Bachelor's · Santa Barbara, California
Is Chemistry at University of California-Santa Barbara 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 3.3 years.
- Earnings 1 year after graduating
- $60,428
- Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Earnings 4 years after graduating
- $80,251
- Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Typical federal debt at graduation
- $14,499
- NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
- Net cost to graduate, all families
- $71k (likely $71k – $83k)
- AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
- Earnings bump, year 4
- $40k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in CA
- 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Payback
- 3.3 years (likely 2.8–4.0)
- Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
- 10-year net return
- $132k (likely $53k – $209k)
- Today's dollars
- 20-year net return
- $614k (likely $448k – $818k)
- Today's dollars
- Odds of finishing (school-wide)
- 84%
- 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 Chemistry 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 Barbara
- Materials Sciences (Doctoral)$164,651
- Computer Science (Bachelor's)$149,190
- Computer Engineering (Bachelor's)$144,703
- Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's)$117,215
- Chemistry (Doctoral)$114,583
- Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's)$113,317
- Applied Mathematics (Bachelor's)$109,360
- Psychology, Other (Doctoral)$106,003
- Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's)$104,336
- Pharmacology and Toxicology (Bachelor's)$98,462
- Economics (Bachelor's)$98,178
- Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor's)$96,078
Chemistry at other schools in California
- University of California-Berkeley$82,386
- California State University-Northridge$79,878
- University of California-San Diego$77,249
- University of California-Irvine$74,810
- San Diego State University$74,676
- California State University-Sacramento$74,430
- California State University-Stanislaus$73,392
- University of California-Davis$73,365
- University of California-Los Angeles$72,220
- University of California-Santa Cruz$71,348