Is a ethnic, cultural, and gender studies degree from Cal Poly Pomona worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 34% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 69%.

Cal Poly Pomona Ethnic, Cultural, and Gender Studies (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: How much debt do Cal Poly Pomona ethnic, cultural, and gender studies graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $13,486, which ranks 2nd lowest of 20 ethnic, cultural, and gender studies bachelor's programs in California. That works out to about $143 a month over 10 years.

Q: Do Cal Poly Pomona ethnic, cultural, and gender studies graduates stay in California?

Most do. 92% (22 of 24) were working in California one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies
Public university
Pomona, CA
About 15 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Cal Poly Pomona ethnic, cultural, and gender studies graduates earn more than graduates of most ethnic, cultural, and gender studies programs nationally, $40,253 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $13,486 in federal loans, less than at 94% of ethnic, cultural, and gender studies programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying ethnic, cultural, and gender studies degrees in California.

First-year earnings$40,25387th percentile of 84 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$53,75634% more than year one

Median federal debt$13,4862nd lowest of 20 California programs

Debt-to-earnings34%California median 57%, national 69%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The California and national columns are the medians across all ethnic, cultural, and gender studies bachelor's programs that report the figure.

	Cal Poly Pomona	California	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$40,253	$30,984	$31,311
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$53,756	$54,046	$51,370
Median federal debt at graduation	$13,486	$18,638	$22,938
Debt as share of first-year pay	34%	57%	69%
Programs compared		21	84

Five years out, Cal Poly Pomona graduates earn more than the national figure and about the same as the California median.

Debt and first-year pay at every California ethnic, cultural, and gender studies program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the California medians.

Cal Poly PomonaOther California programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

What graduates earn over time

Pay rises about 34% between the first and fifth year.

Cal Poly Pomona grads, year 1$40,253

Cal Poly Pomona grads, year 5$53,756

All California ethnic, cultural, and gender studies grads, year 5$54,046

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $143 a month, or 4.3% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

92% of graduates (22 of 24) were working in California one year after graduating. Prices in the Los Angeles area are about 14% above the national average, so a $40,253 salary here buys what about $35,445 buys in a typical US city.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to ethnic, cultural, and gender studies, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Interpreters and Translators

$70,770

Median pay in California. 5,560 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 2% from 2025 to 2035, with about 6,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $49,530Top 10%: $119,810

About Cal Poly Pomona

In-state tuition and fees	$7,780 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$20,380 / year
Average net price after aid	$11,531 / year
Admission rate	75%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	68%
Undergraduate students	25,042

Ethnic, Cultural, and Gender Studies ranks 24th of 45 bachelor's programs at Cal Poly Pomona by first-year earnings. The top three are Construction Engineering Technology ($87,960), Electrical Engineering ($80,827), and Manufacturing Engineering ($79,549).

Other ethnic, cultural, and gender studies bachelor's programs near Pomona

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Cal Poly PomonaPomona, CA · public		$40,253	$13,486
Cal State FullertonFullerton, CA · public	13 mi	$25,305	$19,000
Cal State LALos Angeles, CA · public	20 mi	$27,058	$22,500
Cal State Long BeachLong Beach, CA · public	25 mi	$27,726	$12,187
UC IrvineIrvine, CA · public	28 mi	$26,712	$18,998
UC RiversideRiverside, CA · public	29 mi	$31,443	$23,000
Loyola Marymount UniversityLos Angeles, CA · private nonprofit	35 mi	$26,868	$23,149
UCLALos Angeles, CA · public	36 mi	$29,914	$15,000
CSUNNorthridge, CA · public	42 mi	$26,767	$15,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $40,253 one year after graduating and $53,756 five years after. The median across ethnic, cultural, and gender studies bachelor's programs in California is $30,984.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of California comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the ethnic, cultural, and gender studies program.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

Ethnic, Cultural, and Gender Studies bachelor's programs in California, ranked21 programs by pay and debt Ethnic, Cultural, and Gender Studies bachelor's programs in the US, ranked84 programs by pay and debt All Cal Poly Pomona programs, ranked45 programs by pay and debt