---
title: Santa Clara University — cost, debt & earnings (College Scorecard)
location: Santa Clara, CA
control: Private nonprofit
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2026-06-10 release)
sourceUrl: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
---

# Santa Clara University

Santa Clara, CA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor-granting

> Federal College Scorecard institution **medians** — not a prediction of any one student's outcome, and not a figure for any single program. Earnings/debt cover federally-aided students.

## The bottom line

| Figure | Value | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Typical earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $109,183 | recorded |
| Earnings range (25th–75th pct) | $70,946 – $160,882 | recorded |
| Typical federal debt | $16,845 | recorded |
| Debt of students who withdrew | $6,500 | recorded |
| Completion rate | 88% | recorded |
| Average annual net cost | $82,026 | recorded |
| % earning above a $28k HS-grad wage | 89% | recorded |
| Debt ÷ a year's earnings | 0.15× | derived |
| Earnings premium vs $28k HS benchmark | $81,183 | derived |

**88% of students finish** — the loans are owed whether or not you graduate, so read every figure below next to this number.

Typical **federal** loan debt is $16,845 (≈ 15% of a year's typical earnings here). Note: this counts federal loans only — not private loans, Parent PLUS, or family savings — so true borrowing is usually higher; and because dropouts borrow less, low-completion schools can show a deceptively low debt figure.

## Earnings by major (the number that decides "worth it")

> **Different measure — read on its own terms.** These are median earnings **1 year after completing the program** (early career, graduates only) — NOT the 10-years-after-entry school-wide figure above. Do not compare a program figure to the school figure; compare majors to each other. The Dept. of Education omits programs with too few graduates.

By program, early-career pay ranges from $33,333 to $125,788 across 23 program(s).

| Major | Credential | Pay (1 yr out) | Median debt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Computer Engineering. | Master's Degree | $125,788 | not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Master's Degree | $125,643 | $59,170 |
| Educational Administration and Supervision. | Master's Degree | $100,546 | not reported |
| Mechanical Engineering. | Master's Degree | $99,066 | not reported |
| Mathematics and Computer Science. | Bachelor's Degree | $87,146 | $21,500 |
| Computer Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $83,523 | $24,833 |
| Law. | First Professional Degree | $74,729 | $180,127 |
| Mechanical Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $74,547 | $19,000 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $68,821 | $14,490 |
| Accounting and Related Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $67,828 | $18,625 |
| Economics. | Bachelor's Degree | $62,432 | $19,500 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods. | Master's Degree | $61,260 | $32,690 |
| Marketing. | Bachelor's Degree | $60,745 | $19,712 |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology. | Master's Degree | $57,675 | $61,500 |
| Communication and Media Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $53,040 | $17,832 |
| Political Science and Government. | Bachelor's Degree | $52,109 | $20,500 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $51,460 | $20,500 |
| Psychology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $50,081 | $17,000 |
| Public Health. | Bachelor's Degree | $45,119 | $24,500 |
| English Language and Literature, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $43,732 | not reported |
| Biology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $36,629 | $19,500 |
| Sociology. | Bachelor's Degree | $35,892 | not reported |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research. | Bachelor's Degree | $33,333 | $24,500 |

## What this is — and is NOT

Institution-wide medians from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. **Not** a prediction of what you would earn or owe, **not** a figure for any single program (a CS and a fine-arts graduate of the same school diverge enormously), **not** proof the school caused the outcome (selection, not causation), and **not** a "best college" ranking. Explore Santa Clara University by field of study at the official Scorecard: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?122931

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Structured data (JSON-LD), each figure labeled by epistemic status: `/education/santa-clara-university-ca.jsonld` · all schools: `/education`