10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
+$39,586at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
Public · COLLEGE PAYOFF
University of California, Irvine
Irvine, CA · 65 field-and-degree records
Earnings reported for 61 · Federal debt reported for 47
Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Positive payoff
+$39,586 over 10 years
Modeled from observed year-5 institution earnings and the institution-wide average net price over four years.
8.6 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
+17%Estimated return after 10 years
$72,659Observed earnings · year 5
$24,148Highest annual price before payoff reaches $0
The price benchmark is $9,897 per year below this threshold.
Start with your question
What do you want to understand?
ECONOMIC INVESTMENT → PAYBACK
Estimated payoff over ten years.
The scenario counts direct price and earnings forgone upfront, then applies the reported annual earnings premium.
FEDERAL COST DATA
Four ways to read college price.
Annual college-wide figures from the current College Scorecard release. Average net price covers full-time, first-time undergraduates receiving federal aid; public-college figures use in-state students. Program tuition and individual aid offers may differ.
PUBLISHED STUDENT BUDGET · 2024–25
What makes up the annual price?
Sticker-price components reported to IPEDS. Grants and scholarships are not subtracted here.
Living off campus: $19,130 housing and food allowance plus $7,236 in other expenses.
Do not confuse this with net price. Net price subtracts average grants and scholarships. DegreeVerdict continues to use the separately labeled average net price in its standard college ROI scenario.
PRICE SENSITIVITY
The price can change the verdict.
Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.
← Negative payoff$0Positive payoff →
$0Annual price+$96,590
$8,000Annual price+$64,590
$14,000Current college-wide context+$40,590
$16,000Annual price+$32,590
$24,000Annual price+$590
$32,000Annual price−$31,410
$40,000Annual price−$63,410
HOW STUDENTS ATTEND · 2023-24
Online study is a meaningful part of the student experience.
IPEDS enrollment counts show course delivery across the whole institution. They do not indicate whether a specific degree can be completed online.
Institution-level attendance context from IPEDS. Program delivery is reported separately on degree pages and in the program directory. These figures do not enter ROI.
College identity and local contextAccreditation, institution type, dual enrollment and state prices
COLLEGE AT A GLANCE
Institution details
Current federal characteristics describing the college, not the outcomes of a specific program.
- Accreditor
- Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission
- Main award level
- Bachelor’s degrees
- Campus setting
- City
- Admissions
- Selective admission
- Delivery
- Campus or mixed delivery
- Federal designation
- Land-grant institution
STATE PRICE CONTEXT · 2024
Prices in California run 11% above the U.S. level.
BEA Regional Price Parities compare price levels across states. A value of 100 equals the national average.
What it costs and what graduates earn
$14,251Average net price / year
$38,632Cost of attendance
$15,000Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$159/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$72,659Median earnings · year 5 after completion
86.9%Completion rate
28.6%Admission rate
30,197Student size
Debt covers federal student-loan borrowers who completed. It does not include Parent PLUS or private loans. We show admissions scores only when a valid federal value is available.
What the numbers say about University of California, Irvine
What does University of California, Irvine cost?
University of California, Irvine reports an average annual net price of $14,251 after grants and scholarships. This is an institution-wide average, not an individual aid offer.
What do University of California, Irvine graduates earn?
The observed median earnings figure is $72,659 5 years after completion. It describes a federal cohort, not a guaranteed starting salary.
How much federal debt do University of California, Irvine graduates have?
Completer borrowers report median cumulative federal student debt of $15,000. Parent PLUS and private loans are not included.
Is every degree at University of California, Irvine worth the same?
No. The current release contains 65 field-and-degree records for University of California, Irvine; 61 report year-4 earnings and 47 report federal debt. Outcomes can differ substantially by field and degree level.
DEBT AFTER COLLEGE
Are borrowers making progress?
Repayment progress, default and debt at exit describe different federal borrower cohorts. They are shown separately and do not change the ROI estimate.
Source: College Scorecard. Repayment progress is the share of borrowers who reduced principal by at least $1 at the stated measurement point. Debt covers federal student loans; Parent PLUS and private loans are excluded. Cohorts and reporting periods differ across measures.
Who studied here during the year
39,387Students enrolled at any point
31,738Undergraduate students
7,649Graduate students
Unduplicated students enrolled at any point from July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025. This full-year measure is different from a fall headcount and does not enter ROI.
More student and earnings detailPrice by family income, retention, equity and common industries
WHO PAYS, WHO FINISHES, WHO EARNS
Outcomes are not the same for every family.
These federal cohorts add context that a single college average can hide. Missing figures remain unreported rather than estimated.
Complete within 150% of the expected time
87% received a Pell Grant within eight yearsMedian Parent PLUS debt
2,449 parent borrowers in the reported cohortMedian federal student debt
75% making progress in repayment after three yearsStudent family incomeMedian earnings after 10 yearsObserved federal cohorts
Lower income$77,993Earnings are not a guarantee
Middle income$80,244Earnings are not a guarantee
Higher income$85,777Earnings are not a guarantee
Three-year repayment progress
Lower income74%
Middle income78%
Higher income81%
Undergraduate student composition
White13%
Black2%
Hispanic27%
Asian37%
Source: College Scorecard, June 2026 release. Parent PLUS debt belongs to parents; student-debt measures exclude Parent PLUS and private loans. Cohort definitions differ by measure.
NATIONAL CONTEXT
How this college compares
Percentiles compare this institution with currently operating colleges that report the same federal measure.
