University of California-Santa Cruz Electrical Engineering: earnings, debt & careers

Electrical Engineering graduates of University of California-Santa Cruz earn a median $118,290 four years after graduating ($78,842 after one year), with median federal loan debt of $17,048. That is $19,593 above the U.S. median for Electrical Engineering graduates ($98,697 across 257 colleges), and ranks 5th of 22 California colleges.

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Earnings, 4 years after graduating
$118,290

U.S. median for this major: $98,697.

College Scorecard field of study

Earnings, 1 year after
$78,842

Median for graduates who received federal aid.

College Scorecard field of study

Median debt at graduation
$17,048

About 14% of median earnings 4 years out. U.S. median $25,000.

College Scorecard field of study (federal loans)

What your family pays
$17,890 /yr

Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.

Sticker price $41,179. College Scorecard.

Electrical Engineering at California colleges

Every California college we cover that reports Electrical Engineering graduate earnings, highest first. Net price is the school-wide average after grants.

RankCollegeEarnings, 4 yrsMedian debtAvg. net priceGraduation
1University of California-Berkeley$200,543$14,437$13,48193%
2University of Southern California$131,532$20,500$32,74092%
3University of California-Los Angeles$126,209$17,877$12,54893%
4California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo$125,240$24,449$16,66586%
5University of California-Santa Cruz$118,290$17,048$17,89075%
6University of California-San Diego$118,150$20,342$12,47086%
7University of California-Santa Barbara$117,215$15,571$16,10983%
8Sonoma State University$112,757—$12,88558%
9San Francisco State University$112,454$16,125$12,27850%
10University of San Diego$110,314$29,276$30,36584%
11California State University-Fresno$108,038$25,875$7,00057%
12University of California-Irvine$106,871$19,000$14,25187%
13San Diego State University$106,416$18,165$15,36476%
14California State University-Northridge$104,065$17,440$7,02157%
15California State Polytechnic University-Pomona$103,924$18,812$11,53168%
16California State University-Sacramento$103,512$19,430$9,33856%
17California State University-Long Beach$103,075$19,750$10,44069%
18University of California-Riverside$102,630$19,954$14,30476%
19National University$100,721—$22,87843%
20California State University-Bakersfield$97,998—$5,65250%
21California State University-Los Angeles$96,014$14,676$3,96753%
22California State University-Fullerton$92,618$15,054$6,55570%

9 more California colleges offer Electrical Engineering but have too few graduates to report earnings.

Careers for Electrical Engineering graduates

Electrical engineer

Santa Cruz area$133,560
California$144,040
U.S.$120,630

Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +9.9% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.

Architectural and Engineering Managers

Santa Cruz area$206,880
California$210,280
U.S.$171,270

Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +5.5% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.

Computer Hardware Engineers

Santa Cruz area$169,370
California$185,180
U.S.$161,740

Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +9.1% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35. Careers from the federal major-to-occupation crosswalk.

What families pay at University of California-Santa Cruz, by income

School-wide average after grants for students receiving federal aid. Tap your band.

College Scorecard

About University of California-Santa Cruz

University of California-Santa Cruz Electrical Engineering questions

How much do University of California-Santa Cruz Electrical Engineering graduates earn?

Electrical Engineering graduates of University of California-Santa Cruz earn a median $118,290 four years after graduating and $78,842 one year after. The U.S. median for Electrical Engineering graduates across 257 colleges is $98,697.

How much debt do University of California-Santa Cruz Electrical Engineering graduates have?

The median federal loan debt for Electrical Engineering graduates of University of California-Santa Cruz is $17,048, about 14% of their median earnings four years out. Nationally the median is $25,000.

Where does University of California-Santa Cruz rank for Electrical Engineering in California?

Of 22 California colleges reporting Electrical Engineering graduate earnings, University of California-Santa Cruz ranks 5th. The highest is University of California-Berkeley at $200,543.

What jobs do Electrical Engineering graduates get?

A common career is electrical engineer, with a median wage of $133,560 in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA area and $120,630 nationally. Others include architectural and engineering managers and computer hardware engineers.

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Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (field of study: median earnings and federal loan debt of graduates who received federal aid); BLS. How we score
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Cite this: “University of California-Santa Cruz Electrical Engineering: earnings, debt and careers,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/university-of-california-santa-cruz/majors/electrical-engineering (College Scorecard and BLS data).