Bachelor's · Los Angeles, California
Is Anthropology at University of California-Los Angeles worth it?
High confidence High confidence: 100+ graduates behind the earnings figures.
The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans
Pays back in time: graduates typically recover the cost in about 5.9 years.
- Earnings 1 year after graduating
- $38,678
- Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Earnings 4 years after graduating
- $58,975
- Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Typical federal debt at graduation
- $12,500
- NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
- Net cost to graduate, all families
- $62k (likely $62k – $62k)
- AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
- Earnings bump, year 4
- $19k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in CA
- 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Payback
- 5.9 years (likely 5.1–7.0)
- Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
- 10-year net return
- −$65k (likely −$104k – −$29k)
- Today's dollars
- 20-year net return
- $183k (likely $79k – $295k)
- Today's dollars
- Odds of finishing (school-wide)
- 93%
- Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
- Borrowers making progress / in default, 2 years in
- not reported / ≤ 5%
- NSLDS AY2016-17, AY2017-18 pooled cohorts measured in 2018-19, 2019-20
Change income, residency or loans Compare Anthropology at other schools
⚖️ Getting ready in high school
Students heading toward law, government & society majors like this one often take these classes. Every school offers a different mix, so check with your counselor.
AP classes
- AP U.S. Government and Politics
- AP U.S. History
- AP English Language and Composition
- AP Comparative Government and Politics
IB Higher Level
- History HL
- Global Politics HL
Build my roadmap 🗺️ Middle school to career, plus high schools near you that offer these classes.
Other majors at University of California-Los Angeles
- Computer Engineering (Bachelor's)$228,705
- Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's)$223,358
- Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's)$216,722
- Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral)$190,499
- Physics (Doctoral)$178,137
- Law (First professional)$177,968
- Engineering, General (Master's)$177,858
- Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Master's)$177,710
- Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering (Master's)$174,798
- Computer and Information Sciences, General (Master's)$170,827
- Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering (Master's)$151,186
- Materials Engineering (Master's)$146,629
Anthropology at other schools in California
- University of California-Berkeley$64,359
- Sonoma State University$62,674
- San Francisco State University$61,300
- University of California-San Diego$56,982
- University of California-Davis$56,836
- University of California-Santa Barbara$56,238
- California State University-Fullerton$54,092
- San Diego State University$53,991
- University of California-Santa Cruz$52,315
- California State University-Channel Islands$51,951