Bachelor's · Santa Barbara, California

Is Economics at University of California-Santa Barbara worth it?

High confidence High confidence: 100+ 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 2.2 years.

Earnings 1 year after graduating: $75,842; Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating: $105,455; Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation: $11,528; 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: $65k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in CA; 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback: 2.2 years (likely 2.0–2.5); Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return: $371k (likely $313k – $427k); Today's dollars
20-year net return: $1.13M (likely $986k – $1.33M); 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 / ≤ 5%; NSLDS AY2016-17, AY2017-18 pooled cohorts measured in 2018-19, 2019-20

Change income, residency or loans Compare Economics at other schools

📈 Getting ready in high school

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

AP classes

AP Microeconomics
AP Macroeconomics
AP Statistics
AP Precalculus or AP Calculus AB

IB Higher Level

Business Management HL
Economics 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
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor's)$96,078
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Master's)$93,897

Economics at other schools in California

Claremont McKenna College$146,524
University of California-Berkeley$135,050
Santa Clara University$121,307
Stanford University$112,700
Pepperdine University$104,943
Occidental College$103,164
Northeastern University Oakland$101,423
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo$98,927
Pomona College$96,702
University of California-Los Angeles$95,440