University of California salaries

Q: Is the pay good at University of California?

Yes, the pay is good at University of California. Compared to the industry average of $54,228 per year, the average annual salary at University of California is $67,604, which is 24.67% higher.

Q: What is the starting pay at University of California?

The starting pay at University of California is $37,000 per year, or $17.79 per hour.

Q: How much does University of California pay an hour?

University of California pays $32.50 an hour, on average.

Zippia score 4.6

University of California salary estimate

$67,604yearly

$32.50 hourly rate

Entry-level salary

$37,000 yearly salary

Updated December 15, 2025

University of California Salaries Overview

The University of California offers competitive salaries, with an average of $67,604 per year. Compensation varies by department, reflecting the diverse roles within the university. For example, research and development positions often command higher salaries due to their specialized nature. In education, salaries can also be significant, depending on the role and experience level.

Salary Insights by Department

Understanding how salaries differ by department can aid prospective employees in making informed choices. Here is a snapshot of some key departments:

Research & Development: High-paying roles focused on innovative projects.
Education: Competitive salaries for faculty and administrative positions.

By examining these details, job seekers can better assess their earning potential and find opportunities that align with their career goals.

Highest paying jobs at University of California

The highest paying jobs at University of California are clinical professor, health science instructor, assistant professor, and applications programmer. Clinical professor jobs at University of California earn an average yearly salary of $146,165, University of California health science instructor jobs average $114,771, and University of California assistant professor jobs average $114,768.

The lowest paying University of California roles include graduate researcher and internship. University of California graduate researcher average salary is $41,387 per year. So while the average University of California salary is $67,604 there is a big variation in pay depending on the role.

Highest paying jobs at University of California

Rank	Job title	Average University of California salary	Hourly rate
1	Clinical Professor	$146,165	$70.27
2	Health Science Instructor	$114,771	$55.18
3	Assistant Professor	$114,768	$55.18
4	Applications Programmer	$108,220	$52.03
5	Programmer Analyst	$101,897	$48.99
6	Registered Nurse	$92,321	$44.39
7	Research Associate	$78,646	$37.81
8	Clinical Fellow	$76,859	$36.95
9	Lecturer	$76,177	$36.62
10	Assistant Project Scientist	$69,472	$33.40
11	Administrative Analyst	$66,946	$32.19
12	Resident Physician	$65,107	$31.30
13	Staff Associate Of Research	$64,809	$31.16
14	Postdoctoral Scholar	$60,862	$29.26
15	Doctoral Fellow	$59,573	$28.64
16	Specialist	$57,261	$27.53
17	Internship	$47,802	$22.98
18	Graduate Researcher	$41,388	$19.90

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University of California salaries by department

Salaries at University of California vary depending on the department you work in. University of California salaries in the education department are the highest with an average salary of $104,237. Employees in the engineering department at University of California receive relatively high salaries as well, with an average salary of $85,778 per year. Departments that don't pay as well at University of California include the administrative and the non profit/government organizational functions, with employees earning average salaries of $53,942 and $61,109, respectively.

Average University of California salary by department

Rank	Department	Average University of California salary	Hourly rate
1	Education	$104,237	$50.11
2	Engineering	$85,778	$41.24
3	Healthcare	$75,151	$36.13
4	IT	$73,947	$35.55
5	Finance	$70,992	$34.13
6	Sales	$65,308	$31.40
7	Customer Service	$62,383	$29.99
8	Research & Development	$62,132	$29.87
9	Non Profit/Government	$61,109	$29.38
10	Administrative	$53,943	$25.93

How much does University of California pay by department?

