Location: Fullerton, CA•In-State Tuition: $7,073•Out-of-State Tuition: $18,953•Admission Rate: 87%
Est. Earnings (1yr)
$56,789
Est. from CA median (8 programs)
Est. Median Debt
$15,516
Est. from CA median (7 programs)

Analysis

California's applied mathematics programs show a wide earnings spread—from $54,000 to over $71,000 at the elite UCs and USC. Based on comparable programs across the state, Cal State Fullerton likely lands near the median at around $57,000 in first-year earnings, with estimated debt around $15,500. That's actually lower debt than the national median of $21,400 for applied math graduates, though earnings trail the national figure of about $61,000 by roughly $4,000.

The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.27 suggests manageable repayment—less than three months of gross pay to cover total borrowing. For a state school serving a high proportion of Pell-eligible students (47%), this represents solid value if your child is truly interested in mathematics and quantitative work. The 87% admission rate means access isn't a barrier, but career outcomes will depend heavily on what they do with the degree—software development, data analysis, and actuarial roles typically command higher salaries than pure mathematics positions.

The main uncertainty here is that these figures come from peer programs, not tracked outcomes for Fullerton's specific graduates. If you're comparing this to Fullerton's engineering or computer science programs (which likely have actual reported data), request those numbers directly from the school to make an apples-to-apples comparison.

Where California State University-Fullerton Stands

Earnings vs. debt across all applied mathematics bachelors's programs nationally

California State University-Fullerton (estimated ±10%)Other applied mathematics programs

Dashed lines show national medians. Upper-left = best value.

Compare to Similar Programs in California

Applied Mathematics bachelors's programs at peer institutions in California (22 total in state)

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SchoolIn-State TuitionEarnings (1yr)*Earnings (4yr)Median Debt*Debt/Earnings
California State University-FullertonFullerton$7,073$56,789*—$15,516*—
University of California-BerkeleyBerkeley$14,850$71,814*$120,626$14,598*0.20
University of Southern CaliforniaLos Angeles$68,237$71,622*$72,484$12,251*0.17
University of California-Los AngelesLos Angeles$13,747$61,188*$81,414$14,400*0.24
University of California-Santa BarbaraSanta Barbara$14,965$59,638*$86,227$17,000*0.29
University of California-DavisDavis$15,247$53,940*$76,162$14,750*0.27
National Median—$60,930*—$21,393*0.35
* Estimated from similar programs

Career Paths

Occupations commonly associated with applied mathematics graduates

Natural Sciences Managers

Plan, direct, or coordinate activities in such fields as life sciences, physical sciences, mathematics, statistics, and research and development in these fields.

$161,180/yrJobs growth:Bachelor's degree

Clinical Research Coordinators

Plan, direct, or coordinate clinical research projects. Direct the activities of workers engaged in clinical research projects to ensure compliance with protocols and overall clinical objectives. May evaluate and analyze clinical data.

$161,180/yrJobs growth:Bachelor's degree

Water Resource Specialists

Design or implement programs and strategies related to water resource issues such as supply, quality, and regulatory compliance issues.

$161,180/yrJobs growth:Bachelor's degree

Actuaries

Analyze statistical data, such as mortality, accident, sickness, disability, and retirement rates and construct probability tables to forecast risk and liability for payment of future benefits. May ascertain insurance rates required and cash reserves necessary to ensure payment of future benefits.

$125,770/yrJobs growth:Bachelor's degree

Economists

Conduct research, prepare reports, or formulate plans to address economic problems related to the production and distribution of goods and services or monetary and fiscal policy. May collect and process economic and statistical data using sampling techniques and econometric methods.

$115,440/yrJobs growth:Master's degree

Environmental Economists

Conduct economic analysis related to environmental protection and use of the natural environment, such as water, air, land, and renewable energy resources. Evaluate and quantify benefits, costs, incentives, and impacts of alternative options using economic principles and statistical techniques.

$115,440/yrJobs growth:Master's degree

Data Scientists

Develop and implement a set of techniques or analytics applications to transform raw data into meaningful information using data-oriented programming languages and visualization software. Apply data mining, data modeling, natural language processing, and machine learning to extract and analyze information from large structured and unstructured datasets. Visualize, interpret, and report data findings. May create dynamic data reports.

$112,590/yrJobs growth:Bachelor's degree

Business Intelligence Analysts

Produce financial and market intelligence by querying data repositories and generating periodic reports. Devise methods for identifying data patterns and trends in available information sources.

$112,590/yrJobs growth:Bachelor's degree

Clinical Data Managers

Apply knowledge of health care and database management to analyze clinical data, and to identify and report trends.

$112,590/yrJobs growth:Bachelor's degree

Mathematicians

Conduct research in fundamental mathematics or in application of mathematical techniques to science, management, and other fields. Solve problems in various fields using mathematical methods.

$104,350/yrJobs growth:Master's degree

Statisticians

Develop or apply mathematical or statistical theory and methods to collect, organize, interpret, and summarize numerical data to provide usable information. May specialize in fields such as biostatistics, agricultural statistics, business statistics, or economic statistics. Includes mathematical and survey statisticians.

$104,350/yrJobs growth:Master's degree

Biostatisticians

Develop and apply biostatistical theory and methods to the study of life sciences.

$104,350/yrJobs growth:Master's degree
About This Data

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (October 2025 release)

Population: Graduates who received federal financial aid (Title IV grants or loans). At California State University-Fullerton, approximately 47% of students receive Pell grants. Students who did not receive federal aid are not included in these figures.

Earnings: Median earnings from IRS W-2 data for graduates who are employed and not enrolled in further education, measured 1 year after completion. Earnings are pre-tax and include wages, salaries, and self-employment income.

Debt: Median cumulative federal loan debt at graduation. Does not include private loans or Parent PLUS loans borrowed on behalf of students.

Estimated Earnings: Actual earnings data is not available for this program (typically due to privacy thresholds when fewer than 30 graduates reported earnings). The estimate shown is based on the median of 8 similar programs in CA. Actual outcomes may vary.