
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-Riverside, from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard.
Typical debt at graduation equals about 26% of one year’s median earnings ten years after entry.
Earnings rank: 70th 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 Science | $81,034 | $117,705 | +10% | #85 of 349 | #130 | $19,000 |
| Computer Engineering | $65,049 | $107,193 | -2% | #88 of 189 | #143 | $25,083 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | $66,430 | $102,630 | +2% | #81 of 258 | #210 | $19,250 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $62,554 | $93,721 | +2% | #114 of 318 | #268 | $21,000 |
| Chemical Engineering | $68,245 | $91,457 | -7% | #122 of 158 | #149 | $17,182 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering | $61,342 | $90,041 | -4% | #77 of 118 | #102 | $19,954 |
| Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering | $59,309 | $84,300 | +4% | #12 of 46 | #29 | $18,068 |
| Statistics | $29,138 | $78,492 | -15% | #35 of 50 | #40 | $21,488 |
| Information Science/Studies | $76,090 | — | — | — | — | $24,417 |
| Physics | $19,977 | $74,410 | -3% | #70 of 107 | #83 | $19,000 |
| Microbiological Sciences and Immunology | $43,086 | $72,295 | +16% | #12 of 49 | #27 | $13,939 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | $43,213 | $72,027 | +6% | #315 of 1176 | #606 | $16,500 |
| Economics | $37,149 | $66,682 | -19% | #309 of 368 | #336 | $17,666 |
| Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences | $31,148 | $65,813 | -1% | #22 of 35 | #27 | $18,000 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | $30,521 | $64,944 | +18% | #37 of 265 | #68 | $16,250 |
| Business/Managerial Economics | $37,496 | $64,147 | -18% | #75 of 84 | #82 | $18,000 |
| Chemistry | $39,676 | $64,131 | -2% | #129 of 209 | #179 | $21,500 |
| Mathematics | $27,227 | $63,596 | -9% | #223 of 309 | #266 | $18,100 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | $23,203 | $62,211 | +17% | #64 of 476 | #155 | $15,625 |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences | $22,998 | $59,677 | -1% | #78 of 138 | #107 | — |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology | $30,077 | $59,549 | -9% | #85 of 110 | #97 | $16,958 |
| Public Policy Analysis | $39,867 | $58,504 | -21% | #32 of 34 | #33 | $19,161 |
| Sustainability Studies | $30,698 | $58,463 | +1% | #12 of 17 | #12 | $19,333 |
| Biology | $26,863 | $58,339 | +2% | #405 of 841 | #613 | $19,000 |
| International/Globalization Studies | $21,428 | $57,959 | -3% | #40 of 87 | #60 | $20,500 |
| Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education | $23,447 | $57,847 | -4% | — | — | $15,000 |
| Political Science and Government | $30,060 | $56,740 | -10% | #402 of 565 | #495 | $18,000 |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | $31,443 | $56,555 | +9% | #28 of 103 | #43 | $22,305 |
| International Relations and National Security Studies | $27,021 | $56,108 | -16% | #95 of 118 | #104 | $18,829 |
| Sociology | $29,367 | $55,682 | +6% | #150 of 462 | #263 | $16,300 |
| Social Sciences | $39,934 | $55,087 | -3% | #17 of 35 | #24 | $16,583 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies | — | $54,090 | -3% | #113 of 207 | #162 | — |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | $24,840 | $52,699 | +20% | #19 of 144 | #37 | $20,472 |
| History | $29,824 | $51,913 | +2% | #209 of 459 | #328 | $19,317 |
| Neurobiology and Neurosciences | $19,286 | $51,865 | -17% | #62 of 67 | #67 | $19,000 |
| Philosophy | $25,171 | $51,402 | -6% | #59 of 86 | #69 | $19,022 |
| English Language and Literature | $23,139 | $50,712 | +4% | #222 of 576 | #380 | $18,052 |
| Research and Experimental Psychology | $25,654 | $49,947 | -10% | #61 of 82 | #73 | $17,746 |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services | $20,212 | $46,306 | -7% | #58 of 90 | #76 | $17,500 |
| Anthropology | $26,178 | $45,821 | -2% | #98 of 188 | #148 | $21,250 |
| Dance | — | $45,804 | +15% | #18 of 58 | #26 | — |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | $24,453 | $42,692 | -22% | #209 of 225 | #217 | $17,691 |
| Fine and Studio Arts | $21,792 | $40,774 | -1% | #234 of 423 | #323 | $16,681 |
| Area Studies | — | $39,039 | -31% | #68 of 70 | #69 | — |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | $21,765 | $35,583 | -27% | #129 of 137 | #135 | $20,783 |
| Music | $20,408 | — | — | — | — | $26,500 |
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 |
| Total Cost (On-Campus) | $40,285 | $71,062 |
| Family Income | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| $0 - $30,000 | $8,240 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $9,615 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $12,449 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $17,297 |
| $110,001+ | $29,624 |
Programs ranked by number of degrees awarded annually.
Careers that graduates from University of California-Riverside'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