10-yr median earnings
$80,735
Federal aid recipients only
Public · Irvine, California
University of California-Irvine
University of California-Irvine is a public institution in Irvine, California. as a public institution, published Scorecard outcomes are the federal Title-IV cohort view of former students — not every graduate and not a guarantee for any one enrollee.
- $14,251
- Avg net price / yr
- $80,735
- 10-yr median earnings
- 86.4%
- 150%-time completion
- 28.6%
- Acceptance rate
The verdict
University of California-Irvine pairs top-5% former-student earnings with a selective admit.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- Top 4%
- former-student earnings, US
- 28.6%
- acceptance rate
- 86.4%
- 150%-time completion
- +44%
- earnings, 6→10 yrs
City: Large
Carnegie: R1
Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.
How to read this University of California-Irvine profile
Figures above come from IPEDS institution records published through the College Scorecard (retrieved July 2026 for institution fields; March 2026 for field-of-study). Peer groups and cost cohorts follow IPEDS ownership sector, Carnegie class ("Doctoral Universities: Very High Research Activity"), and locale, not an editorial shortlist.
Average net price subtracts grant and scholarship aid from cost of attendance for full-time, first-time undergraduate Title IV recipients. It is a defined cohort average, not a personalized price; income-band fields add context but do not replace the school's current net-price calculator.
Earnings use Treasury-linked records for federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled in the measurement year (completers and noncompleters). IPEDS completion and retention use separate first-time, full-time cohorts, so those denominators are not the earnings cohort. Read cost, completion, and earnings as distinct historical measures, not a causal verdict or individual forecast.
College Value Score
A-
College Value Score
80/100
University of California-Irvine
A 6-metric composite of earnings, cost, and completion outcomes benchmarked against every reporting US college, not a ranking of teaching quality, campus life, or fit for any individual student. See the full methodology.
Earnings A+
$80,735
10-year median former-student earnings
Net Price C+
$14,251
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Completion Rate A+
86.4%
Completion within 150% of normal time
Debt D
$15,000
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment A+
82.7%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention A+
94.0%
First-year students returning for year two
Each axis is the percentile score shown in the breakdown at left; the shape shows this school's overall profile at a glance.
Avg net price
$14,251
After grants and scholarships
150%-time completion
86.4%
Full-time, first-time cohort
150%-time completion vs portal median (57.1%) 86.4%
Four-year-institution cohort
College ROI Quadrant - University of California-Irvine vs peers
Each dot is a college plotted by 10-year median earnings (x-axis) vs average net price (y-axis), colored by completion within 150% of normal time. Bottom-right = high earnings/lower price; top-left = lower earnings/higher price.
How University of California-Irvine ranks nationally
Where this school's former-student earnings fall within the full national distribution of every US college that reports to the College Scorecard, not just its peer set.
University of California-Irvine: former-student earnings vs. every US college
10-year median earnings, College Scorecard
$80,735 Top 4% higher than 96% of 5,103 US colleges
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals
| Metric | University of California-Irvine | National rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $80,735 | #179 of 5103 | 96th |
| Average net price | $14,251 | #1939 of 5020 | 61st (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 86.4% | #386 of 4858 | 92nd |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 30,197 | #64 of 5462 | 99th |
National ranks count every operating US college reporting each metric to the College Scorecard, separate from the earnings histogram above.
Quick Facts
30,197
Undergraduate enrollment
28.6%
Acceptance rate
-
SAT average
86.4%
150%-time completion
$80,735
10-yr median earnings
94.0%
First-year retention
How University of California-Irvine ranks in California
State rank among 493 reporting California colleges with College Scorecard data, a separate lens from the national distribution above.
