2026

California Educational Outcomes Survey

Report Overview

BestColleges' and National University's California Educational Outcomes survey explored how graduates paid for college, their transition into the workforce, how their current earnings compare to their expectations, and how financially secure they currently feel. It also explored which majors are paying off, how well-prepared graduates from different fields of study felt for the workforce, and whether they felt their degree was worth the investment.

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About the Partnership

National University sponsored this survey, but did not influence its findings or editorial conclusions. National sponsored this research to support understanding of an issue important to prospective students across backgrounds: how higher education prepares graduates for careers.

Key Findings

The Transition from School to a Career

Bachelor's degrees pay career dividends in California. Most respondents (93%) are currently employed, with 77% working full time.
Seventy percent of respondents found work within a year of graduating, and 7% found work before graduation.
More than half of graduates (57%) said a bachelor's degree was required for their current job, while another 39% said it was either preferred by their employer or helped them be more competitive.

Which Fields Lead to the Strongest Employment Outcomes?

Business and Management and Engineering, Technology, Mathematics, and Sciences graduates had the highest full-time employment rates, at 86% each.
Healthcare graduates stood out for strong early career outcomes: 65% found their first job within six months after graduation, and 75% entered their intended field — the highest share among the fields analyzed.

Which Majors Lead to the Strongest Earnings and Financial Security?

Among full-time workers who reported their income, Healthcare and Engineering, Technology, Mathematics, and Sciences graduates were the most likely to earn at least $100,000, at 52% each.
Engineering, Technology, Mathematics, and Sciences and Business and Management graduates were the most likely to describe their finances as comfortable or better, at 71% and 70%, respectively. Still, more than half of graduates in every field worried about affording basic living expenses at least sometimes.

Career Preparedness

Most graduates in California reported that their bachelor's degree prepared them either "well" (35%) or "very well" (35%) for their career. Another 24% said it prepared them "adequately", while only 5% said their preparation was either "poor" or "very poor."
Career counseling was the most common student support service graduates received. Over half of respondents (53%) reported their institutions provided access to this service while earning their bachelor's degree.
Graduates most frequently identified job search preparation, technical skills, and leadership or management skills as areas bachelor's programs could strengthen to improve workforce readiness.

Cost and Perception of Return on Investment

Three-quarters (75%) of bachelor's graduates in California considered their bachelor's degree to be at least worth its cost. Just 8% said it was "not worth the cost."
Respondents who considered their bachelor's degree worth the cost said it either helped them qualify for a job (29%) or helped them advance in their career (29%).
Financial reasons are the primary drivers of a negative perception of degree value. Respondents who felt their bachelor's degree was not worth the investment most frequently said their current income was not high enough to justify the cost or that the degree itself cost too much.

Did a Bachelor's Degree Deliver Financial Security?

Most graduates are earning between $50,000 and $124,999, and 61% say they earn about what they expected or somewhat more than expected.
Despite most respondents (87%) being able to cover basic expenses, 63% have worried about affording basic living expenses at least sometimes in the past year.
Among graduates who borrowed student loans, half have fully repaid them. Of those with outstanding debt, 84% owe less than $50,000, and 86% express at least some confidence in their ability to repay it.

Our Research Methodology

We help students and institutions understand emerging trends through proprietary research, data analysis, and expert insights. Our research examines the topics shaping higher education, including online learning, shifting student demographics, and rising college costs.

How We Collect Data

BestColleges partnered with the research company GLG to collect data via an online questionnaire. To ensure data quality and authenticity, responses were manually reviewed, including checks for consistency, duplicate entries, and suspicious response patterns. Participants received standard survey compensation to encourage completion.

How We Find Survey Participants

Our survey partner employed a quantitative, cross-sectional design targeting California residents who graduated with bachelor's degrees in the past 5-10 years. Quotas were implemented during data collection to ensure individual majors were sufficiently represented.

Are Survey Participants Compensated?

Participants responding to our survey request received standard compensation to encourage completion.

Our Knowledge and Authority

Our surveys are designed by an in-house team with expertise in academic and market research, data analysis, and editing. This survey was additionally reviewed by GLG's quantitative research experts. Since 2016, BestColleges Research has provided insights to higher education stakeholders through a variety of publications and conference presentations.

Read the Press Release

Press Release

Meet the Contributors

Amarilis Yera

Editor / Writer

Expertise: Accounting, Business Administration, Business Management, MBAs, Marketing, Human Resources, Consumer Credit

Joan M. Pabón

Writer

Expertise: Personal finance, Insurance, Consumer topics

Edgar J. Nieves

Writer

Expertise: Personal finance

Cameren Boatner

Editor / Writer

Expertise: DEI, Campus Free Speech, Financial Aid, Title IX, LGBTQ+ students

Taína Cuevas

Editor

Education: BA Visual and Communication Arts and Italian, Franklin University Switzerland, Post Graduate Training in Print Journalism, Boston University