Religion/Religious Studies at University of California-Santa Barbara

That first-year earnings figure of $19,911 should catch your attention—it's barely above the poverty line and significantly trails both the national median ($25,450) and California's median ($21,565) for religious studies graduates. While this program at least keeps debt modest at $15,873, you're still looking at nearly a full year's earnings needed to cover what students borrowed, which is a challenging starting position for any graduate.

The small sample size here (under 30 graduates) means a few unusual outcomes could skew these numbers dramatically. However, even accounting for statistical noise, the pattern is concerning: UCSB's religious studies program ranks in just the 26th percentile nationally and 40th percentile within California. When Cal Baptist graduates earn nearly 50% more their first year out and even Cal State Northridge beats this by $3,000, the UC premium isn't materializing for this particular major.

For a family considering this path, understand that religious studies tends to be a launching point for graduate school in divinity, law, or education—fields where the bachelor's degree alone rarely leads to strong immediate earnings. If your child is genuinely called to this field of study and has clear post-graduation plans (ministry training, teaching certification, etc.), UCSB's academic quality might justify the choice. But if they're exploring interests without a defined next step, they'll face a tight financial squeeze right out of college.