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UC Irvine majors and salaries
University of California, Irvine · Irvine, California · Public · 30,197 undergraduates
Graduates left with a median $12,821 in federal loans, less than the $21,609 typical across four-year colleges. Fine and Studio Arts graduates earned the least four years out, a median of $39,010; the top program pays 3.4 times as much. San Diego State, UC Santa Barbara, University of Georgia and Florida State University trail UC Irvine on median earnings ten years after enrollment, while University of California, San Diego and California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo are ahead.
Highest-paying bachelor's programs
Every program with earnings data
| Program | Graduates (2 yrs) | Median debt | Pay after 1 yr | Pay after 4 yrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Engineering | 477 | $15,500 | $89,393 | $132,357 |
| Computer Science | 1,075 | $14,000 | $98,883 | $127,404 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 93 | $11,000 | $95,269 | $119,502 |
| Management Information Systems and Services | 106 | $11,000 | $63,127 | $108,038 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | 179 | $12,526 | $82,997 | $106,871 |
| Materials Engineering | 46 | – | $76,070 | $106,547 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering | 168 | $10,947 | $65,391 | $100,537 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 492 | $13,000 | $75,741 | $99,111 |
| Chemical Engineering | 99 | $15,500 | $73,766 | $97,656 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering | 241 | $15,009 | $69,246 | $96,874 |
| Civil Engineering | 174 | $12,000 | $73,616 | $96,354 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | 180 | $16,568 | $57,136 | $96,347 |
| Physics | 153 | $10,605 | $38,899 | $96,215 |
| Economics | 767 | $11,253 | $50,385 | $83,937 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 790 | $10,500 | $55,609 | $80,755 |
| Mathematics and Computer Science | 93 | $11,300 | $80,424 | – |
| Business/Managerial Economics | 1,069 | $13,000 | $51,405 | $77,807 |
| Mathematics | 457 | $11,000 | $49,371 | $77,472 |
| Chemistry | 252 | $11,000 | $46,852 | $74,810 |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences | 68 | $13,500 | $40,413 | $70,820 |
| Computer Software and Media Applications | 102 | $16,416 | $37,465 | $69,981 |
| Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering | 31 | – | $68,811 | – |
| Urban Studies/Affairs | 138 | $12,750 | $44,874 | $63,819 |
| Political Science and Government | 536 | $14,226 | $40,159 | $63,318 |
| Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration | 198 | $12,000 | $37,633 | $61,034 |
| Public Health | 770 | $12,551 | $41,417 | $60,430 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | 121 | $13,281 | $41,408 | $60,242 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | 121 | $13,686 | $44,994 | $59,908 |
| Criminology | 916 | $12,000 | $38,377 | $57,935 |
| Journalism | 67 | $10,428 | $35,149 | $57,492 |
| International/Globalization Studies | 235 | $10,000 | $41,986 | $57,116 |
| Sociology | 487 | $10,000 | $37,841 | $56,457 |
| Psychology, General | 956 | $12,209 | $34,173 | $56,380 |
| Biology, General | 1,550 | $13,000 | $29,433 | $56,273 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 56 | $13,050 | $39,530 | $55,360 |
| Education, General | 522 | $9,016 | $33,146 | $54,356 |
| Research and Experimental Psychology | 1,184 | $11,978 | $34,282 | $54,323 |
| English Language and Literature, General | 293 | $11,971 | $30,536 | $54,299 |
| History | 141 | $12,959 | $25,118 | $53,481 |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | 317 | $12,853 | $30,830 | $51,423 |
| Anthropology | 106 | $13,433 | $33,170 | $50,850 |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology | 62 | – | $48,315 | – |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | 60 | $15,225 | $39,189 | $47,471 |
| Social Sciences, General | 41 | – | $46,989 | – |
| Music | 48 | $14,923 | – | $43,120 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | 177 | $11,000 | $27,442 | $40,773 |
| Dance | 76 | $19,297 | $30,593 | $40,466 |
| Area Studies | 34 | – | $39,731 | – |
| Fine and Studio Arts | 216 | $12,500 | $27,801 | $39,010 |
| Microbiological Sciences and Immunology | 50 | – | $34,101 | – |
| Neurobiology and Neurosciences | 118 | $8,500 | $29,282 | – |
| Human Biology | 223 | $14,750 | $25,916 | – |
| Philosophy | 80 | $14,800 | $25,468 | – |
Programs are grouped by four-digit CIP code, so one row can cover several related majors. "Graduates" counts bachelor's degrees awarded across the two years that make up each earnings cohort.
Outcomes
- Six-year graduation rate
- 87% (four-year colleges: 54% median)
- First-year students who return
- 94%
- Students per faculty member
- 19
- Median earnings 10 years after enrolling
- $83,432 (four-year colleges: $58,912 median)
- Median federal debt at graduation
- $12,821 (four-year colleges: $21,609 median)
Colleges similar to UC Irvine
The six public four-year colleges closest to UC Irvine in acceptance rate and undergraduate enrollment.
| College | Acceptance rate | Avg net price | Earnings after 10 yrs |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of California, San Diego La Jolla, CA | 27% | $14,794 | $96,197 |
| San Diego State San Diego, CA | 36% | $13,243 | $73,494 |
| UC Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA | 33% | $16,807 | $82,568 |
| California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA | 31% | $18,832 | $96,304 |
| University of Georgia Athens, GA | 38% | $13,636 | $77,246 |
| Florida State University Tallahassee, FL | 24% | $8,605 | $68,225 |
Program earnings and debt come from the College Scorecard field-of-study file: median pay of graduates who were working and not enrolled, one and four years after finishing, for two pooled graduating classes. Programs with too few graduates are suppressed by the Department of Education and do not appear. College Scorecard data updated November 2, 2026. How these figures are built · UC Irvine on College Scorecard