Bachelor's · Merced, California
Is Anthropology at University of California-Merced worth it?
Low confidence Low confidence: fewer than 40 graduates behind the earnings figures.
The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans
Graduates typically don't earn back the cost within 20 years, compared with the no-degree baseline.
- Earnings 1 year after graduating
- $29,803
- Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Earnings 4 years after graduating
- Not enough graduates to report
- Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Typical federal debt at graduation
- Not enough borrowers to report
- NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
- Net cost to graduate, all families
- $49k (likely $49k – $64k)
- AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
- Earnings bump, year 4
- −$9k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in CA
- 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Payback
- Not within 20 years in most scenarios
- Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
- 10-year net return
- −$321k (likely −$391k – −$250k)
- Today's dollars
- 20-year net return
- −$416k (likely −$550k – −$274k)
- Today's dollars
- Odds of finishing (school-wide)
- 68%
- Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Change income, residency or loans Compare Anthropology at other schools
Other majors at University of California-Merced
- Computer Engineering (Bachelor's)$102,575
- Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's)$95,040
- Biomedical/Medical Engineering (Bachelor's)$88,795
- Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering (Bachelor's)$83,007
- Applied Mathematics (Bachelor's)$82,156
- Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's)$68,277
- Economics (Bachelor's)$67,692
- Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Master's)$67,444
- Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences (Doctoral)$64,613
- Political Science and Government (Bachelor's)$62,815
- Biology, General (Bachelor's)$59,249
- English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's)$58,623
Anthropology at other schools in California
- University of California-Berkeley$64,359
- Sonoma State University$62,674
- San Francisco State University$61,300
- University of California-San Diego$56,982
- University of California-Davis$56,836
- University of California-Santa Barbara$56,238
- University of California-Los Angeles$54,905
- California State University-Fullerton$54,092
- San Diego State University$53,991
- University of California-Santa Cruz$52,315