Graduates of University of California-Santa Barbara earn median earnings of $70,323 four years after enrollment, placing University of California-Santa Barbara in the 73.0 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure runs above the $65,228 median at comparable institutions (same control and size band). Graduates earn about $15,263 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing the university in the 92.7 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks University of California-Santa Barbara #236 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings pattern at University of California-Santa Barbara reflects a Social Sciences-leaning program mix — Social Sciences accounts for 27% of degrees, followed by Arts at 5% and other STEM fields at 5%. Economics combines large cohort scale with strong pay, making it a key contributor to the university's overall return profile. Azimuth ranks Sociology #9 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions per the program-ranking methodology, with 672 graduates earning median earnings of $60,013 four years after enrollment. Economics ranks #43 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions with 656 graduates earning $98,178, and Research Psychology ranks #7 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions with 616 graduates earning $66,171. Among the highest-earning subfields, Communication and Media Studies graduates earn $72,976 and Biology, General graduates earn $64,520 four years after enrollment.
Graduates of University of California-Santa Barbara earn median earnings of $70,323 four years after enrollment, placing University of California-Santa Barbara in the 73.0 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure runs above the $65,228 median at comparable institutions (same control and size band). Graduates earn about $15,263 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing the university in the 92.7 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks University of California-Santa Barbara #236 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings pattern at University of California-Santa Barbara reflects a Social Sciences-leaning program mix — Social Sciences accounts for 27% of degrees, followed by Arts at 5% and other STEM fields at 5%. Economics combines large cohort scale with strong pay, making it a key contributor to the university's overall return profile. Azimuth ranks Sociology #9 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions per the program-ranking methodology, with 672 graduates earning median earnings of $60,013 four years after enrollment. Economics ranks #43 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions with 656 graduates earning $98,178, and Research Psychology ranks #7 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions with 616 graduates earning $66,171. Among the highest-earning subfields, Communication and Media Studies graduates earn $72,976 and Biology, General graduates earn $64,520 four years after enrollment.
Latest FE earnings field: 10-year
How graduate earnings grow across the currently available FE horizons.
Financial justification for the investment.
Graduates of University of California-Santa Barbara earn median earnings of $70,323 four years after enrollment, placing University of California-Santa Barbara in the 73.0 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure runs above the $65,228 median at comparable institutions (same control and size band). Graduates earn about $15,263 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing the university in the 92.7 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks University of California-Santa Barbara #236 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings pattern at University of California-Santa Barbara reflects a Social Sciences-leaning program mix — Social Sciences accounts for 27% of degrees, followed by Arts at 5% and other STEM fields at 5%. Economics combines large cohort scale with strong pay, making it a key contributor to the university's overall return profile. Azimuth ranks Sociology #9 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions per the program-ranking methodology, with 672 graduates earning median earnings of $60,013 four years after enrollment. Economics ranks #43 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions with 656 graduates earning $98,178, and Research Psychology ranks #7 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions with 616 graduates earning $66,171. Among the highest-earning subfields, Communication and Media Studies graduates earn $72,976 and Biology, General graduates earn $64,520 four years after enrollment.
Program mix and student pathways explain much of the earnings story.
University of California-Santa Barbara's program mix is anchored in Social Sciences, which accounts for 27% of degree output — a concentration that shapes the institution's overall earnings profile. Arts represents 5% of graduates and other STEM fields adds another 5%, giving the university a social-sciences-and-interdisciplinary signature rather than an engineering- or business-heavy one. Across 45 programs serving roughly 6,834 students annually, 40 meet Azimuth's ranking threshold — a broad portfolio for a large public research university. Economics is the program that combines the largest cohort scale with strong earnings, making it a central driver of University of California-Santa Barbara's aggregate financial outcomes. Sociology is the largest program with 672 graduates earning median earnings of $60,013 four years after enrollment, and Azimuth ranks it #9 nationally for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The Economics program graduates 656 students with median earnings of $98,178, while The Research Psychology program graduates 616 students. On the earnings side, Applied Mathematics leads with median earnings of $109,360 from a cohort of 215 graduates, and Azimuth ranks it #7 nationally for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Economics follows at $98,178 with 656 graduates, and Azimuth ranks it #43 nationally for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The distinction between high-mobility and grad-school-dependent pathways matters at University of California-Santa Barbara. Programs like Applied Mathematics and Economics tend to channel graduates directly into the workforce, where four-year earnings reflect actual labor-market outcomes. By contrast, several of the university's large social-sciences programs — including Sociology and Communication and Media Studies — often serve as feeders to graduate and professional school, meaning four-year earnings undercount the lifetime trajectory for students who continue their education. The provides additional context for how University of California-Santa Barbara's dominant program families align with national wage trends and employer demand, . ```
Lower quartile, 10-year field
Upper quartile, 10-year field
Graduates of University of California-Santa Barbara earn median earnings of $70,323 four years after enrollment, placing University of California-Santa Barbara in the 73.0 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure runs above the $65,228 median at comparable institutions (same control and size band). Graduates earn about $15,263 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing the university in the 92.7 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks University of California-Santa Barbara #236 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings pattern at University of California-Santa Barbara reflects a Social Sciences-leaning program mix — Social Sciences accounts for 27% of degrees, followed by Arts at 5% and other STEM fields at 5%. Economics combines large cohort scale with strong pay, making it a key contributor to the university's overall return profile. Azimuth ranks Sociology #9 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions per the program-ranking methodology, with 672 graduates earning median earnings of $60,013 four years after enrollment. Economics ranks #43 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions with 656 graduates earning $98,178, and Research Psychology ranks #7 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions with 616 graduates earning $66,171. Among the highest-earning subfields, Communication and Media Studies graduates earn $72,976 and Biology, General graduates earn $64,520 four years after enrollment.
