Students at UC San Diego achieve exceptional earnings that place them among the top performers nationally, with graduates earning significantly more than similar students at other institutions.
The university excels particularly in supporting low-income students to achieve outstanding financial outcomes that rival the best in the country.
The University of California-San Diego stands among the nation's elite public research universities, delivering exceptional value across multiple dimensions. UCSD combines world-class academics with strong financial outcomes, ranking in the top 5% nationally for long-term earnings while maintaining relatively broad access for a highly selective institution. Nearly 33% of students receive Pell Grants and about 40% are first-generation college students, yet graduates consistently achieve outstanding career outcomes.
What makes UCSD particularly compelling is its ability to deliver earnings that far exceed expectations. Graduates earn a median of $84,943 ten years after enrollment, with the university generating about $17,211 more in earnings per graduate than similar institutions nationwide. This earnings advantage reflects UCSD's strength in high-demand fields like computer science, engineering, and the life sciences, combined with its location in San Diego's thriving biotech and technology corridor.
As a large public research university in California, UCSD offers the academic breadth and research opportunities of a flagship institution while maintaining strong affordability for in-state students. The combination of top-tier outcomes, reasonable costs, and meaningful access makes UCSD an exceptional choice for students seeking both academic excellence and long-term financial security.
UC San Diego's program portfolio reflects its position as a leading research university with particular strength in technology and life sciences. Computer Science leads in both scale and financial returns, graduating 435 students annually with strong median earnings of $86,972. The program benefits from San Diego's thriving tech sector and UCSD's reputation for producing highly skilled graduates who are recruited by major technology companies throughout California and beyond.
Cognitive Science represents UCSD's largest program with 632 graduates, offering solid earnings of $41,870 and reflecting the university's interdisciplinary approach to understanding human behavior and cognition. Computer Engineering, while smaller with 124 graduates, delivers some of the highest early-career earnings at $79,688, demonstrating the premium that employers place on UCSD's engineering programs.
The university's location in San Diego provides unique advantages for students across all programs. The region's concentration of biotechnology companies, defense contractors, and technology firms creates abundant internship and career opportunities. This geographic advantage, combined with UCSD's academic reputation, helps explain why graduates across diverse fields consistently achieve earnings that exceed national expectations for their majors.
Graduates of UC San Diego achieve some of the strongest long-term financial outcomes among public universities nationwide. Ten years after enrollment, they earn a median of $84,943, placing UCSD in the top 5% nationally for graduate earnings. Even more impressive is how much better UCSD graduates perform compared with similar students at other institutions—they earn about $17,211 more than expected, representing one of the largest earnings advantages we track among public universities.
The university's program mix drives much of this exceptional performance. Computer Science stands out as both a high-enrollment and high-return field, graduating 435 students annually with median earnings of $86,972. Computer Engineering delivers even stronger early-career outcomes at $79,688, while the university's largest program, Cognitive Science with 632 graduates, provides solid earnings of $41,870. These technical fields benefit from San Diego's robust technology and biotech sectors, where UCSD graduates are highly sought after by employers.
UCSD's location in Southern California provides graduates access to diverse, high-paying job markets without the extreme cost-of-living pressures found in the San Francisco Bay Area. This geographic advantage helps explain why UCSD graduates consistently outperform earnings expectations, as they can access competitive salaries while benefiting from more manageable living costs than their counterparts at other top-tier California institutions.
UC San Diego delivers exceptional affordability, particularly for low- and middle-income California families. Low-income students pay just $7,487 annually in net price, well below the national average and among the lowest costs for any top-tier research university. Middle-income families see net costs of $10,389, while even high-income families pay $28,113—reasonable for an institution of UCSD's caliber and location in expensive Southern California.
The university's strong financial aid programs help keep debt levels manageable despite the high-cost region. Typical graduates leave with about $15,500 in federal student loan debt, a modest amount given UCSD's exceptional earnings outcomes. Parent PLUS borrowing averages $23,535, reflecting some families' choice to invest more heavily in their students' education at this prestigious institution. With a 0% federal loan default rate, UCSD demonstrates that its graduates can comfortably manage their educational investments.
What makes UCSD particularly sustainable financially is the strong return on investment it provides. With median earnings approaching $85,000 ten years out, graduates can easily handle typical debt loads while building long-term wealth. The combination of California's commitment to affordable public higher education and UCSD's exceptional outcomes creates a compelling value proposition for families seeking both academic excellence and financial responsibility.
University Of California-San Diego Hub Overview
Executive summary with admissions, cost, outcomes, and program analysis
