10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
+$166,050at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
Public · COLLEGE PAYOFF
University of California, San Diego
La Jolla, CA · 79 field-and-degree records
Earnings reported for 75 · Federal debt reported for 51
Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Positive payoff
+$166,050 over 10 years
Modeled from observed year-5 institution earnings and the institution-wide average net price over four years.
5.8 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
+72%Estimated return after 10 years
$84,593Observed earnings · year 5
$53,983Highest annual price before payoff reaches $0
The price benchmark is $41,513 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: $18,404 housing and food allowance plus $7,011 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+$215,930
$12,000Current college-wide context+$167,930
$16,000Annual price+$151,930
$32,000Annual price+$87,930
$48,000Annual price+$23,930
$64,000Annual price−$40,070
$80,000Annual price−$104,070
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
$12,470Average net price / year
$38,701Cost of attendance
$15,500Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$164/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$84,593Median earnings · year 5 after completion
86.1%Completion rate
26.7%Admission rate
34,948Student 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, San Diego
What does University of California, San Diego cost?
University of California, San Diego reports an average annual net price of $12,470 after grants and scholarships. This is an institution-wide average, not an individual aid offer.
What do University of California, San Diego graduates earn?
The observed median earnings figure is $84,593 5 years after completion. It describes a federal cohort, not a guaranteed starting salary.
How much federal debt do University of California, San Diego graduates have?
Completer borrowers report median cumulative federal student debt of $15,500. Parent PLUS and private loans are not included.
Is every degree at University of California, San Diego worth the same?
No. The current release contains 79 field-and-degree records for University of California, San Diego; 75 report year-4 earnings and 51 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
46,308Students enrolled at any point
36,644Undergraduate students
9,664Graduate 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
85% received a Pell Grant within eight yearsMedian Parent PLUS debt
1,411 parent borrowers in the reported cohortMedian federal student debt
81% making progress in repayment after three yearsStudent family incomeMedian earnings after 10 yearsObserved federal cohorts
Lower income$81,187Earnings are not a guarantee
Middle income$87,194Earnings are not a guarantee
Higher income$90,501Earnings are not a guarantee
Three-year repayment progress
Lower income79%
Middle income84%
Higher income86%
Undergraduate student composition
White17%
Black2%
Hispanic27%
Asian35%
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
$44,612Year 1
$83,130Year 4
$84,593Year 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 Science · Master's Degree$231,3972Computer and Information Sciences, General · Master's Degree$201,2873Computer Engineering · Master's Degree$173,1804Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering · Master's Degree$169,9875Physics · Doctoral Degree$166,9976Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration · Doctoral Degree$165,5437Computer Science · Bachelor's Degree$159,4878Engineering, Other · Master's Degree$158,915Observed 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, GeneralMaster's Degree · $201,287 reported+62%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt2Health and Medical Administrative ServicesMaster's Degree · $145,693 reported+62%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt3Computer ScienceMaster's Degree · $231,397 reported+59%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt4Neurobiology and NeurosciencesDoctoral Degree · $148,833 reported+55%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt5Education, GeneralDoctoral Degree · $131,358 reported+50%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt6Computer ScienceBachelor's Degree · $159,487 reported+49%vs same-degree national median$16,550federal 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, Los Angeles
- Annual net price
- $12,548
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $77,498
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- +41%
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
- Annual net price
- $16,665
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $89,413
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- +80%
Foothill College
- Annual net price
- $7,653
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $78,860
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- +61%
Compare fields and degree levels
Showing the 40 highest-earning records from 79 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 Science | Master's Degree | $231,397 | Not available | Not reported |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | Master's Degree | $201,287 | Not available | Not reported |
| Computer Engineering | Master's Degree | $173,180 | Not available | Not reported |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | Master's Degree | $169,987 | Not available | Not reported |
| Physics | Doctoral Degree | $166,997 | Not available | 26 |
| Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration | Doctoral Degree | $165,543 | Not available | 59 |
| Computer Science | Bachelor's Degree | $159,487 | $16,550 | Not reported |
| Engineering, Other | Master's Degree | $158,915 | Not available | Not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Master's Degree | $149,271 | Not available | Not reported |
| Computer Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $149,139 | $18,497 | Not reported |
| Neurobiology and Neurosciences | Doctoral Degree | $148,833 | Not available | 23 |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | Master's Degree | $145,693 | Not available | Not reported |
| Mathematics and Computer Science | Bachelor's Degree | $137,218 | $18,887 | Not reported |
| Chemistry | Doctoral Degree | $136,333 | Not available | 39 |
| Medical Clinical Sciences/Graduate Medical Studies | Master's Degree | $132,783 | Not available | Not reported |
| Education, General | Doctoral Degree | $131,358 | Not available | 18 |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology | Doctoral Degree | $130,000 | Not available | 0 |
| Biology, General | Doctoral Degree | $129,900 | Not available | 80 |
| Mechanical Engineering | Master's Degree | $128,129 | Not available | Not reported |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering | Master's Degree | $127,935 | Not available | Not reported |
| Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology | Bachelor's Degree | $123,320 | $19,724 | Not reported |
| Medicine | Doctoral Degree | $118,330 | Not available | 134 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $118,150 | $20,342 | Not reported |
| Civil Engineering | Master's Degree | $112,223 | Not available | Not reported |
| Biological/Biosystems Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $111,677 | $14,933 | Not reported |
| Political Science and Government | Doctoral Degree | $104,566 | Not available | 8 |
| Mechanical Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $104,229 | $20,000 | Not reported |
| International Relations and National Security Studies | Master's Degree | $101,102 | Not available | Not reported |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences | Doctoral Degree | $100,332 | Not available | 42 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $100,173 | $21,305 | Not reported |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $98,687 | $20,000 | Not reported |
| Chemical Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $96,798 | $18,157 | Not reported |
| Statistics | Bachelor's Degree | $96,746 | $19,237 | Not reported |
| Physics | Bachelor's Degree | $95,018 | $16,800 | Not reported |
| Civil Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $91,745 | $16,400 | Not reported |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | Bachelor's Degree | $89,451 | $17,500 | Not reported |
| Engineering, Other | Bachelor's Degree | $88,159 | $19,250 | Not reported |
| Biology, General | Master's Degree | $87,940 | Not available | Not reported |
| Economics | Bachelor's Degree | $87,307 | $15,000 | Not reported |
| Applied Mathematics | Bachelor's Degree | $85,233 | $15,516 | 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, San Diego 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.