Santa Cruz, California · Public
Physics at University of California-Santa Cruz
Read the reported program-share signal, school-wide price, and outcome proxy before comparing peer schools in this field. The enrollment proxy is about 208 students when that share is applied to current enrollment.
Program snapshot
1.2% reported share makes this a focused program signal in federal data.
This major
- Program signal
- 1.2%
- Enrollment proxy
- ~208
- Schools with reported signal
- 785
Admissions
- Acceptance rate (school)
- 65.8%
- Graduation rate
- 75.1%
Cost
- Avg net price (school)
- $17,890/yr
- 4-year cost (est.)
- $71,560
- Median debt
- $16,666
Outcomes
- Median earnings 10y
- $68,396/yr
- ROI grade (school)
- B
College Scorecard reports school-wide earnings and price, not per-major outcomes for individual colleges. Program share is a concentration signal, not a promise of department quality. Use it as a proxy, then verify department-level outcomes with the school.
Value among peer schools
Compared with 785 schools that report this field.
This page treats cost and earnings as school-wide context, not department-level outcomes. The reported share is 1.7x the national average concentration; the school-wide net price is lower than the peer average ($1,937 below), and ten-year median earnings are higher than the peer average ($7,801 above). That combination produces a B value grade and a top 30% ROI position within this field set.
See the national program hub →Comparable programs
Peer schools below also report a positive program-share signal and are sorted by value grade.
College of San Mateo San Mateo, CA · 1.2% reported share · $536 net A+ Skyline College San Bruno, CA · 1.1% reported share · $1,738 net A+ Imperial Valley College Imperial, CA · 0.3% reported share · $1,115 net A+ 
Irvine Valley College Irvine, CA · 1.6% reported share · $2,090 net A+ 
Hartnell College Salinas, CA · 0.9% reported share · $2,039 net A+ CUNY Hunter College New York, NY · 0.3% reported share · $2,984 net A+ Santiago Canyon College Orange, CA · 0.6% reported share · $2,129 net A+ Questions about this program
How big is the program signal?
Physics accounts for 1.2% of reported programs at University of California-Santa Cruz, which is bigger than 83% of schools in this field set and 1.7x the national average concentration. The enrollment proxy is about 208 students when that share is applied to current enrollment.
How should I read the cost number?
University of California-Santa Cruz's average net price is $17,890 per year, about $71,560 over four years. That is $1,937 below the $19,827 peer average, before your own aid package changes the final bill.
Are the earnings major-specific?
No. The $68,396 median earnings figure is school-wide ten years after entry. It is $7,801 above the $60,595 average among schools reporting this field, so treat it as an outcomes proxy rather than a department guarantee.
What should I compare next?
Start with program share, net price after aid, graduation rate, location, and whether the department publishes placement or licensure outcomes. EduGradify ranks University of California-Santa Cruz #239 of 785 schools in this field set by school-wide ROI proxy.