Best paying University of California research & development salaries

Rank	Position	Average University of California salary	Hourly rate
1	Statistician	$79,415	$38.18
2	Assistant Project Scientist	$69,472	$33.40
3	Staff Associate Of Research	$64,809	$31.16
4	Postdoctoral Scholar	$60,862	$29.26
5	Doctoral Student	$60,572	$29.12
6	Doctoral Fellow	$59,573	$28.64
7	Research Assistant	$53,490	$25.72
8	Laboratory Technician	$53,036	$25.50
9	Laboratory Internship	$44,154	$21.23
10	Graduate Researcher	$41,388	$19.90

Best paying University of California education salaries

Rank	Position	Average University of California salary	Hourly rate
1	Health Teacher	$165,696	$79.66
2	Clinical Professor	$146,165	$70.27
3	Health Science Instructor	$114,771	$55.18
4	Assistant Professor	$114,768	$55.18
5	Associate Dean	$114,709	$55.15
6	Clinical Instructor	$109,807	$52.79
7	Science Teacher	$93,581	$44.99
8	Lecturer	$76,177	$36.62
9	Educator	$51,327	$24.68
10	Teaching Assistant	$50,641	$24.35
11	Tutor	$43,697	$21.01

Best paying University of California administrative salaries

Rank	Position	Average University of California salary	Hourly rate
1	Administrator	$88,555	$42.57
2	Staff Associate	$78,064	$37.53
3	Associate Specialist	$66,021	$31.74
4	Facility Supervisor	$56,338	$27.09
5	Executive Assistant	$55,039	$26.46
6	Hospital Unit Coordinator	$49,897	$23.99
7	Administrative Assistant	$49,112	$23.61
8	Administrative Specialist	$48,871	$23.50
9	Mail Processing	$45,796	$22.02
10	Senior Clerk	$44,962	$21.62
11	Student Internship	$43,282	$20.81
12	Receptionist	$41,495	$19.95
13	Student Worker	$31,595	$15.19

University of California competitors’ average salaries

Average salaries at University of California competitors, like Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, and The University of Chicago, vary. Stanford University employees earn the highest salaries, with an average yearly salary of $78,439. The average salary at University of California, Berkeley is $68,472 per year, and the average salary at The University of Chicago is $63,947 per year.

Highest paying University of California competitors

Rank	Company name	Zippia score	Average salary
1	Stanford University	4.5	$78,439
2	University of California-Berkeley	4.4	$68,472
3	The University of Chicago	4.7	$63,947
4	UC Merced	4.2	$60,762
5	Northwestern University	4.6	$59,770
6	California Institute of Technology	4.5	$57,429
7	University of Iowa Center for Advancement	4.4	$55,411
8	University of Washington	4.4	$53,857
9	Oregon State University	4.4	$53,047
10	University of Nevada, Reno	4.6	$52,983
11	University of Michigan	4.6	$51,761
12	Case Western Reserve University	4.0	$51,133
13	Tufts University	4.6	$50,290
14	San Francisco State University	4.1	$48,889
15	North Carolina A&T State University	4.2	$48,791
16	University of Louisville	4.4	$48,147
17	UC Davis	4.0	$46,286
18	The Ohio State University	4.4	$45,380
19	University of California Press	3.6	$45,299
20	University of Kentucky	4.2	$44,467

Recently added University of California salaries

Job	Location	Date added	Salary
SR. Financial Aid Counselor	Irvine, CA	06/28/2025	$77,000
UCI Child Care Services-Floating Teacher	Irvine, CA	06/28/2025	$50,088
Residential Living Coordinator (Contract)	Irvine, CA	06/28/2025	$58,600
Human Resources Client Services Director, Ambulatory Sites	Orange, CA	06/28/2025	$116,000
Hscro/Equip SR. Analyst	Irvine, CA	06/28/2025	$77,000

What employees say about salary at University of California

Employee reviews

5.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2023

Pros of working at University of California

The social capacities and public services.

Cons of working at University of California

Nothing.

University of California benefits

Serving the society is my benefit.

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Frequently asked questions about University of California salaries

Is the pay good at University of California?

What is the starting pay at University of California?

How much does University of California pay an hour?

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Updated December 15, 2025

Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of University of California, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about University of California. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at University of California. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by University of California. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of University of California and its employees or that of Zippia.

University of California may also be known as or be related to Bixby Center For Global Reproductive, The Regents of the University of California, Toland Medical College (1864) The Medical Department of the University of California (1873), UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN FRANCISCO, University of California and University of California San Francisco.