College ROI

Smarter Choices, Brighter Futures
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University of California-Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, CA 17,940 Undergrads 80.4% Grad Rate
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Total Cost
$41,179
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$17,890
After Aid
Median Earnings
$67,085
4yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$17,890
Peer Midpoint: $20,081
Earnings (4yr Post-Grad)Completers only after graduation
$67,085
Peer Midpoint: $60,428
Earnings (10yr Post-Enroll)All enrolled after enrollment
$68,396
Peer Midpoint: $53,763
Graduation Rate80.4%
Peer Midpoint: 58.9%
Average Starting Age20.5
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients31.7%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time97.1%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS72.4%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance
65.8%
SAT Avg
-
SAT Reading
25th: --75th: -
SAT Math
25th: --75th: -
ACT Composite
25th: --75th: -

ROI Sensitivity Analysis
Assuming 4 Years to Graduation

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
+$591k
+$125k
+$107k
Median Cost$18k/yr
+$527k
+$60k
+$43k
Full Cost$41k/yr
+$443k
-$24k
-$41k

ROI Efficiency Metrics

Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
32
∞
Median Cost$18k/yr
44
66%
Full Cost$41k/yr
Never
-28%
Analysis Assumptions:
  • Starting Salary: Estimated from the 4-year post-graduation 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 Return42%

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-47%
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, or for more sophisticated analysis, the Guided ROI Interview, with your specific estimates of cost and salary.

Program ROI Analysis

Bachelor's Degrees

Anthropology
BachCIP: 4502
Median Debt
$16,035
Earnings (4yr)
$52,315
Natl Median: $46,676
Lifetime Value Added
-$76k
Archeology
BachCIP: 4503
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $41,748
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Area Studies
BachCIP: 0501
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $56,625
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$20,400
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $68,333
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Behavioral Sciences
BachCIP: 3017
Median Debt
$17,000
Earnings (4yr)
$54,606
Natl Median: $48,673
Lifetime Value Added
-$57k
Median Debt
$18,959
Earnings (4yr)
$88,305
Natl Median: $65,466
Lifetime Value Added
+$205k
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
$20,500
Earnings (4yr)
$65,036
Natl Median: $57,214
Lifetime Value Added
+$27k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $86,713
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$23,000
Earnings (4yr)
$98,567
Natl Median: $93,451
Lifetime Value Added
+$283k
Median Debt
$16,519
Earnings (4yr)
$82,064
Natl Median: $77,981
Lifetime Value Added
+$157k
Median Debt
$18,534
Earnings (4yr)
$69,849
Natl Median: $66,697
Lifetime Value Added
+$64k
Chemistry
BachCIP: 4005
Median Debt
$15,000
Earnings (4yr)
$71,348
Natl Median: $65,120
Lifetime Value Added
+$75k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $49,429
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Cognitive Science
BachCIP: 3025
Median Debt
$18,981
Earnings (4yr)
$72,125
Natl Median: $81,496
Lifetime Value Added
+$81k
Median Debt
$15,862
Earnings (4yr)
$56,620
Natl Median: $51,936
Lifetime Value Added
-$40k
Median Debt
$23,434
Earnings (4yr)
$124,641
Natl Median: $109,015
Lifetime Value Added
+$481k
Computer Science
BachCIP: 1107
Median Debt
$16,499
Earnings (4yr)
$123,422
Natl Median: $107,009
Lifetime Value Added
+$472k
Median Debt
$20,020
Earnings (4yr)
$94,589
Natl Median: $85,063
Lifetime Value Added
+$253k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$66,333
Natl Median: $51,490
Lifetime Value Added
+$37k
Median Debt
$19,500
Earnings (4yr)
$30,524
Natl Median: $39,775
Lifetime Value Added
-$262k
Median Debt
$17,589
Earnings (4yr)
$49,821
Natl Median: $48,842
Lifetime Value Added
-$97k
Economics
BachCIP: 4506
Median Debt
$18,017
Earnings (4yr)
$76,382
Natl Median: $82,686
Lifetime Value Added
+$114k
Median Debt
$16,796
Earnings (4yr)
$118,290
Natl Median: $100,647
Lifetime Value Added
+$433k
Median Debt
$19,500
Earnings (4yr)
$55,798
Natl Median: $51,710
Lifetime Value Added
-$47k
Median Debt
$15,692
Earnings (4yr)
$45,815
Natl Median: $43,765
Lifetime Value Added
-$130k
Median Debt
$19,500
Earnings (4yr)
$40,156
Natl Median: $41,367
Lifetime Value Added
-$179k
Median Debt
$20,833
Earnings (4yr)
$64,499
Natl Median: $60,190
Lifetime Value Added
+$23k
Median Debt
$20,411
Earnings (4yr)
$58,163
Natl Median: $43,283
Lifetime Value Added
-$28k
History
BachCIP: 5401
Median Debt
$18,100
Earnings (4yr)
$60,519
Natl Median: $50,680
Lifetime Value Added
-$9k
Median Debt
$16,740
Earnings (4yr)
$49,763
Natl Median: $49,984
Lifetime Value Added
-$97k
Mathematics
BachCIP: 2701
Median Debt
$19,050
Earnings (4yr)
$59,214
Natl Median: $69,562
Lifetime Value Added
-$19k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$47,260
Natl Median: $55,693
Lifetime Value Added
-$102k
Music
BachCIP: 5009
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$26,353
Natl Median: $42,892
Lifetime Value Added
-$290k
Median Debt
$18,487
Earnings (4yr)
$55,240
Natl Median: $55,012
Lifetime Value Added
-$52k
Natural Sciences
BachCIP: 3018
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $57,935
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$19,000
Earnings (4yr)
$69,027
Natl Median: $62,451
Lifetime Value Added
+$58k
Non-Professional Legal Studies
BachCIP: 2200
Median Debt
$17,883
Earnings (4yr)
$66,244
Natl Median: $61,959
Lifetime Value Added
+$36k
Philosophy
BachCIP: 3801
Median Debt
$15,000
Earnings (4yr)
$51,398
Natl Median: $54,455
Lifetime Value Added
-$83k
Physics
BachCIP: 4008
Median Debt
$16,250
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $76,786
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Plant Sciences
BachCIP: 0111
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$61,102
Natl Median: $56,567
Lifetime Value Added
-$14k
Median Debt
$16,703
Earnings (4yr)
$65,890
Natl Median: $63,293
Lifetime Value Added
+$33k
Psychology, General
BachCIP: 4201
Median Debt
$18,902
Earnings (4yr)
$59,948
Natl Median: $50,706
Lifetime Value Added
-$13k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $41,390
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$15,124
Earnings (4yr)
$51,519
Natl Median: $55,000
Lifetime Value Added
-$82k
Sociology
BachCIP: 4511
Median Debt
$15,679
Earnings (4yr)
$55,338
Natl Median: $52,657
Lifetime Value Added
-$51k

