UCSB Career Outcomes: $70K Median Earnings (2026)

How much do UCSB graduates earn?

The reported median is $70,323 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $65,610 as its benchmark; the difference is $4,713 per year.

Azimuth places the return for University of California-Santa Barbara at the 84th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $14,559 more than expects for similar students, a level in the 91st percentile nationally.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $8,103. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $6,456.

The STEM component within the measured factors adds $3,575. Four years after completion, the median earnings for the university's completers stand at $70,323, in the 77th percentile.

That figure runs above the peer median of $65,610 by $4,713 among comparable institutions (same type and size).

The range between the downside and upside scenarios spans from $55,948 to $106,493, reflecting the variation in earnings potential across the university's program clusters. Computer Science completers earn a median of $149,190, while Computer Engineering completers earn $144,703.

Among the largest programs, Economics graduates see a median of $98,178, and Sociology graduates earn $60,013.

An estimated 39.7% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure derived from the institution'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.

How many UCSB students return and finish their degrees?

First-time, full-time bachelor’s cohorts · CDS 2025-26

Returned the following fall: 93.5%
Completed within six years: 84.0%
Pell recipients completed within six years: 82.0%

Source: University of California-Santa Barbara Common Data Set 2025-26, B22 retention; B4–B11 six-year completion. Retention and completion follow different entering cohorts.

How could earnings differ from the median?

Earnings four years after completion

Planning rangeReported median

Lower estimate: $55,948
Median · reported: $70,323
Higher estimate: $106,493

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 UCSB 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.

UCSB graduates’ reported earnings are $14,559 above that expectation, the 91st 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 UCSB caused a student to earn. Read how expected earnings are estimated.

Which fields at UCSB report the highest earnings?

The highest-earning program at University of California-Santa Barbara is Computer Science, where completers earn a median of $149,190 four years after completion, with 161 degrees awarded. Computer Engineering follows at $144,703 on 72 degrees awarded.

Among the largest programs, Economics shows a median of $98,178 and an Azimuth national rank of #42 on 656 degrees awarded. Communication and Media Studies reaches $72,976 and ranks #13 nationally on 582 degrees awarded.

The largest program, Sociology, awarded 672 degrees and reports a median of $60,013, ranking #16 nationally.

Azimuth ranks 37 programs at University of California-Santa Barbara, and 40 programs have published four-year earnings. The university's highest nationally ranked programs include Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology, which ranks #1 in its field and #1 in California.

It awards 74 degrees and has median earnings of $90,694 four years after completion. Pharmacology and Toxicology ranks #1 nationally and #1 in California, with 54 degrees awarded and median earnings of $98,462.

Microbiological Sciences and Immunology ranks #2 nationally and #2 in California, awarding 38 degrees and showing median earnings of $90,061. The largest program, Sociology, awards 672 degrees and ranks #16 nationally, with median earnings of $60,013.

Further analysis

Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix show a downside of $55,948, a typical outcome of $70,323, and an upside of $106,493. The spread reflects the variation across fields: Computer Science reaches $149,190 at the high end, while Sociology, the largest program with 672 degrees awarded, sits at $60,013.

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $70,323 at University of California-Santa Barbara. The four-year earnings cohort includes 3,580 completers, and Azimuth places the figure in the 77th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $14,559 more than the model expects for similar students. Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix show a typical figure of $70,323, with a downside scenario of $55,948 and an upside of $106,493.

An estimated 39.7% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix, so the four-year earnings picture captures most but not all completers.

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.