Location: Santa Cruz, CA•In-State Tuition: $14,560•Out-of-State Tuition: $45,337•Admission Rate: 63%
Est. Earnings (1yr)
$45,387
Est. from CA median (5 programs)
Est. Median Debt
$22,750
Est. from national median (19 programs)

Analysis

A $45,000 first-year salary—typical for California software programs—paired with estimated debt under $23,000 creates a manageable debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.5. That's notably better than the national median debt of $27,000 for this degree, though without reported outcomes specific to UC Santa Cruz, it's impossible to know whether their graduates match, exceed, or fall short of this state average.

The challenge is context. Similar programs in California range from USC's eye-popping $103,000 first-year earnings to DeVry's $32,000, with UC Santa Cruz's estimated figure landing squarely in the middle. This is a highly technical field where school reputation and Silicon Valley proximity matter enormously for initial placement. UCSC has the location advantage and UC system credentials, but whether their specific program launches graduates toward the higher end of that spectrum or keeps them at the median is unclear from aggregate state data.

The debt load seems reasonable—roughly half a year's estimated salary—but you're making this investment without knowing if UCSC graduates command $50,000+ like stronger programs or closer to $35,000 like weaker ones. Before committing, press the school directly for their actual graduate outcomes and compare their career services and industry partnerships to programs with transparent, stronger results.

Where University of California-Santa Cruz Stands

Earnings vs. debt across all computer software and media applications bachelors's programs nationally

University of California-Santa Cruz (estimated ±10%)Other computer software and media applications programs

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

Compare to Similar Programs in California

Computer Software and Media Applications bachelors's programs at peer institutions in California (14 total in state)

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SchoolIn-State TuitionEarnings (1yr)*Earnings (4yr)Median Debt*Debt/Earnings
University of California-Santa CruzSanta Cruz$14,560$45,387*—$22,750*—
University of Southern CaliforniaLos Angeles$68,237$103,071*$134,326$23,500*0.23
University of Phoenix-CaliforniaOntario—$83,476*$57,111$44,225*0.53
Academy of Art UniversitySan Francisco$28,024$45,387*$72,792$39,715*0.88
University of Silicon ValleySan Jose$22,480$37,693*—$31,000*0.82
DeVry University-CaliforniaOntario$17,488$32,159*$38,887$48,849*1.52
National Median—$38,234*—$27,000*0.71
* Estimated from similar programs

Career Paths

Occupations commonly associated with computer software and media applications graduates

Computer and Information Systems Managers

Plan, direct, or coordinate activities in such fields as electronic data processing, information systems, systems analysis, and computer programming.

$171,200/yrJobs growth:Bachelor's degree

Computer and Information Research Scientists

Conduct research into fundamental computer and information science as theorists, designers, or inventors. Develop solutions to problems in the field of computer hardware and software.

$140,910/yrJobs growth:Master's degree

Software Developers

Research, design, and develop computer and network software or specialized utility programs. Analyze user needs and develop software solutions, applying principles and techniques of computer science, engineering, and mathematical analysis. Update software or enhance existing software capabilities. May work with computer hardware engineers to integrate hardware and software systems, and develop specifications and performance requirements. May maintain databases within an application area, working individually or coordinating database development as part of a team.

$131,450/yrJobs growth:Bachelor's degree

Database Administrators

Administer, test, and implement computer databases, applying knowledge of database management systems. Coordinate changes to computer databases. Identify, investigate, and resolve database performance issues, database capacity, and database scalability. May plan, coordinate, and implement security measures to safeguard computer databases.

$123,100/yrJobs growth:Bachelor's degree

Database Architects

Design strategies for enterprise databases, data warehouse systems, and multidimensional networks. Set standards for database operations, programming, query processes, and security. Model, design, and construct large relational databases or data warehouses. Create and optimize data models for warehouse infrastructure and workflow. Integrate new systems with existing warehouse structure and refine system performance and functionality.

$123,100/yrJobs growth:Bachelor's degree

Data Warehousing Specialists

Design, model, or implement corporate data warehousing activities. Program and configure warehouses of database information and provide support to warehouse users.

$123,100/yrJobs growth:Bachelor'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

Special Effects Artists and Animators

Create special effects or animations using film, video, computers, or other electronic tools and media for use in products, such as computer games, movies, music videos, and commercials.

$99,800/yrJobs growth:Bachelor's degree

Computer Programmers

Create, modify, and test the code and scripts that allow computer applications to run. Work from specifications drawn up by software and web developers or other individuals. May develop and write computer programs to store, locate, and retrieve specific documents, data, and information.

$98,670/yrJobs growth:Bachelor's degree

Web Developers

Develop and implement websites, web applications, application databases, and interactive web interfaces. Evaluate code to ensure that it is properly structured, meets industry standards, and is compatible with browsers and devices. Optimize website performance, scalability, and server-side code and processes. May develop website infrastructure and integrate websites with other computer applications.

$95,380/yrJobs growth:Bachelor'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 University of California-Santa Cruz, approximately 32% 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 5 similar programs in CA. Actual outcomes may vary.