UC Santa Cruz Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Fine and Studio Arts
- Public university
- Santa Cruz, CA
- About 115 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
UC Santa Cruz fine and studio arts graduates earn less than graduates of most fine and studio arts programs nationally, $21,106 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $19,500 in federal loans, less than at 81% of fine and studio arts programs in the country. Debt is low, but pay is also below the California median of $22,129.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The California and national columns are the medians across all fine and studio arts bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, UC Santa Cruz graduates earn less than the national figure and about $8,775 less than the California median. Several California programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.
Debt and first-year pay at every California fine and studio arts 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 70% 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 $2,472 less in their first year than other graduates. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $207 a month, or 11.8% 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, 41 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $30,274.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
89% of graduates (121 of 136) were working in California one year after graduating. Prices in the Santa Cruz area are about 10% above the national average, so a $21,106 salary here buys what about $19,205 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 fine and studio arts, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
$101,370Median 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.
Property Appraisers and Assessors
$88,900Median pay in California. 6,380 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 5,200 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.
Art Directors
$137,780Median pay in California. 12,430 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 12,200 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus 5 years or more of related work experience.
Photographers
$47,840Median pay in California. 7,980 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 10,700 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.
About UC Santa Cruz
Fine and Studio Arts ranks 35th of 35 bachelor's programs at UC Santa Cruz by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Engineering ($79,969), Electrical Engineering ($78,842), and Computer Science ($75,150).
Other fine and studio arts bachelor's programs near Santa Cruz
Common questions
The median graduate earns $21,106 one year after graduating and $35,979 five years after. The median across fine and studio arts bachelor's programs in California is $22,129.
The median federal loan balance is $19,500, which ranks 23rd lowest of 29 fine and studio arts bachelor's programs in California. That works out to about $207 a month over 10 years.
On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 92% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 97%, 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. 89% (121 of 136) 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 fine and studio arts 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