Master's Degrees

Applied Mathematics
MastCIP: 2703
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $116,060
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $76,398
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $110,121
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $76,837
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Chemistry
MastCIP: 4005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $82,937
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $136,736
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Computer Science
MastCIP: 1107
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $145,571
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $120,083
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$39,217
Natl Median: $49,978
Lifetime Value Added
-$353k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $82,527
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Economics
MastCIP: 4506
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$110,425
Natl Median: $100,743
Lifetime Value Added
+$298k
Median Debt
$30,726
Earnings (4yr)
$73,343
Natl Median: $66,232
Lifetime Value Added
-$26k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $133,654
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $62,705
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $51,486
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$29,593
Natl Median: $49,079
Lifetime Value Added
-$429k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $79,463
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
History
MastCIP: 5401
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,360
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $58,093
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Mathematics
MastCIP: 2701
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $72,654
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Music
MastCIP: 5009
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $48,285
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $74,607
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $92,305
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Philosophy
MastCIP: 3801
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $60,272
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Physics
MastCIP: 4008
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $96,478
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $78,850
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $75,972
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Statistics
MastCIP: 2705
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $123,816
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Graduate Certificates

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $85,397
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Doctoral Degrees

Anthropology
DocCIP: 4502
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $77,473
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $123,729
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $92,233
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $153,586
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $99,578
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Chemistry
DocCIP: 4005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $115,386
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $167,302
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Computer Science
DocCIP: 1107
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $178,476
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$70,373
Natl Median: $97,173
Lifetime Value Added
-$190k
Economics
DocCIP: 4506
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $135,560
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $99,550
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $157,305
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $81,271
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $73,797
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $92,039
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
History
DocCIP: 5401
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $70,550
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $77,285
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Mathematics
DocCIP: 2701
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $89,656
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $86,341
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Music
DocCIP: 5009
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $59,592
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $87,076
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $108,943
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Philosophy
DocCIP: 3801
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $70,449
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Physics
DocCIP: 4008
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $130,153
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $90,908
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $98,707
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Sociology
DocCIP: 4511
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $88,618
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Statistics
DocCIP: 2705
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $156,733
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $162,438
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $68,034
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Note: Lifetime Value Added is the Net Present Value (NPV) of estimated career earnings relative to a median high school graduate (for undergraduate programs) or a median bachelor's degree holder (for graduate programs), 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 decision moving forward. Note that the institution's average undergraduate net price is used as a proxy for annual cost, which may differ from actual graduate tuition. These Lifetime Value Added results for graduate degrees should not be compared with those for Undergraduate Certificates, Associates or Bachelors.

Completers Only: Federal median earnings data strictly reflects outcomes for students who successfully graduated. Students who do not complete their degree typically earn significantly less and face higher risks of debt default.