PayScale Ranks UC San Diego 15th Best Public College for Return on Investment (ROI)

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A recent college salary report by PayScale.com ranks the University of California, San Diego the 15th best public university for its return on investment (ROI) for alumni who are California residents. In addition, UC San Diego is listed as having the 10th best ROI, out of 434 public colleges, for mid-career (15 year of experience) alumni who earn on average more than $100,000 annually.

According to PayScale.com, an online provider of compensation calculations, the 20-year net gain in income by a UC San Diego graduate versus a high school graduate is $549,700. The annual gain in income or ROI­­––what students pay to attend versus what they get back in lifetime earnings––is 9.1 percent. The website also notes that the average starting salary of UC San Diego alumni is $49,300.

“At UC San Diego, we provide a diverse, high-quality education that prepares our students and alumni for successful careers,” said Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla.  “In turn, our graduates give back to our community and world through their chosen fields, carrying on UC San Diego’s tradition of education, research, service and patient care.”

Data was collected by PayScale.com from more than 1,330 U.S. colleges (for both in- and out-of-state tuition, when applicable) and 1.4 million college alumni to rank college tuition ROI.

During the 2013-2014 academic year, UC San Diego was named a best value public college by both Kiplinger’s Personal Finance and The Princeton Review. In addition, the university has consistently been ranked among the nation’s top 10 public colleges by U.S. News and World Report and for the past four years, Washington Monthly has named UC San Diego the nation’s number one university in the magazine’s annual college guide.

For more information on the 2014 College Return on Investment Report by PayScale.com, go here.