Area Studies

4,138 students earn a area studies credential each year across 365 US colleges. Earnings below are the median for each school's graduates one and five years after finishing; debt is the median federal loan balance at completion.

Typical earnings, 1 year out: $34,280
Typical earnings, 5 years out: $59,671

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Highest earnings Most graduates

Bachelor's programs — top 100 of 324 colleges by graduate earnings

CollegeGrads / yearEarnings 1 yearEarnings 5 yearsDebt

1Yale UniversityNew Haven, Connecticut39$55,6181 year out$81,531—2Nevada State UniversityHenderson, Nevada18$54,6071 year out—$34,213 3William & MaryWilliamsburg, Virginia38$53,7791 year out$75,576$15,250 4University of California-BerkeleyBerkeley, California57$50,7281 year out$92,837$14,972 5Miami University-OxfordOxford, Ohio34$50,6371 year out$62,041$20,552 6Amherst CollegeAmherst, Massachusetts20$49,1491 year out——7University of Maryland Global CampusAdelphi, Maryland49$48,6501 year out——8Dartmouth CollegeHanover, New Hampshire39$48,5651 year out$91,237$16,520 9Colby CollegeWaterville, Maine17$45,6861 year out——10Bowdoin CollegeBrunswick, Maine39$45,3151 year out—$24,000 11Tufts UniversityMedford, Massachusetts26$44,1331 year out$62,853—12University of Missouri-ColumbiaColumbia, Missouri47$44,0961 year out$59,671$24,250 13Cornell UniversityIthaca, New York37$43,8311 year out$81,545$17,625 14Brandeis UniversityWaltham, Massachusetts51$43,7481 year out$62,806$26,000 15American UniversityWashington, District of Columbia26$43,6711 year out$67,023$27,000 16University of Washington-Seattle CampusSeattle, Washington153$43,6681 year out$63,860$14,922 17University of Washington-Bothell CampusBothell, Washington8$43,6681 year out$63,860$14,922 18University of Washington-Tacoma CampusTacoma, Washington2$43,6681 year out$63,860$14,922 19Connecticut CollegeNew London, Connecticut19$43,3581 year out$61,500$21,220 20Wellesley CollegeWellesley, Massachusetts22$43,2311 year out$68,057$9,525 21Columbia University in the City of New YorkNew York, New York64$41,4791 year out$78,037$22,486 22Fordham UniversityBronx, New York57$40,8111 year out$74,201$26,884 23Middlebury CollegeMiddlebury, Vermont15$40,4671 year out$59,026$11,593 24DePaul UniversityChicago, Illinois7$40,2481 year out$51,340$24,500 25Hobart William Smith CollegesGeneva, New York19$39,9391 year out—$24,250 26Millersville University of PennsylvaniaMillersville, Pennsylvania5$39,8141 year out$45,846$24,982 27Brown UniversityProvidence, Rhode Island53$39,1651 year out$64,366$12,000 28Williams CollegeWilliamstown, Massachusetts18$38,5951 year out$88,619—29Brigham Young UniversityProvo, Utah51$37,0191 year out$77,218$10,236 30St Olaf CollegeNorthfield, Minnesota13$35,5691 year out$44,159$21,000 31Virginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmond, Virginia27$35,5571 year out$51,261$23,500 32University of Notre DameNotre Dame, Indiana29$35,3041 year out$58,279$19,250 33University of Virginia-Main CampusCharlottesville, Virginia4$34,2801 year out$57,540$23,000 34Barnard CollegeNew York, New York23$34,1421 year out—$19,000 35Emory UniversityAtlanta, Georgia37$33,5491 year out$83,027$19,500 36University of RichmondUniversity of Richmond, Virginia14$33,3401 year out$70,722$19,750 37Western Washington UniversityBellingham, Washington9$33,1031 year out$40,794$15,655 38University at AlbanyAlbany, New York17$32,8081 year out—$22,305 39Dickinson CollegeCarlisle, Pennsylvania19$32,7221 year out$55,883$19,802 40University of South Carolina-ColumbiaColumbia, South Carolina34$32,0641 year out—$20,125 41University of North Carolina at Chapel HillChapel Hill, North Carolina146$31,9551 year out$58,306$13,000 42Utah State UniversityLogan, Utah32$31,8941 year out$52,356$13,000 43University of ArizonaTucson, Arizona42$31,4801 year out$52,408$24,500 44University of OregonEugene, Oregon18$31,4271 year out$46,442$20,251 45University of