Bachelor's · Davis, California
Is Physics at University of California-Davis worth it?
Low confidence Low confidence: fewer than 40 graduates behind the earnings figures.
The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans
Pays back fast: graduates typically recover the cost in about 2.9 years.
- Earnings 1 year after graduating
- $49,830
- Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Earnings 4 years after graduating
- $84,393
- Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Typical federal debt at graduation
- $16,233
- NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
- Net cost to graduate, all families
- $61k (likely $61k – $76k)
- AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
- Earnings bump, year 4
- $44k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in CA
- 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Payback
- 2.9 years (likely 2.2–3.9)
- Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
- 10-year net return
- $174k (likely $52k – $309k)
- Today's dollars
- 20-year net return
- $709k (likely $435k – $1.01M)
- Today's dollars
- Odds of finishing (school-wide)
- 86%
- Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Change income, residency or loans Compare Physics at other schools
Other majors at University of California-Davis
- Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's)$163,702
- Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's)$155,416
- Computer and Information Sciences, General (Master's)$150,872
- Veterinary Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (First professional)$149,260
- Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering (Master's)$145,917
- Computer Engineering (Bachelor's)$145,422
- Medicine (First professional)$144,130
- Physics (Doctoral)$141,034
- Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other (Master's)$138,731
- Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's)$138,673
- Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General (Master's)$137,579
- Law (First professional)$136,814
Physics at other schools in California
- California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo$96,805
- University of California-Irvine$96,215
- University of California-Berkeley$96,043
- University of California-San Diego$95,018
- California State Polytechnic University-Pomona$87,856
- California State University-Fullerton$86,504
- University of California-Los Angeles$85,708
- University of California-Santa Barbara$85,219
- University of California-Riverside$74,410
- University of California-Santa Cruz$72,553