Bachelor's · Santa Barbara, California
Is Philosophy 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 3.7 years.
- Earnings 1 year after graduating
- $41,241
- Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Earnings 4 years after graduating
- $77,118
- Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Typical federal debt at graduation
- $11,349
- 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
- $37k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in CA
- 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Payback
- 3.7 years (likely 3.2–4.5)
- Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
- 10-year net return
- $95k (likely $18k – $167k)
- Today's dollars
- 20-year net return
- $541k (likely $380k – $734k)
- 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 Philosophy at other schools
⚖️ Getting ready in high school
Students heading toward law, government & society majors like this one often take these classes. Every school offers a different mix, so check with your counselor.
AP classes
- AP U.S. Government and Politics
- AP U.S. History
- AP English Language and Composition
- AP Comparative Government and Politics
IB Higher Level
- History HL
- Global Politics 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
Philosophy at other schools in California
- California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo$98,592
- California State University-Sacramento$65,115
- University of California-Berkeley$63,326
- University of California-Los Angeles$61,754
- University of California-Davis$58,633
- San Diego State University$53,390
- California State University-Los Angeles$53,127
- University of Southern California$51,831
- University of California-Riverside$51,402
- University of California-Santa Cruz$51,398