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Overall Score: 77.38

University of California, Riverside

Riverside, CA http://www.ucr.edu/
In light of its culturally and economically diverse student body, the University of California, Riverside's outcomes are impressive. Students graduate at a rate of 77%, which is about 10% higher than at schools with comparable student demographics, according to Money’s analysis. Alumni salaries are impressive in the same vein. The median early career salaries are nearly $59,000, which is $9,000 higher than those of peers who come from similar institutions. The Riverside campus of the University of California system was born out of a center for citrus research, an area in which the university still specializes. Undergrad research opportunities are vast. Several years ago, for example, UCR engineering students designed a roof tile that breaks down the air pollutants that cause smog, and in 2015, a senior discovered a new species of firefly while collecting insects for class. The university is also home to the world's largest collection of science fiction and fantasy titles (it contains more than 100,000 books, plus another 100,000 fanzines). UC Riverside students are called Highlanders, a mascot that's a nod to the university's high elevation on the edge of the Box Springs Mountain. The side of the mountain features a large concrete C created by students in the 1950s, which takes inspiration from Berkeley's own mountainside C.

Costs

Est. full price 2022-2023
$36,500
% of students who get any grants
91%
Est. price for students who receive aid
$12,600
Average price for low-income students
$6,810

Admissions

Acceptance rate
57%
Median SAT/ACT score
1230/27
SAT/ACT required?
No
Undergraduate enrollment
22,020

Financial Aid

% of students with need who get grants
96%
% of need met
82%
% of students who get merit grants
2%
Average merit grant
$7,510

Student Success

Graduation rate
74%
Average time to a degree
4.2 years
Median student debt
$18,000
Early career earnings
$58,880
% earning more than a high school grad
71%

Notes: Students who get merit grants are full-time undergraduates who had no financial need and were awarded grants. Graduation rate measures degree completion within six years for both transfer students and first-time students. Early career earnings are the median earnings for both graduates and non-completers, 10 years after they first enrolled.

Sources: U.S. Department of Education, Peterson’s, Money/Witlytic calculations.

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