Bachelor's · Santa Cruz, California
Is Business/Managerial Economics at University of California-Santa Cruz 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 3.2 years.
- Earnings 1 year after graduating
- $63,761
- Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Earnings 4 years after graduating
- $88,147
- Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Typical federal debt at graduation
- $13,500
- NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
- Net cost to graduate, all families
- $79k (likely $79k – $99k)
- AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
- Earnings bump, year 4
- $48k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in CA
- 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Payback
- 3.2 years (likely 2.9–3.6)
- Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
- 10-year net return
- $195k (likely $129k – $250k)
- Today's dollars
- 20-year net return
- $772k (likely $618k – $938k)
- Today's dollars
- Odds of finishing (school-wide)
- 74%
- 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 Business/Managerial Economics at other schools
📈 Getting ready in high school
Students heading toward business & money majors like this one often take these classes. Every school offers a different mix, so check with your counselor.
AP classes
- AP Microeconomics
- AP Macroeconomics
- AP Statistics
- AP Precalculus or AP Calculus AB
IB Higher Level
- Business Management HL
- Economics HL
Build my roadmap 🗺️ Middle school to career, plus high schools near you that offer these classes.
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