

Two ratings: the overall grade compares colleges the conventional way (outcomes, cost, resources, experience, reputation). The Outcome Rating asks what students earn: 60% wage-adjusted earnings 10 years after enrolling, 25% graduation, 15% retention. Methodology
What happens to students who enroll at University of California-Davis, from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard.
Typical debt at graduation equals about 16% of one year’s median earnings ten years after entry.
Earnings rank: 89th percentile among bachelor’s-degree-focused colleges after a partial adjustment for local wage levels (CA wage index 1.21). This drives the Outcome Rating.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, retrieved Oct 2026. Earnings are for federally aided students who enrolled, whether or not they graduated.
Median pay of bachelor's degree graduates by field of study, and how each program ranks against every college reporting that major — by raw pay and adjusted for state wage levels. Same school, very different paychecks.
| Major | 1 yr after | 4 yrs after | vs. national | Rank (pay) | Rank (wage-adj.) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Engineering | $96,418 | $145,422 | +33% | #16 of 189 | #20 | $12,703 |
| Computer and Information Sciences | $84,343 | $138,673 | +50% | #23 of 459 | #31 | $14,000 |
| Engineering | $82,956 | $114,228 | +28% | #4 of 57 | #12 | $14,939 |
| Chemical Engineering | $68,337 | $102,649 | +5% | #37 of 158 | #101 | $15,750 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $75,231 | $102,161 | +11% | #27 of 318 | #147 | $13,867 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering | $68,419 | $98,504 | +5% | #39 of 118 | #75 | $15,979 |
| Civil Engineering | $75,165 | $95,939 | +11% | #15 of 233 | #102 | $16,000 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering | $71,633 | $93,414 | -5% | #42 of 59 | #57 | $18,748 |
| Materials Engineering | $74,110 | $89,983 | -2% | #21 of 34 | #30 | $18,777 |
| Statistics | $49,264 | $88,033 | -5% | #25 of 50 | #34 | $14,917 |
| Business/Managerial Economics | $54,546 | $87,455 | +12% | #21 of 84 | #47 | $12,917 |
| Biotechnology | $59,156 | $87,406 | +30% | #4 of 13 | #4 | $12,843 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | $52,684 | $86,155 | +-0% | #59 of 126 | #74 | $12,000 |
| Economics | $50,295 | $83,248 | +1% | #153 of 368 | #214 | $12,500 |
| Physics | — | $78,569 | +2% | #54 of 107 | #69 | $14,354 |
| Genetics | $41,334 | $77,411 | +17% | #3 of 9 | #4 | $13,848 |
| Microbiological Sciences and Immunology | $46,005 | $74,343 | +19% | #9 of 49 | #21 | $11,000 |
| Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration | $40,002 | $73,595 | -37% | #24 of 29 | #27 | $13,065 |
| Chemistry | $42,204 | $73,365 | +13% | #51 of 209 | #102 | $13,000 |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences | $43,462 | $73,337 | +22% | #11 of 138 | #34 | $16,000 |
| Communication and Media Studies | $42,569 | $72,778 | +29% | #33 of 660 | #64 | $13,000 |
| Mathematics | $29,300 | $72,640 | +4% | #133 of 309 | #188 | $11,932 |
| Plant Sciences | $43,873 | $72,335 | +28% | #4 of 44 | #8 | — |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology | $42,266 | $70,754 | +8% | #33 of 110 | #61 | $11,000 |
| Food Science and Technology | $52,084 | $70,571 | +-0% | #14 of 29 | #22 | $14,666 |
| Public Administration and Social Service Professions | $44,593 | $69,702 | +13% | #3 of 10 | #6 | $14,171 |
| Social Sciences | $45,178 | $68,535 | +21% | #5 of 35 | #8 | $12,580 |
| Cognitive Science | $42,342 | $68,463 | -16% | #15 of 19 | #18 | $15,000 |
| Biology | $35,241 | $68,120 | +19% | #129 of 841 | #275 | $13,000 |
| Political Science and Government | $36,208 | $67,759 | +7% | #156 of 565 | #261 | $13,687 |
| International Relations and National Security Studies | $34,949 | $67,056 | +1% | #56 of 118 | #77 | $12,500 |
| Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences | $37,550 | $66,461 | +7% | #21 of 64 | #37 | $14,154 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | $38,954 | $65,983 | +20% | #31 of 265 | #58 | $15,000 |
| Applied Mathematics | $53,940 | $65,508 | -28% | #43 of 45 | #44 | $13,000 |
| Nutrition Sciences | $34,512 | $64,519 | +7% | #10 of 53 | #24 | $14,166 |
| Neurobiology and Neurosciences | $29,765 | $63,720 | +2% | #33 of 67 | #44 | $12,917 |
| Pharmacology and Toxicology | $39,202 | $63,567 | -8% | #4 of 5 | #4 | $12,072 |
| Design and Applied Arts | $32,816 | $62,209 | +21% | #57 of 299 | #113 | $14,924 |
| Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology | $32,161 | $62,011 | +27% | #7 of 62 | #11 | $19,591 |
| East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | $28,997 | $60,939 | +18% | #4 of 24 | #5 | $14,500 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | $29,330 | $60,797 | +11% | #67 of 225 | #122 | $14,235 |
| Psychology | $31,345 | $60,257 | +19% | #4 of 9 | #4 | $14,059 |
| Religion/Religious Studies | — | $59,448 | +44% | #8 of 45 | #15 | — |
| Sociology | $32,137 | $59,171 | +12% | #92 of 462 | #186 | $12,600 |
| English Language and Literature | $25,477 | $59,012 | +21% | #70 of 576 | #119 | $13,500 |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | $32,563 | $58,670 | +13% | #19 of 103 | #27 | $14,000 |
| Philosophy | $32,749 | $58,633 | +8% | #40 of 86 | #48 | $13,000 |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services | $22,965 | $58,443 | +17% | #21 of 90 | #32 | $13,798 |
| Agricultural Production Operations | — | $58,236 | +9% | #6 of 14 | #9 | $10,999 |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | $19,258 | $57,999 | +33% | #11 of 144 | #16 | $17,500 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study data. Earnings are for graduates who received federal aid and were working; small programs are not reported.
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Rankings based on Repit College Grade among schools offering each program.
| Category | In-State | Out-of-State |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $11,834 | $42,611 |
| Room | $12,498 | |
| Board | $6,804 | |
| Total Cost (On-Campus) | $41,055 | $71,832 |
| Family Income | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| $0 - $30,000 | $8,594 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $9,472 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $12,304 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $17,988 |
| $110,001+ | $31,258 |
Programs ranked by number of degrees awarded annually.
Careers that graduates from University of California-Davis's top programs commonly pursue.
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Compare with other 4-Year public institutions of similar size.
Data source: IPEDS 2023-24 | Last updated: October 2026 | Methodology