+23%
Median federal debt at exit
Median federal debt at exit at University of California-Santa Cruz rose 23% between 2007 and 2010 ($11.0k → $13.5k).
California · Public · Predominantly bachelor's
UC Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, California. 17,812 undergraduate students. 134 programs in the federal Field-of-Study dataset.
ANOMALY ENGINE · NOTABLE SIGNALS
Earnings, completion, debt, and enrollment anomalies at UC Santa Cruz
Short-arc shifts (recent 3-year window), peer outliers, earnings trend breaks, completion drops, enrollment cliffs, and debt-to-earnings warnings — surfaced deterministically from the federal record. Multi-decade shifts are reported separately in the Long Arc section, since 25-year tuition drift isn't really an anomaly.
-100%
3-year cohort default rate
3-year cohort default rate at University of California-Santa Cruz fell 100% between 2021 and 2024 (1.3% → 0.0%).
+15%
Out-of-state tuition
Out-of-state tuition at University of California-Santa Cruz rose 15% between 2021 and 2024 ($43.8k → $50.2k).
+14%
In-state tuition
In-state tuition at University of California-Santa Cruz rose 14% between 2021 and 2024 ($14.1k → $16.0k).
SECTION 01 · OUTCOMES SNAPSHOT
UC Santa Cruz earnings, debt, and completion vs. the California median
Each tile compares this institution to the California median for the same metric. Sub-line shows the comparison value, not an interpretation. Sparklines trace the federally available history.
$68,396+38% · 6→10y
California median $42,588$49,716
Treasury earnings · 6y post-entry74.5%+16% · '97→'24
California median 61.3%$14,334+49% · '97→'10
At program completion17,812+71% · '96→'10
latest IPEDS89.7%-0% · '04→'24
first-time, full-time62.5%-18% · '01→'24
latest cohort$14,560+277% · '00→'24
out-of-state $45,337SECTION 02 · EARNINGS HORIZONS
How UC Santa Cruz earnings spread, 4 to 10 years after entry
Treasury tax-record earnings for federally aided students who first enrolled at this institution. Each point is a horizon from the most-recent vintage. Single median per horizon (no p25/p75 publishing).
Earnings widen with time post-entry. Selection: federal-aid recipients only — not all graduates.Methodology →
SECTION 03 · DEBT-TO-EARNINGS
What loans cost relative to earnings at UC Santa Cruz
Annual debt service as a share of median earnings 10 years after entry, computed under federal Direct loan terms (10-year fixed at 6%). The 8% line is the gainful-employment threshold from federal regulation; above 12% has historically been considered “failing” under prior rule cycles.
Institution-wide
2.8%Median federal debt $14,334 amortized over 10 years vs. median earnings $68,396 (10y after entry).
SECTION 04 · LONG ARC
UC Santa Cruz enrollment, completion, and debt over time
Federally available history. Coverage varies by metric — IPEDS publishes some series only after 2009 and others only before.
Undergraduate enrollment.
150%-time completion rate.
Median federal student debt at exit.
+50%
UC Santa Cruz · completion · 100% rose
41.0% → 61.5%
+71%
UC Santa Cruz · undergrad enrollment rose
9,154 → 15,668
+277%
UC Santa Cruz · in-state tuition rose
$4,250 → $16,005
+238%
UC Santa Cruz · out-of-state tuition rose
$14,864 → $50,205
+49%
UC Santa Cruz · median debt rose
$9,051 → $13,500
-100%
UC Santa Cruz · cohort default rate fell
3.7% → 0.0%
+23%
UC Santa Cruz · pell share rose
25.7% → 31.6%
+37%
UC Santa Cruz · earnings_median_8yr rose
$43,400 → $59,302
+44%
UC Santa Cruz · earnings_median_6yr rose
$34,500 → $49,716
SECTION 05 · PROGRAMS
UC Santa Cruz programs ranked by 5-year earnings
Each row is one (CIP × credential) program reported by the institution in College Scorecard's Field-of-Study data. Cohort floor is 30 students; below this, federal data is suppressed.
Computer Engineering$137,877Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering$124,740Computer Science$120,928Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management$108,700Biomedical/Medical Engineering$98,115Business/Managerial Economics$89,932Economics$88,583Economics$87,173Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences$79,429Cognitive Science$76,561Mathematics$76,366Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology$75,833Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences$72,711Biology, General$70,452Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research$66,992Chemistry$66,290Political Science and Government$63,776Neurobiology and Neurosciences$63,496Non-Professional General Legal Studies (Undergraduate)$62,817Plant Sciences$61,102Natural Resources Conservation and Research$60,229Psychology, General$59,093Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies$56,551Sociology$56,389
Showing top 24 of 35 ranked programs.
SECTION 06 · BY CIP FAMILY
35 UC Santa Cruz programs with earnings, grouped by field
Programs are grouped by 2-digit CIP family. Programs without reported earnings are hidden to keep the list focused.
COMPUTER & INFORMATION SCIENCES · CIP 11
EDUCATION · CIP 13
ENGINEERING · CIP 14
FOREIGN LANGUAGES · CIP 16
LEGAL PROFESSIONS · CIP 22
BIOLOGICAL & BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES · CIP 26
MATHEMATICS & STATISTICS · CIP 27
MULTI/INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES · CIP 30
PHILOSOPHY & RELIGIOUS STUDIES · CIP 38
PHYSICAL SCIENCES · CIP 40
PSYCHOLOGY · CIP 42
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION & SOCIAL SERVICES · CIP 44
SOCIAL SCIENCES · CIP 45
VISUAL & PERFORMING ARTS · CIP 50
BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT & MARKETING · CIP 52
HISTORY · CIP 54
AGRICULTURE · CIP 01
NATURAL RESOURCES & CONSERVATION · CIP 03
AREA, ETHNIC & CULTURAL STUDIES · CIP 05
SECTION 07 · SIMILAR INSTITUTIONS
Institutions similar to UC Santa Cruz in California
Picked by Carnegie sector × predominant credential level. These are not rankings — just nearest-neighbour surfaces for comparison.
CAUSAL DISCIPLINE
“UC Santa Cruz graduates earn $X” — not “UC Santa Cruz makes you earn $X”
Median earnings describe what cohorts earned. They do not describe what attending UC Santa Cruz caused. Selection effects (who admits, who enrolls, who completes) are real. We publish federal data with strict descriptive phrasing — and link the methodology where you can read about the limitations directly.