University of California, San Diego (UCSD) registered nurse salary, 2025
University of California, San Diego is a campus of the University of California with an academic health center.3 4,626 people worked as registered nurses for University of California, San Diego in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $172,285, overtime included.
What is the average registered nurse salary at University of California, San Diego?
Official pay range2
$126,408 to $204,937
from the lowest entry salary to the top of the highest registered nurse title, per diem rates aside
Based on the 2,889 of 4,626 registered nurses who worked the full year.
Most of University of California, San Diego's registered nurses (3,461 of 4,626) hold the title Clin Nurse 2, with an official range of $131,335 to $184,078. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $169,620, within the range.
- Median total pay
- $169,782
- the middle registered nurse: half earned more, half less
- Overtime
- $6,387
- average per full-year registered nurse
- Starting salary
- $126,408
- bottom of the Clin Nurse 1 range
- Average pay rank
- 15th
- of 72 California employers
What does each registered nurse title at University of California, San Diego pay?
Each bar is the official range for one title, lowest first. The dot marks the average total pay of full-year staff in that title, where at least 5 people stand behind it.1,2 The University of California reported no ranges to the State Controller, so the ranges here are the campus's wage tables in its contract with the California Nurses Association, effective January 2025: the lowest to the highest step, before shift and other differentials. Vocational nurses and other titles outside that contract have no range.
- Clin Nurse 1Fewer than 5
- Clin Nurse 2$169,620
- Clin Nurse 3$193,757
- Clin Nurse 4$221,203
- Nurse Pd$185,550
- Clin Nurse Or Adv Pract Spec 4Not reported
- Clin Nurse Or Adv Pract Spec 5Not reported
official range average total pay, full year. "Fewer than 5" means too few full-year people in that title to show.
Nurse practitioner and LVN pay at University of California, San Diego
Counted on their own, kept out of the registered nurse figures on this page. Each group's name leads to its statewide overview. Range: the lowest to the highest step of the campus's contract wage tables, effective January 2025. Pay: average total pay of full-year staff, overtime included.1,2
| Nurses | People | Official range | Average total pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registered nurses | 4,626 | $126,408 to $204,937 | $172,285 |
| Nurse practitioners | 314 | $167,687 to $234,649 | $224,594 |
| LVNs | 295 | Not reported | Not reported |
Full-year nurse practitioners averaged $224,594, $52,309 more than registered nurses.
Does University of California, San Diego pay registered nurses more than other employers in San Diego County?
Average total pay of full-year registered nurses: University of California, San Diego next to every employer in the county together, and the whole state.1
- University of California, San Diego$172,285
- All employers in San Diego County$165,443
- All employers in California$181,164
Full-year registered nurses at University of California, San Diego earned $6,842 more than the San Diego County average and $8,879 less than the California average.
Average registered nurse pay in San Diego County compared to nearby counties
Average total pay of full-year registered nurses across all employers in each county that borders San Diego County, and how much more or less it pays.1
Where does University of California, San Diego rank among California employers?
Every employer with at least 5 full-year registered nurses, by average total pay.1
All 72 California employers
University of California, San Diego ranks 15th of 72, above the middle employer.
Middle employer: $138,446
Each bar counts the employers whose average total pay falls in a $5,000 band. The dashed line marks the middle employer.
Pension and health cover at University of California, San Diego
As reported by the university. Contributions are what the employer paid per full-year registered nurse, on top of wages.1
- Pension formula
- Not reported
- the most common formula among University of California, San Diego's registered nurses
- Employer pension contribution
- $12,870
- average per year
- Health, dental and vision
- $15,126
- average paid by the employer per year
Questions about registered nurse pay at University of California, San Diego
What is the average registered nurse salary at University of California, San Diego?
Registered nurses at University of California, San Diego who worked the full year earned an average of $172,285 in 2025, overtime included. The middle registered nurse earned $169,782: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its registered nurse titles runs from $126,408 to $204,937.
How much overtime do registered nurses at University of California, San Diego earn?
Full-year registered nurses were paid an average of $6,387 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $3,646: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.
What is the starting salary for a registered nurse at UCSD?
$126,408 a year: the bottom of the range for University of California, San Diego's Clin Nurse 1 title in the University of California's contract wage tables effective January 2025. Pay rises with steps and overtime; full-year registered nurses averaged $172,285 in total pay.
How much does a nurse practitioner make at UCSD?
Full-year nurse practitioners at University of California, San Diego averaged $224,594 in total pay in 2025, overtime included, on an official range of $167,687 to $234,649.
More salaries in San Diego County
- San Diego County$158,228 average total pay
- Palomar Health District$147,408 average total pay
- Tri-City Healthcare District$130,343 average total pay
- Highest registered nurse salaries in CaliforniaThe best-paying employers, ranked
- Librarian salaries at University of California, San Diego$127,949 average total pay
- Teacher salaries in San Diego CountyEvery school district's salary schedule
Sources for the University of California, San Diego figures
Every person who held a registered nurse position at University of California, San Diego at any point in 2025 counts toward the headcount. Pay figures use only people who worked roughly the full year: those whose regular pay reached at least 90% of the bottom of their official range. Total pay is gross wages before tax, including overtime, lump sums and other pay. Averages lead; the median total pay is the middle person's, with half above and half below, and is less pulled by a few people with very high pay. Every figure covers at least 5 people.
- State Controller's Office, Government Compensation in California, 2025: positions, wages, pension formula and employer contributions as reported by the University of California for University of California, San Diego.
- University of California and California Nurses Association, Registered Nurses (NX) contract, Appendix A: wage tables: each campus's hourly rates effective January 2025, lowest to highest step; yearly figures are the hourly rate times 2,088 hours, the tables' monthly rate times 12.
- University of California Health, Academic Health Centers: the six campuses with an academic health center: UC Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego and San Francisco.