1. [College research](/) 2. / 3. [University of California-Los Angeles](/school/university-of-california-los-angeles/) 4. / 5. Career outcomes brief Career outcomes brief Copy linkPrint brief # University of California-Los Angeles Career Outcomes & Earnings Updated October 1, 2026 [Overview](/school/university-of-california-los-angeles/)[Cost & aid](/school/university-of-california-los-angeles/cost/)Outcomes[Admissions](/school/university-of-california-los-angeles/admissions/)[Majors](/school/university-of-california-los-angeles/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/university-of-california-los-angeles/similar/) **On this page**+ ## How much do UCLA graduates earn? University of California-Los Angeles reports median earnings of $77,677 four years after completion. Its lower and higher planning estimates are $54,965 and $110,784. The lower and higher estimates reflect different mixes of program earnings. They are not observed salary percentiles, the pay of the lowest- and highest-paid quarters of graduates, or probabilities for an individual student. Earnings four years after completion Planning rangeReported median **Lower estimate** $54,965 **Median · reported** $77,677 **Higher estimate** $110,784 [Earnings sources and definitions](#outcomes-source-notes) The lower estimate lets you examine a plan with less income than the school-wide median. Compare it with costs and with the fields you are considering, while keeping the modeled estimates separate from reported earnings. The median earnings four years after completion at University of California-Los Angeles reach $77,677, in the 86th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure runs above the peer median of $65,610 by $12,067 among comparable institutions (same type and size). Azimuth places the return pillar in the 65th percentile. Graduates earn about $9,959 less than the model expects for similar students, a level in the 19th percentile nationally. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $8,378. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $18,337. The STEM portion of the measured factors adds $4,460. The median earnings figure of $77,677 four years after completion masks wide variation across fields. Earnings scenarios, which reflect the university's program mix, range from a downside of $54,965 to an upside of $110,784, with the typical scenario at $77,677. Among the 46 programs with published earnings data, the highest-earning fields sit far above the institutional median. Computer Engineering completers earn a median of $228,705, Electrical Engineering completers reach $126,209, and Nursing graduates earn $118,566. An estimated 42.1% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure derived from the university's program mix rather than observed enrollment. Because four-year earnings figures capture only those working and not enrolled, the median earnings understate the eventual earnings of the sizable share of completers who pursue advanced degrees. ### Earnings by field Among University of California-Los Angeles programs with a reported four-year earnings value, the highest medians are: Computer Engineering ($228,705); Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering ($126,209); Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing ($118,566); Biomedical/Medical Engineering ($116,525); Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering ($115,706). These are earnings after completion for the covered cohort. A program median describes the middle reported outcome in that group. It is not a starting-salary offer or a prediction for every graduate, and an earnings comparison does not by itself explain why fields differ. Highest reported four-year program earnings **Computer Engineering** $228,705 **Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering** $126,209 **Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing** $118,566 **Biomedical/Medical Engineering** $116,525 **Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering** $115,706 **Statistics** $109,017 **Mechanical Engineering** $108,875 **Chemical Engineering** $108,066 Compare these results with the subjects you want to study and the program’s reported award count. Awards measure degree output, not the number of people in the earnings sample. University of California-Los Angeles awards bachelor's degrees across 46 fields with published four-year earnings, and [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) 45 of them nationally. The highest-earning program, Computer Engineering, shows a median of $228,705 four years after completion, though it awarded only 96 degrees. Electrical Engineering follows at $126,209 with 142 degrees awarded. Economics reports a median of $95,440 and an Azimuth national rank of #46 on 861 degrees awarded. Sociology reaches $64,692 and ranks #10 nationally. Psychology and Biology sit in a moderate band, with medians of $61,050 and $61,804 respectively, alongside national ranks of #27 and #85. University of California-Los Angeles offers 45 ranked bachelor's programs, with 46 programs reporting earnings data. The largest by degrees awarded is Economics, with 861 degrees awarded, median earnings of $95,440 four years after completion, and a national rank of #46. Sociology follows with 696 degrees awarded, median earnings of $64,692, and a national rank of #10. The university's best nationally ranked program is Computer Engineering, which ranks #1 in its field, awards 96 degrees, and reports median earnings of $228,705. Cognitive Science ranks #5 nationally in its field with 223 degrees awarded and median earnings of $102,066. Among programs with published earnings, Computer Engineering reports a median of $228,705 and 96 degrees awarded. [Explore UCLA earnings by field](/school/university-of-california-los-angeles/majors/#largest-cohorts) · [Cost and borrowing](/school/university-of-california-los-angeles/cost/) ## Do UCLA graduates earn more than expected? University of California-Los Angeles reports median earnings of $77,677 four years after completion. The reported value is $9,959 below Azimuth’s statistical expectation for the institution. The difference compares the reported outcome with a model estimate. It does not compare matched students who attended different colleges, and it does not establish how much the institution caused earnings to change. Read this measure alongside completion and individual program outcomes. It describes an institution-level result; it does not predict what a particular student will earn. [Read the original article: A value-added approach to college outcomes](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) What explains value-added earnings? **Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.** +$8,378 **Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.** \-$18,337 **Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.** \-$9,959 These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality. [Model sources and definitions](#outcomes-source-notes) ## Further analysis Earnings scenarios grounded in the university's program mix show a downside of $54,965, a typical outcome of $77,677, and an upside of $110,784. Anchoring the range in named programs, Computer Engineering graduates earn a median of $228,705 four years after completion, while Psychology, one of the largest programs, sits at $61,050. Four years after completion, the median earnings of University of California-Los Angeles graduates are $77,677, drawn from a cohort of 7,284 completers in the four-year earnings cohort. That median sits above the $65,610 median at comparable institutions (same type and size) by $12,067, and it lands in the 86th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $9,959 less than the model expects for similar students. Earnings scenarios show a wide spread: a typical outcome of $77,677, a downside scenario of $54,965, and an upside scenario of $110,784. An estimated 42.1% of programs' graduates continue to graduate study, a figure derived from program mix rather than observed enrollment. ## Data & methodology Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/). Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), founder of College Azimuth. Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source. Figure notes link to sources and limitations. [About College Azimuth](/about/). Four-year earnings are measured after completion for the covered federally aided cohort of people working and not enrolled. Measures taken six, eight or ten years after entry use a different starting point and should not be treated as one graduating class followed over time. Program award counts describe credentials awarded, not current enrollment, unique graduates or earnings-sample size. Reporting periods differ across measures; the shared field definitions do not establish the exact vintage of every school-level value. [College Scorecard data and documentation](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/) · [Model methodology](/methodology/) [Return to earnings](#outcomes-earnings-ref) · [Return to model comparison](#outcomes-model-ref)