr)
$57,621
Lifetime Value Added
-$27k
International/Global Studies
BachCIP: 3020
Median Debt
$14,724
Earnings (5yr)
$65,890
Lifetime Value Added
+$38k
Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services
BachCIP: 1601
Median Debt
$13,000
Earnings (5yr)
$52,393
Lifetime Value Added
-$69k
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods
BachCIP: 5213
Median Debt
$11,128
Earnings (5yr)
$98,845
Lifetime Value Added
+$285k
Mathematics
BachCIP: 2701
Median Debt
$17,000
Earnings (5yr)
$75,626
Lifetime Value Added
+$111k
Mechanical Engineering
BachCIP: 1419
Median Debt
$15,000
Earnings (5yr)
$100,669
Lifetime Value Added
+$299k
Microbiological Sciences and Immunology
BachCIP: 2605
Median Debt
$16,500
Earnings (2yr)
$39,369
Lifetime Value Added
-$157k
Natural Resources Conservation and Research
BachCIP: 0301
Median Debt
$16,200
Earnings (5yr)
$66,752
Lifetime Value Added
+$45k
Pharmacology and Toxicology
BachCIP: 2610
Median Debt
$14,500
Earnings (5yr)
$97,773
Lifetime Value Added
+$277k
Philosophy
BachCIP: 3801
Median Debt
$15,000
Earnings (5yr)
$65,351
Lifetime Value Added
+$34k
Physics
BachCIP: 4008
Median Debt
$15,965
Earnings (5yr)
$104,149
Lifetime Value Added
+$325k
Political Science and Government
BachCIP: 4510
Median Debt
$15,033
Earnings (5yr)
$73,638
Lifetime Value Added
+$96k
Research and Experimental Psychology
BachCIP: 4227
Median Debt
$14,500
Earnings (5yr)
$66,321
Lifetime Value Added
+$41k
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics
BachCIP: 1609
Median Debt
$16,601
Earnings (5yr)
$60,275
Lifetime Value Added
-$6k
Sociology
BachCIP: 4511
Median Debt
$13,500
Earnings (5yr)
$59,183
Lifetime Value Added
-$14k
Statistics
BachCIP: 2705
Median Debt
$17,167
Earnings (5yr)
$110,783
Lifetime Value Added
+$374k
Zoology/Animal Biology
BachCIP: 2607
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$53,012
Lifetime Value Added
-$64k
Master's Degrees
Education, General
MastCIP: 1301
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$77,489
Lifetime Value Added
+$221k
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods
MastCIP: 5213
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$69,338
Lifetime Value Added
+$187k
Natural Resources Conservation and Research
MastCIP: 0301
Median Debt
$32,485
Earnings (5yr)
$90,082
Lifetime Value Added
+$329k
Graduate Certificates
Education, General
Gr-CertCIP: 1301
Median Debt
$23,291
Earnings (5yr)
$75,838
Lifetime Value Added
+$282k
Doctoral Degrees
Chemistry
DocCIP: 4005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$94,408
Lifetime Value Added
+$248k
Education, General
DocCIP: 1301
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$103,332
Lifetime Value Added
+$271k
Physics
DocCIP: 4008
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$95,688
Lifetime Value Added
+$258k
Note: Lifetime Value Added is the Net Present Value (NPV) of estimated career earnings relative to a median high school graduate, accounting for this institution's average cost and taxes. Computed over a career to retirement age.
For graduate programs (Master's, Doctoral, etc.), the calculation assumes a starting age of 22 (after undergraduate completion) and does not include the sunk costs of prior degrees. It represents the value added of the graduate degree decision moving forward. These Lifetime Value Added results should not be compared with those Undergraduate Certificates, Associates or Bachelors starting at age 18.