How much debt do UC Irvine physics graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $15,000, which ranks the lowest of 10 physics bachelor's programs in California. That works out to about $159 a month over 10 years.

Is a physics degree from UC Irvine worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 35% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 49%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several California programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

UC Irvine Physics (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do UC Irvine physics graduates stay in California?

Most do. 94% (34 of 36) were working in California one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Physics
Public university
Irvine, CA
About 86 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

UC Irvine physics graduates earn about what physics graduates earn nationally, $43,144 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $15,000 in federal loans, less than at 97% of physics programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying physics degrees in California.

First-year earnings$43,14434th percentile of 67 programs nationally

Median federal debt$15,000The lowest of 10 California programs

Debt-to-earnings35%California median 35%, national 49%

How it compares

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

	UC Irvine	California	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$43,144	$50,219	$48,374
Median federal debt at graduation	$15,000	$16,800	$23,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	35%	35%	49%
Programs compared		11	67

Debt and first-year pay at every California physics program

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

UC IrvineOther California programs

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

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $159 a month, or 4.4% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

94% of graduates (34 of 36) were working in California one year after graduating. Prices in the Los Angeles area are about 14% above the national average, so a $43,144 salary here buys what about $37,990 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 physics, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

$101,370

Median pay in California. 99,230 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to stay about the same in number from 2025 to 2035, with about 63,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $64,600Top 10%: $132,600

Natural Sciences Managers

$210,230

Median pay in California. 14,950 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 8% from 2025 to 2035, with about 9,200 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus 5 years or more of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $130,730Top 10%: $330,050

Physicists

$207,490

Median pay in California. 5,930 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 1,300 openings a year. Typical education to start: doctoral or professional degree.

Bottom 10%: $125,390Top 10%: $296,740

About UC Irvine

In-state tuition and fees	$15,722 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$49,922 / year
Average net price after aid	$14,251 / year
Admission rate	29%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	87%
Undergraduate students	30,197

Physics ranks 19th of 49 bachelor's programs at UC Irvine by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($87,715), Computer Science ($82,161), and Electrical Engineering ($80,412).

Other physics bachelor's programs near Irvine

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
UC IrvineIrvine, CA · public		$43,144	$15,000
Cal State Long BeachLong Beach, CA · public	18 mi	$42,057	$23,229
Cal Poly PomonaPomona, CA · public	28 mi	$64,045	$23,000
UC RiversideRiverside, CA · public	37 mi	$19,977	$19,000
UCLALos Angeles, CA · public	45 mi	$60,495	$21,100
Cal State San MarcosSan Marcos, CA · public	53 mi	$56,018	$19,069

Common questions

The median graduate earns $43,144 one year after graduating. The median across physics bachelor's programs in California is $50,219.

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 physics 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

Physics bachelor's programs in California, ranked11 programs by pay and debt Physics bachelor's programs in the US, ranked67 programs by pay and debt All UC Irvine programs, ranked49 programs by pay and debt