College Azimuth

Career outcomes brief

University of California-Riverside Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated

How much do UC Riverside graduates earn?

The reported median is $64,926 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $65,610 as its benchmark; the difference is -$684 per year.

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates of University of California-Riverside who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $64,926, in the 65th percentile nationally. That figure is $684 below the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Graduates earn about $12,578 more than expects for similar students, placing that earnings-beyond-expectations gap in the 88th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $5,960.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $6,618. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $4,546. Azimuth places the university in the 64th percentile for return.

Earnings scenarios, estimated from the university's program mix, show a wide spread: a downside of $48,845 and an upside of $85,923, with $64,926 as the typical scenario. These are estimates, not observed groups of graduates.

The range reflects the mix of programs on campus. At the upper end, Computer Science graduates earn $117,705 four years after completion, while Computer Engineering and Electrical Engineering graduates earn $107,193 and $102,630, respectively.

Azimuth estimates that 39.8% of graduates pursue graduate study, a projection drawn from program mix and not from direct enrollment counts. The four-year earnings metric covers only completers who are working and not enrolled, and graduates in that share are still in school when the salary figures are recorded.

Median earnings · four years after completion
$64,926
Rank for difference from expectations
88th percentile
Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks
UC Riverside reported median
$64,926
Peer schools comparable schools · $684 above UC Riverside
$65,610
Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $12,578 below UC Riverside
$52,348

School and program earnings use pooled 2017–18 and 2018–19 completion cohorts, measured in 2022 and 2023 and expressed in 2024 dollars. How the model works.

How could earnings differ from the median?

The planning scenarios range from $48,845 to $85,923, around the reported median of $64,926. Compare the lower scenario with UC Riverside borrowing and monthly payments to see how a smaller income could change your plan.

Modeled from the school’s program mix; not salary percentiles or a forecast for one graduate.

Earnings four years after completion
Planning rangeReported median
Lower estimate
$48,845
Median · reported
$64,926
Higher estimate
$85,923

Downside shows a lower-earning scenario based on the college’s mix of programs; upside shows a higher-earning scenario. Typical is the school’s reported median four years after completion. These are planning scenarios, not a forecast of your salary or percentiles of individual graduates.

Why the downside matters explores the risk hidden by medians, using older ten-year entrant data. Read about the move to four-year earnings.

Do UC Riverside graduates earn more than expected?

Azimuth models what we would expect graduates to earn based on who the college enrolls, how selective it is and its local economy. The difference between that expectation and reported earnings is what Azimuth calls value added.

UC Riverside graduates’ reported earnings are $12,578 above that expectation, the 88th percentile for this measure. Unlike a peer comparison, it adjusts for who enrolls.

The breakdown separates the contribution attributed to observed factors from the remaining difference. Neither component establishes how much attending UC Riverside caused a student to earn. Read how expected earnings are estimated.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$5,960
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
+$6,618
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
+$12,578

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Which fields at UC Riverside report the highest earnings?

University of California-Riverside fields 38 ranked bachelor's programs, and the highest-earning fields cluster in engineering and computing. Computer Science tops the list at $117,705 four years after completion, with 212 degrees awarded and an Azimuth national rank of #67 in its field.

Computer Engineering follows at $107,193 (48 degrees awarded), and Electrical Engineering reaches $102,630 with 65 degrees awarded. Among the largest programs by degrees, earnings spread across a wide range.

Business Administration and Management awarded 795 degrees and shows a median of $72,027, ranking #77 nationally. Biology, with 639 degrees awarded, reports $58,339 and an Azimuth rank of #110.

Research and Experimental Psychology sits at $49,947 (578 degrees awarded, rank #31), while Economics reaches $66,682 on 331 degrees awarded.

The university's strongest national rankings come from programs in sustainability, the sciences, and the arts. Sustainability Studies holds the #6 spot in its field and #1 in California, with 33 degrees awarded and median earnings of $58,463 four years after completion.

Microbiological Sciences and Immunology ranks #7 nationally and #5 in California in its field, awarding 48 degrees. Among the largest programs, Business Administration and Management awarded 795 degrees and ranks #77 nationally, with median earnings of $72,027.

Research and Experimental Psychology ranks #31 and #7 in California, awarding 578 degrees. Sociology ranks #50 nationally and shows median earnings of $55,682 on 340 degrees awarded. Across 38 ranked bachelor's programs, earnings data is available for 42 fields.

Highest reported four-year program earnings
Computer Science
$117,705
Computer Engineering
$107,193
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering
$102,630
Mechanical Engineering
$93,721
Chemical Engineering
$91,457
Biomedical/Medical Engineering
$90,041
Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering
$84,300
Statistics
$78,492

Explore UC Riverside program cohorts and field ranks for more context.

Further analysis

Earnings vary sharply by field, as earnings scenarios anchored on the university's program mix show. The typical earnings scenario sits at $64,926, the downside scenario at $48,845, and the upside scenario at $85,923.

Among the largest programs, Research and Experimental Psychology posts $49,947, while the highest-earning program, Computer Science, reaches $117,705.

University of California-Riverside graduates earn about $12,578 more than the model expects for similar students. That level of earnings beyond expectations corresponds to the 88th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The university's median earnings four years after completion are $64,926, which sits in the 65th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure is below the median for comparable institutions (same type and size), $65,610, by $684.

That median reflects 4,322 federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled. Azimuth models earnings scenarios from the program mix that range from a downside of $48,845 to an upside of $85,923; the typical scenario lands at $64,926.

The model estimates that 39.8% of graduates continue on to graduate study, a share derived from the program mix rather than observed enrollment.

Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: methodology.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, 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.