| Metric | University of California-Irvine | State rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $80,735 | #35 of 493 | 93rd |
| Average net price | $14,251 | #168 of 495 | 66th (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 86.4% | #55 of 483 | 89th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 30,197 | #9 of 553 | 98th |
Highest former-student earnings in California
| # | School | 10-yr earnings | Net price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Samuel Merritt University | $143,238 | - |
| 2 | Harvey Mudd College | $138,687 | $35,924 |
| 3 | California Institute of Technology | $128,566 | $16,075 |
| 4 | Stanford University | $124,080 | $13,807 |
| 5 | Los Angeles County College of Nursing and Allied Health | $115,318 | - |
| 6 | Gnomon | $114,785 | $51,949 |
| 7 | Santa Clara University | $109,183 | $50,062 |
| 8 | Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University | $109,183 | - |
| 9 | Touro University California | $104,805 | - |
| 10 | Claremont McKenna College | $104,736 | $28,849 |
| 11 | West Coast University-Anaheim-Orange County | $102,672 | $32,879 |
| 12 | West Coast University-Ontario | $102,672 | $49,590 |
| 35 | University of California-IrvineThis school | $80,735 | $14,251 |
Admissions
| Admission Rate | 28.6% |
Costs & Financial Aid
Net price by family income at University of California-Irvine
Average annual net price after grants; Title IV recipient cohort by income bracket
- $0 – $30k $8,123
$0 – $30k
$8,123 net price / yr
- $30k – $48k $9,313
$30k – $48k
$9,313 net price / yr
- $48k – $75k $11,642
$48k – $75k
$11,642 net price / yr
- $110k+
$110k+
$30,546 net price / yr
What this shows Need-based aid pulls net price down at lower brackets at University of California-Irvine - compare the bar for your income band, not the overall average alone.
Tuition & Net Price
| In-State Tuition | $15,722 |
| Out-of-State Tuition | $49,922 |
| Average Net Price | $14,251 |
36.1%
Pell Grant Rate
20.3%
Federal Loan Rate
$15,000
Median Debt
$159/mo
Monthly Payment
Net price at University of California-Irvine swings rather than trends
Across 11 reported years between 2013 and 2023, the average net price here has ranged from $9,691 to $14,783 without settling into a rise or a fall. Comparing only the first and last years would read as +7.5%, but the years in between do not follow that line, so the honest summary is the range rather than a trend. Budget against the upper end, not the average.
Lowest year
$9,691
Highest year
$14,783
Most recent (2023)
$12,840
11 reported years. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.
2013 · $11,9442023 · $12,840
Over the same years, enrollment went +25.4% (23,517 → 29,494 students).
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, per-year fields (2013–2023). Net price is the average cost after grant and scholarship aid for federally-aided undergraduates.
Student Demographics
Race & ethnicity
Student body at a glance
56.6%
Female
44.0%
First Generation
Outcomes
94.0%
Retention Rate
$56,210
Median Earnings (6yr)
71.1%
Earning Over $25K
82.7%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)
Outcomes & debt snapshot
| Measure | Cohort / horizon | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Completion within 150% of normal time | First-time, full-time | 86.4% |
| First-year retention | First-time, full-time freshmen | 94.0% |
| Median earnings | 6 years after entry | $56,210 |
| Median earnings | 10 years after entry | $80,735 |
| Share earning over $25,000 | Working, not enrolled | 71.1% |
| Loan repayment rate | Completers, 3 years after leaving | 82.7% |
| Median federal student debt | At completion | $15,000 |
| Estimated monthly payment | Standard 10-year plan | $159/mo |
Programs & Earnings
Field-of-study summary by credential
| Credential | Programs | Award count | Avg earnings | Top earnings | Avg debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 54 | 8,884 | $73,062 | $132,357 | $16,064 |
| Master's | 19 | 1,191 | $119,895 | $215,277 | $46,686 |
| Doctoral | 10 | 164 | $102,208 | $117,395 | - |
| First Professional | 2 | 231 | $148,419 | $153,307 | $162,542 |
Top programs at University of California-Irvine by completer earnings
Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file
- Health and Medical Adminis…
Health and Medical Administrative Services
$215,277 median earnings
- Computer Science
Computer Science
$175,922 median earnings
- Human Computer Interaction
Human Computer Interaction
$175,307 median earnings
- Law
Law
$153,307 median earnings
- Business Administration, M…
Business Administration, Management and Operations
$148,411 median earnings
- Medicine
Medicine
$143,530 median earnings
- Computer Engineering
Computer Engineering
$132,357 median earnings
- Registered Nursing, Nursin…
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
$128,924 median earnings
What this shows The highest-earning programs at a school are not necessarily its most popular ones - a small specialized program can post strong median earnings without reflecting the outcome most students here actually see.