California-IrvineIrvine, California22$30,8971 year out——46Washington University in St LouisSt. Louis, Missouri27$30,7161 year out——47University of Maryland-Baltimore CountyBaltimore, Maryland9$30,5451 year out$50,038$26,500 48Smith CollegeNorthampton, Massachusetts24$29,8781 year out$51,070$19,000 49The University of Texas at AustinAustin, Texas56$29,7461 year out$52,619$22,215 50California State University-FullertonFullerton, California27$29,3161 year out$55,602$17,500 51University of Puget SoundTacoma, Washington—$29,2321 year out—$27,000 52California State University-Long BeachLong Beach, California51$28,5911 year out$51,211$15,697 53University of Michigan-Ann ArborAnn Arbor, Michigan47$28,2611 year out$62,545$16,984 54California State University-NorthridgeNorthridge, California9$26,7931 year out——55University of Hawaii at ManoaHonolulu, Hawaii22$26,0201 year out$42,099$25,000 56University of Maryland-College ParkCollege Park, Maryland5$24,6991 year out$64,545$22,250 57University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignChampaign, Illinois13$24,3321 year out$58,917$22,050 58University of California-Los AngelesLos Angeles, California41$23,8191 year out$60,726$17,746 59California State University-ChicoChico, California17$23,1491 year out$46,659$16,375 60Vassar CollegePoughkeepsie, New York19$22,7411 year out——61University of California-DavisDavis, California25$21,5271 year out—$14,167 62Rutgers University-New BrunswickNew Brunswick, New Jersey8$21,4091 year out$58,538$25,973 63Oberlin CollegeOberlin, Ohio35$20,9051 year out$46,571$24,951 64Florida International UniversityMiami, Florida30$19,4571 year out—$21,544 65University of IowaIowa City, Iowa15$19,4261 year out—$27,000 66CUNY Queens CollegeQueens, New York8$16,7331 year out——67Wesleyan UniversityMiddletown, Connecticut81—1 year out——68University of Wisconsin-MadisonMadison, Wisconsin35—1 year out$51,831$20,850 69Duke UniversityDurham, North Carolina34—1 year out——70University of UtahSalt Lake City, Utah33—1 year out——71George Washington UniversityWashington, District of Columbia30—1 year out$83,602$25,500 72University of California-Santa BarbaraSanta Barbara, California27—1 year out—$22,697 73Georgetown UniversityWashington, District of Columbia25—1 year out——74Harvard UniversityCambridge, Massachusetts25—1 year out——75New York UniversityNew York, New York23—1 year out—$19,250 76Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Tennessee22—1 year out——77University of California-San DiegoLa Jolla, California19—1 year out—$11,300 78Carleton CollegeNorthfield, Minnesota18—1 year out——79University of GuamMangilao, Guam18—1 year out——80Trinity CollegeHartford, Connecticut17—1 year out——81Davidson CollegeDavidson, North Carolina17—1 year out——82University of ChicagoChicago, Illinois16—1 year out——83University of Massachusetts-BostonBoston, Massachusetts16—1 year out——84Pennsylvania State University-Main CampusUniversity Park, Pennsylvania16—1 year out—$27,000 85Furman UniversityGreenville, South Carolina16—1 year out——86Towson UniversityTowson, Maryland15—1 year out$69,096—87College of the Holy CrossWorcester, Massachusetts15—1 year out——88Mount Holyoke CollegeSouth Hadley, Massachusetts15—1 year out——89Kennesaw State UniversityKennesaw, Georgia15—1 year out——90University of San FranciscoSan Francisco, California14—1 year out——91University of ConnecticutStorrs, Connecticut14—1 year out——92University of Illinois ChicagoChicago, Illinois14—1 year out$43,913—93Tulane University of LouisianaNew Orleans, Louisiana14—1 year out$48,738—94SUNY Old WestburyOld Westbury, New York14—1 year out——95Bucknell UniversityLewisburg, Pennsylvania14—1 year out——96Franklin and Marshall CollegeLancaster, Pennsylvania14—1 year out——97College of Coastal GeorgiaBrunswick, Georgia13—1 year out——98Binghamton UniversityVestal, New York13—1 year out——99State University of New York at New PaltzNew Paltz, New York13—1 year out$51,093—100Willamette UniversitySalem, Oregon13—1 year out——

