CollegeCostWise

Bachelor's · Los Angeles, California

Is Civil Engineering at University of California-Los Angeles 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 fast: graduates typically recover the cost in about 1.6 years.

Earnings 1 year after graduating
$86,832
Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating
$104,289
Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation
$11,471
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
$64k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in CA
2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback
1.6 years (likely 1.3–2.0)
Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return
$405k (likely $291k – $526k)
Today's dollars
20-year net return
$1.18M (likely $903k – $1.46M)
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

Change income, residency or loans Compare Civil Engineering at other schools

🏗️ Getting ready in high school

Students heading toward engineering & architecture majors like this one often take these classes. Every school offers a different mix, so check with your counselor.

AP classes

  • AP Calculus AB or BC
  • AP Physics 1
  • AP Physics C: Mechanics
  • AP Chemistry

IB Higher Level

  • Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches HL
  • Physics 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

Civil Engineering at other schools in California