California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS) vs University of California Retirement Plan
Side-by-side pension health comparison from DOL and public plan data
California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS) (B) and University of California Retirement Plan (B) are close on the LakeQuality rubric. Funding ratios sit at 73% and 84% respectively — within a few points of each other.
With grades this close, the comparison turns on plan-specific factors: status (active vs frozen), participant maturity, sponsor financial health, and multi-year trajectory rather than the headline composite.
Verdict
University of California Retirement Plan has a stronger Pension Health Score of 78/100 (B) compared to California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS) at 73/100 (B). Funding ratios differ by 10.6 percentage points (83.5% vs 72.9%). University of California Retirement Plan covers 305,000 participants.
| Metric | California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS) | University of California Retirement Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Health Score Composite of funding ratio, trend, and PBGC risk | 73/100 (B) | 78/100 (B)* |
| Funding Ratio Assets as % of liabilities (100%+ is fully funded) | 72.9% | 83.5%* |
| Total Assets | $318.0B | $82.0B |
| Total Liabilities | $436.0B | $98.2B* |
| Unfunded Liability | $118.0B | $16.2B* |
| Participants | 985,000 | 305,000 |
| 1-Year Investment Return | 6.2% | 7.2%* |
| Plan Type | public | public |
| PBGC Risk Level | moderate | low |
| Sponsor | State of California | University of California |
University of California Retirement Plan has a stronger Pension Health Score of 78/100 (B) compared to California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS) at 73/100 (B). Funding ratios differ by 10.6 percentage points (83.5% vs 72.9%). University of California Retirement Plan covers 305,000 participants.