Associate programs — 24 colleges

CollegeGrads / yearEarnings 1 yearEarnings 5 yearsDebt

1Coastline Community CollegeFountain Valley, California100—1 year out——2Santa Ana CollegeSanta Ana, California6—1 year out——3Santa Barbara City CollegeSanta Barbara, California6—1 year out——4College of the CanyonsSanta Clarita, California5—1 year out——5Sacramento City CollegeSacramento, California5—1 year out——6Saddleback CollegeMission Viejo, California5—1 year out——7Cuesta CollegeSan Luis Obispo, California4—1 year out——8Foothill CollegeLos Altos Hills, California4—1 year out——9Riverside City CollegeRiverside, California4—1 year out——10Orange Coast CollegeCosta Mesa, California3—1 year out——11Oxnard CollegeOxnard, California3—1 year out——12Santa Rosa Junior CollegeSanta Rosa, California3—1 year out——13Berkeley City CollegeBerkeley, California3—1 year out——14Golden West CollegeHuntington Beach, California2—1 year out——15Monterey Peninsula CollegeMonterey, California2—1 year out——16Pasadena City CollegePasadena, California2—1 year out——17Canada CollegeRedwood City, California1—1 year out——18College of the DesertPalm Desert, California1—1 year out——19Los Angeles Pierce CollegeWoodland Hills, California1—1 year out——20Ohlone CollegeFremont, California1—1 year out——21Lansing Community CollegeLansing, Michigan1—1 year out——22American Samoa Community CollegePago Pago, American Samoa1—1 year out——23Las Positas CollegeLivermore, California1—1 year out——24Moreno Valley CollegeMoreno Valley, California1—1 year out——

Certificate programs — 36 colleges

CollegeGrads / yearEarnings 1 yearEarnings 5 yearsDebt

1University of Wisconsin-MadisonMadison, Wisconsin103—1 year out——2University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh CampusPittsburgh, Pennsylvania76—1 year out——3Slippery Rock University of PennsylvaniaSlippery Rock, Pennsylvania23—1 year out—$24,395 4University of Wisconsin-MilwaukeeMilwaukee, Wisconsin23—1 year out—$25,788 5Ohio University-Main CampusAthens, Ohio22—1 year out——6Arizona State University Campus ImmersionTempe, Arizona20—1 year out——7Temple UniversityPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania12—1 year out——8Central Michigan UniversityMount Pleasant, Michigan10—1 year out——9University of Maryland-College ParkCollege Park, Maryland8—1 year out——10Boston UniversityBoston, Massachusetts7—1 year out——11Wichita State UniversityWichita, Kansas5—1 year out——12University of Cincinnati-Main CampusCincinnati, Ohio5—1 year out——13University of KansasLawrence, Kansas4—1 year out——14Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Erie-Behrend CollegeErie, Pennsylvania4—1 year out——15University of Wisconsin-Eau ClaireEau Claire, Wisconsin4—1 year out——16University of GeorgiaAthens, Georgia3—1 year out——17Jefferson Community and Technical CollegeLouisville, Kentucky3—1 year out——18Franklin Pierce UniversityRindge, New Hampshire3—1 year out——19Rowan UniversityGlassboro, New Jersey3—1 year out——20Middle Tennessee State UniversityMurfreesboro, Tennessee3—1 year out——21Indiana University-IndianapolisIndianapolis, Indiana2—1 year out——22University of KentuckyLexington, Kentucky2—1 year out——23University of Massachusetts-AmherstAmherst, Massachusetts2—1 year out——24Sinclair Community CollegeDayton, Ohio2—1 year out——25Northern State UniversityAberdeen, South Dakota2—1 year out——26University of Wisconsin-OshkoshOshkosh, Wisconsin2—1 year out——27Phoenix CollegePhoenix, Arizona1—1 year out——28Ohlone CollegeFremont, California1—1 year out——29Florida Atlantic UniversityBoca Raton, Florida1—1 year out——30Columbus State UniversityColumbus, Georgia1—1 year out——31Western Kentucky UniversityBowling Green, Kentucky1—1 year out——32Madonna UniversityLivonia, Michigan1—1 year out——33Missouri Southern State UniversityJoplin, Missouri1—1 year out——34Portland State UniversityPortland, Oregon1—1 year out——35Indiana University of PennsylvaniaIndiana, Pennsylvania1—1 year out——36Pennsylvania State University-Main CampusUniversity Park, Pennsylvania1—1 year out——

US Department of Education College Scorecard field-of-study data (4-digit CIP). Graduates are conferrals in the most recent IPEDS year; earnings cover federally-aided completers who are working and not enrolled; medians for small programs are privacy-suppressed (—).