10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
+$94,788at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
Public · COLLEGE PAYOFF
University of California, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA · 85 field-and-degree records
Earnings reported for 84 · Federal debt reported for 49
Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Positive payoff
+$94,788 over 10 years
Modeled from observed year-5 institution earnings and the institution-wide average net price over four years.
7.1 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
+41%Estimated return after 10 years
$77,498Observed earnings · year 5
$36,245Highest annual price before payoff reaches $0
The price benchmark is $23,697 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: $18,610 housing and food allowance plus $7,573 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+$144,980
$10,000Annual price+$104,980
$13,000Current college-wide context+$92,980
$20,000Annual price+$64,980
$30,000Annual price+$24,980
$40,000Annual price−$15,020
$50,000Annual price−$55,020
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
$12,548Average net price / year
$38,614Cost of attendance
$14,000Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$148/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$77,498Median earnings · year 5 after completion
92.6%Completion rate
9.0%Admission rate
33,475Student 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, Los Angeles
What does University of California, Los Angeles cost?
University of California, Los Angeles reports an average annual net price of $12,548 after grants and scholarships. This is an institution-wide average, not an individual aid offer.
What do University of California, Los Angeles graduates earn?
The observed median earnings figure is $77,498 5 years after completion. It describes a federal cohort, not a guaranteed starting salary.
How much federal debt do University of California, Los Angeles graduates have?
Completer borrowers report median cumulative federal student debt of $14,000. Parent PLUS and private loans are not included.
Is every degree at University of California, Los Angeles worth the same?
No. The current release contains 85 field-and-degree records for University of California, Los Angeles; 84 report year-4 earnings and 49 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
49,942Students enrolled at any point
35,441Undergraduate students
14,501Graduate 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
91% received a Pell Grant within eight yearsMedian Parent PLUS debt
2,519 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$79,437Earnings are not a guarantee
Middle income$82,299Earnings are not a guarantee
Higher income$89,414Earnings are not a guarantee
Three-year repayment progress
Lower income74%
Middle income80%
Higher income84%
Undergraduate student composition
White24%
Black3%
Hispanic24%
Asian30%
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
$41,763Year 1
$77,677Year 4
$77,498Year 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.
1Computer Engineering · Bachelor's Degree$228,7052Business Administration, Management and Operations · Master's Degree$223,3583Computer and Information Sciences, General · Bachelor's Degree$216,7224Physics · Doctoral Degree$178,1375Law · First Professional Degree$177,9686Engineering, General · Master's Degree$177,8587Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering · Master's Degree$174,7988Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering · Master's Degree$151,186Observed 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.
1Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralBachelor's Degree · $216,722 reported+135%vs same-degree national median$15,248federal debt2Business Administration, Management and OperationsMaster's Degree · $223,358 reported+116%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt3Computer EngineeringBachelor's Degree · $228,705 reported+110%vs same-degree national median$14,103federal debt4Business/Managerial EconomicsBachelor's Degree · $129,425 reported+66%vs same-degree national median$17,332federal debt5LawFirst Professional Degree · $177,968 reported+65%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt6Engineering, GeneralMaster's Degree · $177,858 reported+48%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.
San Jose, CA
San Jose State University
- Annual net price
- $13,760
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $80,832
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- +52%
University of California, Davis
- Annual net price
- $14,741
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $75,091
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- +26%
Foothill College
- Annual net price
- $7,653
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $78,860
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- +61%
University of California, Irvine
- Annual net price
- $14,251
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $72,659
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- +17%
Compare fields and degree levels
Showing the 40 highest-earning records from 85 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $228,705 | $14,103 | Not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Master's Degree | $223,358 | Not available | Not reported |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | Bachelor's Degree | $216,722 | $15,248 | Not reported |
| Physics | Doctoral Degree | $178,137 | Not available | 24 |
| Law | First Professional Degree | $177,968 | Not available | Not reported |
| Engineering, General | Master's Degree | $177,858 | Not available | Not reported |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | Master's Degree | $174,798 | Not available | 1 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering | Master's Degree | $151,186 | Not available | Not reported |
| Materials Engineering | Master's Degree | $146,629 | Not available | 0 |
| Medicine | First Professional Degree | $143,434 | Not available | Not reported |
| Educational Administration and Supervision | Doctoral Degree | $140,028 | Not available | 25 |
| Mechanical Engineering | Master's Degree | $138,803 | Not available | Not reported |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Master's Degree | $136,869 | Not available | Not reported |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology | Doctoral Degree | $134,860 | Not available | 45 |
| Chemistry | Doctoral Degree | $132,569 | Not available | 38 |
| Business/Managerial Economics | Bachelor's Degree | $129,425 | $17,332 | Not reported |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $126,209 | $17,877 | Not reported |
| Public Health | Doctoral Degree | $119,898 | Not available | 15 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Bachelor's Degree | $118,566 | $20,800 | Not reported |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $116,525 | $15,000 | Not reported |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $115,706 | $19,000 | Not reported |
| Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies | Master's Degree | $112,923 | Not available | Not reported |
| Public Health | Master's Degree | $110,900 | Not available | Not reported |
| Statistics | Bachelor's Degree | $109,017 | $17,005 | Not reported |
| Mechanical Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $108,875 | $17,000 | Not reported |
| Chemical Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $108,066 | $18,205 | Not reported |
| Chemistry | Master's Degree | $107,724 | Not available | 0 |
| Applied Mathematics | Bachelor's Degree | $103,887 | $14,400 | Not reported |
| Civil Engineering | Master's Degree | $103,685 | Not available | 0 |
| Sociology | Doctoral Degree | $103,675 | Not available | 0 |
| Cognitive Science | Bachelor's Degree | $102,066 | $13,000 | Not reported |
| Public Policy Analysis | Master's Degree | $100,925 | Not available | Not reported |
| Psychology, General | Doctoral Degree | $100,014 | Not available | 28 |
| Mathematics | Bachelor's Degree | $99,269 | $14,920 | Not reported |
| Civil Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $97,092 | $19,444 | Not reported |
| Education, General | Doctoral Degree | $96,245 | Not available | 29 |
| Economics | Bachelor's Degree | $95,440 | $15,000 | Not reported |
| History | Doctoral Degree | $94,132 | Not available | 9 |
| City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning | Master's Degree | $90,541 | Not available | Not reported |
| Physics | Bachelor's Degree | $85,708 | $21,100 | 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, Los Angeles 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.