Nutrition Sciences at California State University-Los Angeles

Cal State LA's Nutrition Sciences program graduates earn right at the state median of $31,096, which puts them at the 60th percentile among California programs—a respectable middle-of-the-pack position. More importantly, these graduates carry just $14,493 in debt, roughly half what typical nutrition science majors face nationwide ($24,020). That's genuinely exceptional: a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.47 means graduates can manage their debt burden in well under a year of gross earnings, while most peers struggle with ratios closer to 0.80 or higher.

The trade-off here is clear: you're not getting UC Berkeley earnings ($35,161), but you're also avoiding substantial debt at a highly accessible institution that serves predominantly low-income students. For families where cost matters—and with a 92% admission rate and 66% of students on Pell grants, this program clearly serves that population—graduating with less than $15,000 in debt while earning near the state median is a practical win. The modest earnings do plateau early, as is typical in nutrition sciences, but without crushing debt holding graduates back from career flexibility or further education.

For anxious parents, the math works: your student gets a credential in a competitive California market while maintaining financial breathing room that many nutrition science graduates don't have. That low debt is the real story here.