A study has revealed that a college graduate’s salary is more influenced by their major than by the reputation of their university.

On the 13th, the nonprofit College Futures Foundation (CFF) tracked the average annual income of California university graduates over five years and found significant gaps based on their majors. The study, led by Michael Itzkowitz from the HEA Group, surveyed over 260,000 graduates from 2,695 undergraduate, associate, and bachelor's degree programs offered by 324 institutions in California.

At UC Berkeley, ranked 17th in U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges,” electrical engineering graduates had the highest income, with an average annual salary of $240,462 over five years. The payback period for their tuition, when comparing tuition fees to subsequent earnings, was just four months. These graduates earned nearly nine times more than the average annual salary of high school graduates, which is $26,073.

In contrast, graduates who majored in drama at UC Irvine had an average annual salary of $27,561 over five years, with a tuition payback period of 33 years and 4 months. Dance majors at UC Irvine earned an average of $32,865 annually, with a payback period of 7 years and 3 months, and their income was only $6,792 higher than that of high school graduates.

Private universities showed similar disparities in salary based on majors. At Stanford University, ranked 4th in U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges,” computer science graduates earned an average of $247,797 annually over five years, 9.5 times the average salary of high school graduates. Their tuition payback period was just two months.

On the other hand, journalism graduates from Loyola University earned an average of $70,036 annually over five years, only 28% of what Stanford computer science graduates earned. Among the arts majors at Loyola, dance graduates earned even less, with an average annual salary of $35,853, about half of what journalism graduates earned. Their payback period for tuition was 18 years and 6 months.

However, when comparing the same major, university reputation did affect income. Stanford computer science graduates had an average salary of $247,797, while computer science graduates from Cal State Bakersfield earned an average of $83,688.

The study also found that music and arts majors earned the lowest salaries among bachelor's degree holders in California. Graduates in acting, dance, and stage production earned around $30,000 annually on average.

The College Futures Foundation emphasized that a prestigious university degree and major do not always guarantee higher salaries than those of high school graduates.

“Across California, 90% of majors allowed graduates to recover their educational costs within five years, with one-third of majors doing so within one year,” the foundation stated. “However, there are 112 majors where graduates, despite having a college degree, earn less than typical high school graduates and fail to see any return on investment (ROI) for their education.”

By: Hongyong Park

<Hongyong Park>