University of California-Riverside

Riverside, CA ucr.edu 22,644 students

UC Riverside's main campus occupies 1,900 acres in a suburban setting, with an additional branch in Palm Desert. Originally founded as a citrus research station, the university maintains a strong emphasis on scientific inquiry. Students are known as the Highlanders, a nod to the campus's location in the foothills of Box Springs Mountain. The campus is also home to the UC Riverside School of Medicine, the first new research-based public medical school in 40 years.

Programs

Analyzed in dataset

Earnings

$35,763

Average graduate, 1 yr after

Outlook

41/100

Avg DegreeOutlook Score

Tuition

$14,170

In-state sticker price

Out-of-state: $44,947/yr

Financial Aid

The sticker price is rarely what families actually pay. UC Riverside's grant and scholarship aid lowers the net price for most income brackets. 47% of students receive Pell Grants; 33% take federal loans.

Net Price by Family Income

Academic Year 2025

Income Bracket	Avg Net Price	4-Year Net Cost
$0 – $30K	$8,240	$32,960
$30K – $48K	$9,615	$38,460
$48K – $75K	$12,449	$49,796
$75K – $110K	$17,297	$69,188
$110K+	$29,624	$118,496
Sticker price (no aid)	$14,170	$56,680

Net price = tuition + fees + room & board minus grants and scholarships, by reported family-income bracket. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey via College Scorecard.

Programs at UC Riverside

43 degree programs ranked by DegreeOutlook Score. Click any program for AI scenario analysis and 10-year earnings projections.

Degree Program	DW Score	1-yr Earnings	AI Risk	ROI
Computer Engineering Compare across schools →	81	$65,049/yr	Very High	19.8x
Computer Science Compare across schools →	72	$81,034/yr	Very High	13.3x
Electrical Engineering Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering Compare across schools →	71	$66,430/yr	Very High	17.1x
Mechanical Engineering Compare across schools →	70	$62,554/yr	Very High	15.5x
Chemical Engineering Compare across schools →	69	$68,245/yr	High	15.0x
Information Science Information Science/Studies Compare across schools →	68	$76,090/yr	Very High	12.4x
Business Administration Business Administration, Management and Operations Compare across schools →	68	$43,213/yr	High	12.2x
Biomedical Engineering Biomedical/Medical Engineering Compare across schools →	66	$61,342/yr	High	15.3x
Environmental Engineering Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering Compare across schools →	63	$59,309/yr	Very High	13.5x
Economics Compare across schools →	56	$37,149/yr	Very High	10.8x
Social Sciences Studies Social Sciences, Other Compare across schools →	50	$39,934/yr	High	9.9x
Chemistry Compare across schools →	50	$39,676/yr	High	8.9x
Public Policy Analysis Compare across schools →	49	$39,867/yr	High	9.9x
Microbiology & Immunology Microbiological Sciences and Immunology Compare across schools →	47	$43,086/yr	High	6.6x
Business Economics Business/Managerial Economics Compare across schools →	47	$37,496/yr	Very High	10.1x
Cell Biology Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences Compare across schools →	43	$31,148/yr	High	11.9x
Political Science Political Science and Government Compare across schools →	43	$30,060/yr	Very High	9.4x
History Compare across schools →	39	$29,824/yr	High	8.3x
Mathematics Compare across schools →	38	$27,227/yr	Very High	10.2x
Biochemistry Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology Compare across schools →	37	$30,077/yr	High	11.1x
Biology Biology, General Compare across schools →	37	$26,863/yr	High	9.9x
Natural Resources & Conservation Research Natural Resources Conservation and Research Compare across schools →	36	$30,521/yr	High	9.9x
Sociology Compare across schools →	36	$29,367/yr	High	8.5x
International Relations International Relations and National Security Studies Compare across schools →	34	$27,021/yr	High	9.0x
Research and Experimental Psychology Compare across schools →	31	$25,654/yr	High	3.5x
Neuroscience Neurobiology and Neurosciences Compare across schools →	31	$19,286/yr	High	10.5x
Ethnic & Cultural Studies Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies Compare across schools →	30	$31,443/yr	Very High	8.4x
Philosophy Compare across schools →	30	$25,171/yr	Very High	9.9x
Romance Languages Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics Compare across schools →	30	$24,453/yr	Very High	8.6x
English English Language and Literature, General Compare across schools →	30	$23,139/yr	Very High	9.2x
Anthropology Compare across schools →	29	$26,178/yr	High	6.8x
Liberal Arts & Humanities Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities Compare across schools →	28	$23,203/yr	Low	9.9x
Sustainability Studies Compare across schools →	27	$30,698/yr	High	4.4x
Fine Arts Fine and Studio Arts Compare across schools →	26	$21,792/yr	Moderate	6.3x
Film & Photography Film/Video and Photographic Arts Compare across schools →	24	$24,840/yr	High	7.4x
Music Compare across schools →	24	$20,408/yr	High	2.6x
Statistics Compare across schools →	23	$29,138/yr	Very High	4.1x
Physics Compare across schools →	23	$19,977/yr	Very High	2.5x
Linguistics Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services Compare across schools →	21	$20,212/yr	Very High	6.1x
International Studies International/Global Studies Compare across schools →	20	$21,428/yr	Moderate	7.6x
Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education Compare across schools →	19	$23,447/yr	High	3.1x
Geosciences Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences Compare across schools →	19	$22,998/yr	High	3.1x
Rhetoric & Writing Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies Compare across schools →	18	$21,765/yr	Very High	5.7x