Bachelor's · Santa Cruz, California
Is Mathematics at University of California-Santa Cruz worth it?
Medium confidence Medium confidence: 40–99 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 5.8 years.
- Earnings 1 year after graduating
- $44,441
- Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Earnings 4 years after graduating
- $63,603
- Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Typical federal debt at graduation
- $14,250
- 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
- $24k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in CA
- 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Payback
- 5.8 years (likely 4.7–7.7)
- Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
- 10-year net return
- −$49k (likely −$125k – $23k)
- Today's dollars
- 20-year net return
- $254k (likely $94k – $430k)
- 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 / ≤ 20%
- NSLDS AY2016-17, AY2017-18 pooled cohorts measured in 2018-19, 2019-20
Change income, residency or loans Compare Mathematics at other schools
🔭 Getting ready in high school
Students heading toward math & physical science majors like this one often take these classes. Every school offers a different mix, so check with your counselor.
AP classes
- AP Calculus BC
- AP Statistics
- AP Physics C: Mechanics
- AP Chemistry
IB Higher Level
- Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches HL
- Physics HL or Chemistry HL
Build my roadmap 🗺️ Middle school to career, plus high schools near you that offer these classes.
Other majors at University of California-Santa Cruz
- Computer Engineering (Bachelor's)$124,641
- Computer Science (Bachelor's)$123,422
- Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's)$118,290
- Economics (Master's)$110,425
- Biomedical/Medical Engineering (Bachelor's)$98,567
- Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management (Bachelor's)$94,589
- Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology (Bachelor's)$88,305
- Business/Managerial Economics (Bachelor's)$82,064
- Economics (Bachelor's)$76,382
- Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology (Bachelor's)$74,517
- Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research (Master's)$73,343
- Physics (Bachelor's)$72,553
Mathematics at other schools in California
- University of California-Los Angeles$99,269
- Occidental College$88,080
- University of California-Santa Barbara$85,391
- California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo$83,187
- University of California-Berkeley$80,654
- California State University-Fullerton$80,055
- University of California-San Diego$79,015
- California State University-Chico$77,891
- University of California-Irvine$77,472
- University of California-Davis$72,640