Bachelor's · Los Angeles, California
Is Physics at University of California-Los Angeles 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 2.5 years.
- Earnings 1 year after graduating
- $62,917
- Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Earnings 4 years after graduating
- $92,061
- Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Typical federal debt at graduation
- $13,856
- 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
- $52k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in CA
- 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Payback
- 2.5 years (likely 2.0–3.2)
- Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
- 10-year net return
- $257k (likely $140k – $389k)
- Today's dollars
- 20-year net return
- $891k (likely $610k – $1.20M)
- 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 Physics at other schools
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
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-Santa Barbara$85,219
- University of California-Davis$78,569
- University of California-Riverside$74,410
- University of California-Santa Cruz$72,553