University of California-San Diego

La Jolla, CA ucsd.edu 33,787 students

UC San Diego's expansive campus sits on over 2,000 acres of coastal land in La Jolla, offering stunning views of the Pacific Ocean. The university is known for its strong research focus and is organized into a unique system of undergraduate residential colleges, each with its own distinct character. Its proximity to the Pacific provides opportunities for marine science studies, and the campus is home to the Birch Aquarium at Scripps.

Programs

Analyzed in dataset

Earnings

$44,968

Average graduate, 1 yr after

Outlook

51/100

Avg DegreeOutlook Score

Tuition

$15,265

In-state sticker price

Out-of-state: $46,042/yr

Financial Aid

The sticker price is rarely what families actually pay. UC San Diego's grant and scholarship aid lowers the net price for most income brackets. 33% of students receive Pell Grants; 24% take federal loans.

Key Insight

Average net price across income brackets is $14,196, roughly 7% lower than the published tuition.

Net Price by Family Income

Academic Year 2025

Income Bracket	Avg Net Price	4-Year Net Cost
$0 – $30K	$7,487	$29,948
$30K – $48K	$7,864	$31,456
$48K – $75K	$10,389	$41,556
$75K – $110K	$17,131	$68,524
$110K+	$28,113	$112,452
Sticker price (no aid)	$15,265	$61,060

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 San Diego

48 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 Science Compare across schools →	90	$112,006/yr	Very High	25.3x
Computer Engineering Compare across schools →	86	$96,256/yr	Very High	24.3x
Management Science Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods Compare across schools →	80	$60,973/yr	Very High	13.1x
Bioinformatics Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology Compare across schools →	78	$76,592/yr	Very High	21.7x
Electrical Engineering Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering Compare across schools →	75	$80,687/yr	Very High	18.7x
Aerospace Engineering Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering Compare across schools →	72	$65,401/yr	High	16.6x
Economics Compare across schools →	72	$51,192/yr	Very High	12.8x
Mathematics and Computer Science Compare across schools →	71	$89,651/yr	Very High	13.7x
Mechanical Engineering Compare across schools →	71	$69,555/yr	Very High	15.3x
Civil Engineering Compare across schools →	70	$65,478/yr	High	14.1x
Biomedical Engineering Biomedical/Medical Engineering Compare across schools →	69	$65,045/yr	High	18.4x
Chemical Engineering Compare across schools →	68	$59,508/yr	High	15.0x
Engineering Studies Engineering, Other Compare across schools →	65	$56,522/yr	High	14.4x
Chemistry Compare across schools →	65	$45,310/yr	High	12.6x
Mathematics Compare across schools →	62	$52,339/yr	Very High	10.5x
Physics Compare across schools →	62	$48,951/yr	Very High	12.8x
Applied Mathematics Compare across schools →	58	$42,859/yr	Very High	12.1x
Cognitive Science Compare across schools →	57	$39,839/yr	Moderate	12.9x
Biochemistry Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology Compare across schools →	54	$45,066/yr	High	11.6x
Public Health Compare across schools →	54	$39,144/yr	High	10.0x
Biological Engineering Biological/Biosystems Engineering Compare across schools →	52	$67,016/yr	High	10.0x
International Studies International/Global Studies Compare across schools →	50	$45,168/yr	Moderate	11.1x
Urban Studies Urban Studies/Affairs Compare across schools →	50	$37,074/yr	High	10.7x
Human Development & Family Studies Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services Compare across schools →	50	$33,489/yr	High	9.4x
Political Science Political Science and Government Compare across schools →	50	$33,345/yr	Very High	10.5x
Psychology Studies Psychology, Other Compare across schools →	47	$47,672/yr	High	6.8x
Microbiology & Immunology Microbiological Sciences and Immunology Compare across schools →	47	$43,608/yr	High	6.1x
Natural Resources & Conservation Research Natural Resources Conservation and Research Compare across schools →	47	$37,524/yr	High	11.1x
Biology Biology, General Compare across schools →	47	$34,504/yr	High	10.4x
Clinical Psychology Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology Compare across schools →	46	$26,953/yr	High	9.4x
Sociology Compare across schools →	45	$36,464/yr	High	8.9x
Research and Experimental Psychology Compare across schools →	44	$23,420/yr	High	10.5x
Communication and Media Studies Compare across schools →	42	$33,046/yr	High	9.7x
Neuroscience Neurobiology and Neurosciences Compare across schools →	39	$32,081/yr	High	10.4x
History Compare across schools →	38	$21,713/yr	High	8.9x
Psychology Psychology, General Compare across schools →	37	$29,144/yr	High	8.3x
Anthropology Compare across schools →	36	$28,543/yr	High	7.8x
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology Compare across schools →	33	$31,088/yr	High	8.1x
Statistics Compare across schools →	32	$36,676/yr	Very High	5.0x
Ethnic & Cultural Studies Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies Compare across schools →	32	$30,984/yr	Very High	8.8x
Performing Arts Studies Visual and Performing Arts, Other Compare across schools →	28	$34,401/yr	High	4.6x
Fine Arts Fine and Studio Arts Compare across schools →	27	$21,777/yr	Moderate	6.4x
Linguistics Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services Compare across schools →	27	$19,809/yr	Very High	7.6x
Music Compare across schools →	26	$21,592/yr	High	6.2x
English English Language and Literature, General Compare across schools →	23	$24,523/yr	Very High	3.0x
English & Literature English Language and Literature/Letters, Other Compare across schools →	20	$21,788/yr	Very High	7.2x
Theater & Drama Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft Compare across schools →	20	$18,026/yr	Moderate	5.5x
Philosophy Compare across schools →	19	$24,669/yr	Very High	3.0x