UC Santa Cruz Graphic Communications (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Graphic Communications
- Public university
- Santa Cruz, CA
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
UC Santa Cruz graphic communications graduates earn about what graphic communications graduates earn nationally, $25,358 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $20,714 in federal loans, less than at 89% of graphic communications programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying graphic communications degrees in California.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The California and national columns are the medians across all graphic communications bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Debt and first-year pay at every California graphic communications 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.
Does family income change the outcome?
Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned $16,220 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 $220 a month, or 10.4% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
83% of graduates (59 of 71) were working in California one year after graduating. Prices in the Santa Cruz area are about 10% above the national average, so a $25,358 salary here buys what about $23,075 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 graphic communications, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.
Printing Press Operators
$46,110Median pay in California. 12,320 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 9% from 2025 to 2035, with about 12,100 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.
Data Entry Keyers
$47,010Median pay in California. 14,520 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 26% from 2025 to 2035, with about 7,700 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.
Prepress Technicians and Workers
$53,860Median pay in California. 2,020 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 15% from 2025 to 2035, with about 2,100 openings a year. Typical education to start: postsecondary nondegree award.
Special Effects Artists and Animators
$130,540Median pay in California. 7,410 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to stay about the same in number from 2025 to 2035, with about 4,200 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.
About UC Santa Cruz
Graphic Communications ranks 29th 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 graphic communications bachelor's programs near Santa Cruz
Common questions
The median graduate earns $25,358 one year after graduating. The median across graphic communications bachelor's programs in California is $26,981.
The median federal loan balance is $20,714, which ranks 2nd lowest of 8 graphic communications bachelor's programs in California. That works out to about $220 a month over 10 years.
On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 82% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 106%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several California programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.
Most do. 83% (59 of 71) 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 graphic communications 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