WHAT STANDS OUT
A faster read on this college
These summaries use every reportable field-and-credential record at this institution. They do not fill privacy-suppressed outcomes.
EARNINGS OVER TIME
What graduates earned in later years
$40,474Year 1
$74,438Year 4
$72,659Year 5
Each year can represent a different federal cohort, so the points do not track the same people over time.
Your choice of degree can change the payoff.
Graduate earnings differ by field and credential, even within the same college.
1Health and Medical Administrative Services · Master's Degree$215,2772Computer Science · Master's Degree$175,9223Human Computer Interaction · Master's Degree$175,3074Law · First Professional Degree$153,3075Business Administration, Management and Operations · Master's Degree$148,4116Medicine · First Professional Degree$143,5307Computer Engineering · Bachelor's Degree$132,3578Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Master's Degree$128,924Observed year-4 earnings · compare the same field and credential across colleges
Programs that stand out against the same-degree benchmark
This view rewards performance relative to the same field and credential, not simply majors that pay more everywhere.
1Health and Medical Administrative ServicesMaster's Degree · $215,277 reported+139%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt2Human Computer InteractionMaster's Degree · $175,307 reported+52%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt3Business Administration, Management and OperationsMaster's Degree · $148,411 reported+43%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt4LawFirst Professional Degree · $153,307 reported+42%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt5Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's Degree · $119,502 reported+34%vs same-degree national median$13,400federal debt6Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsMaster's Degree · $79,921 reported+33%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt
Comparable colleges in CA
Currently operating public institutions with the closest combination of annual net price and observed year-5 earnings. Similarity is descriptive, not a quality ranking.
Davis, CA
University of California, Davis
- Annual net price
- $14,741
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $75,091
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- +26%
University of California, Santa Barbara
- Annual net price
- $16,109
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $71,288
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- +8%
California State Polytechnic University-Pomona
- Annual net price
- $11,531
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $70,795
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- +14%
California State University, East Bay
- Annual net price
- $9,320
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $73,481
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- +31%
Compare fields and degree levels
Showing the 40 highest-earning records from 65 field-and-degree records. Use the program directory to search the complete set.
| Major or field | Degree level | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt | 2024–25 graduates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | Master's Degree | $215,277 | Not available | Not reported |
| Computer Science | Master's Degree | $175,922 | Not available | Not reported |
| Human Computer Interaction | Master's Degree | $175,307 | Not available | Not reported |
| Law | First Professional Degree | $153,307 | Not available | Not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Master's Degree | $148,411 | Not available | Not reported |
| Medicine | First Professional Degree | $143,530 | Not available | Not reported |
| Computer Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $132,357 | $19,233 | Not reported |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Master's Degree | $128,924 | Not available | Not reported |
| Computer Science | Bachelor's Degree | $127,404 | $15,500 | Not reported |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Bachelor's Degree | $119,502 | $13,400 | Not reported |
| Chemistry | Doctoral Degree | $117,395 | Not available | 53 |
| Management Information Systems and Services | Bachelor's Degree | $108,038 | $16,500 | Not reported |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $106,871 | $19,000 | Not reported |
| Materials Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $106,547 | $9,987 | Not reported |
| Accounting and Related Services | Master's Degree | $104,422 | Not available | Not reported |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $100,537 | $18,950 | Not reported |
| Mechanical Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $99,111 | $14,500 | Not reported |
| Education, General | Doctoral Degree | $98,554 | Not available | 0 |
| Chemical Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $97,656 | $18,500 | Not reported |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $96,874 | $17,390 | Not reported |
| Civil Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $96,354 | $19,700 | Not reported |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | Bachelor's Degree | $96,347 | $20,000 | Not reported |
| Physics | Bachelor's Degree | $96,215 | $15,000 | Not reported |
| Public Health | Master's Degree | $95,681 | Not available | Not reported |
| Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology | Doctoral Degree | $90,675 | Not available | 18 |
| City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning | Master's Degree | $87,944 | Not available | Not reported |
| Economics | Bachelor's Degree | $83,937 | $15,499 | Not reported |
| Criminology | Master's Degree | $83,175 | Not available | Not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Bachelor's Degree | $80,755 | $13,000 | Not reported |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | Master's Degree | $79,921 | Not available | Not reported |
| Business/Managerial Economics | Bachelor's Degree | $77,807 | $15,000 | Not reported |
| Mathematics | Bachelor's Degree | $77,472 | $19,000 | Not reported |
| Public Policy Analysis | Master's Degree | $75,045 | Not available | Not reported |
| Chemistry | Bachelor's Degree | $74,810 | $13,276 | 0 |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences | Bachelor's Degree | $70,820 | $15,000 | Not reported |
| Computer Software and Media Applications | Bachelor's Degree | $69,981 | $21,650 | Not reported |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology | Master's Degree | $68,705 | Not available | Not reported |
| Urban Studies/Affairs | Bachelor's Degree | $63,819 | $15,000 | Not reported |
| Political Science and Government | Bachelor's Degree | $63,318 | $16,293 | Not reported |
| Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration | Bachelor's Degree | $61,034 | $15,026 | Not reported |
Graduate counts come from IPEDS and group related majors into the same federal field. Missing earnings or debt values remain labeled as unavailable.
Search every University of California, Irvine program record →Earnings, price, completion and enrollment are observed federal measures. ROI, payoff and break-even are modeled scenarios built from those measures and fixed assumptions. College payoff is not the payoff of every degree at this school; use the program table for a more precise comparison.