New Data Show UC Degrees Drive Job Success and Economic Advancement

Photo: UC Berkeley Library/Jami Smith

India-West Staff Reporter

LOS ANGELES, CA  — A new data dashboard released by the University of California and workforce analytics firm Lightcast reveals that UC degrees consistently lead to strong job placement, upward economic mobility, and long-term earnings growth for graduates. The analysis spans 25 years and highlights how UC alumni contribute significantly to California’s workforce and economy.

The findings reinforce UC’s role as a vital talent pipeline for the state, not only preparing students for success but also strengthening California’s position as the world’s fourth-largest economy.

According to the data, UC graduates are increasingly landing good-paying jobs and advancing in high-growth industries such as technology, healthcare, education, finance, and biotechnology. Alumni are employed across major companies including Google, Apple, Disney, Deloitte, and Genentech, among others. In total, UC alumni have held more than 17,000 positions at Google and nearly 9,000 at Apple over the last 25 years.

The dashboard provides a detailed look at where UC graduates work, what roles they occupy, and in which sectors they thrive. It also allows users to explore career outcomes by academic discipline and UC campus.

“From the first day a student arrives on a UC campus, they are being prepared by our faculty and staff to be educated citizens and California’s workforce of tomorrow,” said UC Provost Katherine S. Newman.

The data also show UC’s outsized role in economic mobility. Sixty-seven percent of UC graduates carry no student debt.

Within four years of graduation, most UC Pell Grant and first-generation students are already earning more than their families.

One in three UC students who start in the bottom 20 percent of income bracket rise to the top 20 percent as adults—a rate that surpasses most colleges and universities nationwide.

On average, UC graduates earn $79,000 annually just six years after completing their bachelor’s degree. By year twelve, that average jumps to $112,000, outpacing earnings of graduate degree-holders across California.

UC degrees also lead to leadership and entrepreneurship. Many alumni go on to become company founders or hold executive roles such as CEO or financial consultant. Six percent of alumni work in finance, and eight percent in tech. In the public sector, 13 percent of UC graduates are employed in healthcare and eight percent in K-12 education. Others are serving in local government, the U.S. military, and federal agencies such as NASA.