San Diego State Other Interdisciplinary Studies (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other
- Public university
- San Diego, CA
- About 244 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
San Diego State other interdisciplinary studies graduates earn less than graduates of most other interdisciplinary studies programs nationally, $33,165 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $15,862 in federal loans, less than at 93% of other interdisciplinary studies programs in the country. Debt is low, but pay is also below the California median of $40,433.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The California and national columns are the medians across all other interdisciplinary studies bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, San Diego State graduates earn less than the national figure and about $10,940 less than the California median.
Debt and first-year pay at every California other interdisciplinary studies program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the California medians.
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 45% between the first and fifth year.
Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.
Does family income change the outcome?
Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned slightly more in their first year than other graduates. They also borrowed less. At this program, the outcome does not look worse for students with less money.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $168 a month, or 6.1% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual. Separately, 86 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $25,233.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
85% of graduates (242 of 285) were working in California one year after graduating. Prices in the San Diego area are about 12% above the national average, so a $33,165 salary here buys what about $29,642 buys in a typical US city.
About San Diego State
Other Interdisciplinary Studies ranks 39th of 59 bachelor's programs at San Diego State by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($100,221), Construction Engineering Technology ($81,608), and Computer Engineering ($76,812).
Common questions
The median graduate earns $33,165 one year after graduating and $47,974 five years after. The median across other interdisciplinary studies bachelor's programs in California is $40,433.
The median federal loan balance is $15,862, which ranks 4th lowest of 8 other interdisciplinary studies bachelor's programs in California. That works out to about $168 a month over 10 years.
On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 48% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 65%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 10% or less. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several California programs report higher pay.
Most do. 85% (242 of 285) were working in California one year after graduating.
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 other interdisciplinary 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