| Program | Credential | Completers | Median Earnings | Median Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | Master's | 0 | $215,277 | - |
| Computer Science | Master's | 115 | $175,922 | - |
| Human Computer Interaction | Master's | 43 | $175,307 | $55,000 |
| Law | First Professional | 138 | $153,307 | $133,605 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Master's | 188 | $148,411 | $72,394 |
| Medicine | First Professional | 93 | $143,530 | $191,478 |
| Computer Engineering | Bachelor's | 246 | $132,357 | $19,000 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Master's | 19 | $128,924 | $85,000 |
| Computer Science | Bachelor's | 744 | $127,404 | $15,000 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Bachelor's | 49 | $119,502 | $13,500 |
| Chemistry | Doctoral | 43 | $117,395 | - |
| Management Information Systems and Services | Bachelor's | 52 | $108,038 | $16,500 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | Bachelor's | 79 | $106,871 | $19,000 |
| Materials Engineering | Bachelor's | 37 | $106,547 | $7,500 |
| Accounting and Related Services | Master's | 0 | $104,422 | $32,396 |
Explore Data-Matched Colleges
Matches use Scorecard measures among reporting colleges — not state-system recommendations or geographic proximity.
Similar Enrollment and Sector
Other Public institutions closest in reported enrollment, preferring the same Carnegie classification.
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville
Knoxville, TN
30,418 students · 221 apart
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus
Cincinnati, OH
29,882 students · 315 apart
University of South Carolina-Columbia
Columbia, SC
29,820 students · 377 apart
The University of Texas at San Antonio
San Antonio, TX
30,580 students · 383 apart
Similar Reported Net Price
Other Public institutions with the nearest reported average net price.
Tennessee Technological University
Cookeville, TN
$14,246 net price · $5 apart
Stephen F Austin State University
Nacogdoches, TX
$14,260 net price · $9 apart
Fitchburg State University
Fitchburg, MA
$14,262 net price · $11 apart
Madison Area Technical College
Madison, WI
$14,238 net price · $13 apart
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the acceptance rate at University of California-Irvine? ▼
University of California-Irvine is a public institution in Irvine, California. The acceptance rate is 28.6%. Undergraduate enrollment is 30,197 students.
How much do University of California-Irvine former students earn? ▼
Federally aided former students at University of California-Irvine who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $80,735 ten years after entry; the cohort is not limited to graduates. Six years after entry, the corresponding median is $56,210.
How much does University of California-Irvine cost? ▼
The average net price at University of California-Irvine is $14,251. In-state tuition is $15,722 and out-of-state tuition is $49,922. Median student debt at graduation is $15,000.
What is the graduation rate at University of California-Irvine? ▼
University of California-Irvine has a 86.4% completion rate within 150% of normal time at a four-year institution (typically six years for a bachelor’s program). The first-year retention rate is 94.0%.
Is University of California-Irvine worth the student debt? ▼
The median student debt at University of California-Irvine is $15,000, while former students earn a median of $80,735 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 19% of those annual earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 82.7% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $159.
Sources & methodology
Public-college profiles lean on IPEDS enrollment and Scorecard Title-IV outcomes. State appropriations are outside this page; the figures below are the federal cohort measures only.
Every number is read live from the Mar–Jul 2026 Scorecard/IPEDS retrievals. Public institutions often enroll large Title-IV cohorts, so medians can be stable — still cohort averages, never a personal forecast. Read the full methodology for how the data is sourced, computed, and verified.
- College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education - former-student earnings, cost & completion (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- IPEDS, National Center for Education Statistics - enrollment, admissions, Carnegie class & demographics (nces.ed.gov/ipeds).
- U.S. Treasury / IRS earnings linkage - median earnings 6 & 10 years after enrollment for federal-aid recipients (irs.gov).
- College Scorecard, Field of Study - program-level (credential) earnings & debt (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- Federal Student Aid (Title IV / NSLDS) - U.S. Department of Education - net price, student debt & aid-recipient repayment outcomes (studentaid.gov).
Where to go next from University of California-Irvine
- Compare University of California-Irvine against schools with similar outcomes at a lower average net price.Find similar schools that cost less
- Browse every reporting college in California side by side.Browse California
- See how fields of study differ on former-student earnings and debt.Explore programs
Public-college Scorecard figures are historical Title-IV cohort averages — confirm current tuition, aid, and admissions rules with the institution before deciding.
Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Public-institution profiles compile Scorecard Title-IV earnings, IPEDS enrollment/admissions, and Treasury linkage fields — no editor-typed figures. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals.