UCLA Area Studies (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Area Studies
- Public university
- Los Angeles, CA
- About 41 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
UCLA area studies graduates earn less than graduates of most area studies programs nationally, $23,819 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $17,746 in federal loans, close to the national median of $20,925. Several California programs report higher pay.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The California and national columns are the medians across all area studies bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, UCLA graduates earn about the national figure and about $3,357 more than the California median.
Debt and first-year pay at every California area 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 155% between the first and fifth year.
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 $188 a month, or 9.5% 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.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
81% of graduates (25 of 31) were working in California one year after graduating. Prices in the Los Angeles area are about 14% above the national average, so a $23,819 salary here buys what about $20,974 buys in a typical US city.
About UCLA
Area Studies ranks 41st of 48 bachelor's programs at UCLA by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer and Information Science ($136,099), Nursing ($94,611), and Electrical Engineering ($85,369).
Other area studies bachelor's programs near Los Angeles
Common questions
The median graduate earns $23,819 one year after graduating and $60,726 five years after. The median across area studies bachelor's programs in California is $27,692.
The median federal loan balance is $17,746, which ranks 6th lowest of 6 area studies bachelor's programs in California. That works out to about $188 a month over 10 years.
It depends on your other options. Debt equals 75% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 61%. Compare the cost with other California programs before deciding.
Most do. 81% (25 of 31) 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 area 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