How much debt do UC Riverside music graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $26,651, which ranks 20th lowest of 23 music bachelor's programs in California. That works out to about $283 a month over 10 years.

Is a music degree from UC Riverside worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 131% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 92%. Compare the cost with other California programs before deciding.

UC Riverside Music (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do UC Riverside music graduates stay in California?

Most do. 92% (23 of 25) were working in California one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Music
Public university
Riverside, CA
About 21 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

UC Riverside music graduates earn less than graduates of most music programs nationally, $20,408 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $26,651 in federal loans, close to the national median of $26,000. Several California programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$20,40822nd percentile of 229 programs nationally

Median federal debt$26,65120th lowest of 23 California programs

Debt-to-earnings131%California median 90%, national 92%

How it compares

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

	UC Riverside	California	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$20,408	$21,551	$25,532
Median federal debt at graduation	$26,651	$22,000	$26,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	131%	90%	92%
Programs compared		24	229

Debt and first-year pay at every California music program

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

UC RiversideOther 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 $283 a month, or 16.6% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

92% of graduates (23 of 25) were working in California one year after graduating. Prices in the Riverside area are about 6% above the national average, so a $20,408 salary here buys what about $19,173 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 music, 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

Sound Engineering Technicians

$78,150

Median pay in California. 4,060 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 3% from 2025 to 2035, with about 1,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: postsecondary nondegree award.

Bottom 10%: $45,720Top 10%: $143,130

Music Directors and Composers

$93,090

Median pay in California. 2,510 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 4,200 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $48,600Top 10%: $175,670

About UC Riverside

In-state tuition and fees	$15,606 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$49,806 / year
Average net price after aid	$14,304 / year
Admission rate	76%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	76%
Undergraduate students	22,593

Music ranks 40th of 43 bachelor's programs at UC Riverside by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Science ($81,034), Information Science ($76,090), and Chemical Engineering ($68,245).

Other music bachelor's programs near Riverside

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
UC RiversideRiverside, CA · public		$20,408	$26,651
Cal Poly PomonaPomona, CA · public	29 mi	$20,887	$18,000
Chapman UniversityOrange, CA · private nonprofit	33 mi	$14,538	$27,000
Cal State FullertonFullerton, CA · public	33 mi	$23,969	$20,469
Biola UniversityLa Mirada, CA · private nonprofit	40 mi	$19,978	$26,417
Cal State Long BeachLong Beach, CA · public	47 mi	$18,352	$20,550
Los Angeles College of MusicPasadena, CA · private for-profit	48 mi	$24,059	$37,296
Cal State LALos Angeles, CA · public	49 mi	$21,509	$12,500
USCLos Angeles, CA · private nonprofit	55 mi	$12,947	$20,976

Common questions

The median graduate earns $20,408 one year after graduating. The median across music bachelor's programs in California is $21,551.

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 music 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

Music bachelor's programs in California, ranked24 programs by pay and debt Music bachelor's programs in the US, ranked229 programs by pay and debt All UC Riverside programs, ranked43 programs by pay and debt