Best Area Studies Degrees in the US by ROI
Top colleges ranked by estimated 20-year net return on investment across all active states. Data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
Programs Analyzed
68
Colleges with salary data
Average 20-Yr Net ROI
-$230,733
Across all programs
Average Annual Cost
$50,090
Cost of attendance
| # | College | State | 20-Yr Net ROI | Median Salary | Annual Cost | Avg Debt | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
The University of Alabama
Grad rate: 73.2% |
AL | +$430,624 | $69,936 | $32,024 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 2 |
Dartmouth College
Grad rate: 95.4% |
NH | +$421,410 | $80,946 | $83,802 | $16,520 | Full ROI → |
| 3 |
Iowa State University
Grad rate: 75.0% |
IA | +$218,884 | $57,606 | $23,309 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 4 |
University of California-Berkeley
Grad rate: 93.5% |
CA | +$158,935 | $59,499 | $42,708 | $14,972 | Full ROI → |
| 5 |
State University of New York at New Paltz
Grad rate: 71.0% |
NY | +$36,384 | $49,226 | $27,034 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 6 |
Florida State University
Grad rate: 83.9% |
FL | -$36,412 | $44,916 | $23,683 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 7 |
University of Maryland-College Park
Grad rate: 88.9% |
MD | -$42,229 | $47,005 | $28,073 | $22,250 | Full ROI → |
| 8 |
Ramapo College of New Jersey
Grad rate: 70.7% |
NJ | -$45,744 | $45,748 | $30,176 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 9 |
University of Virginia-Main Campus
Grad rate: 95.3% |
VA | -$51,658 | $48,596 | $38,132 | $23,000 | Full ROI → |
| 10 |
William & Mary
Grad rate: 91.0% |
VA | -$62,699 | $48,118 | $41,118 | $15,250 | Full ROI → |
| 11 |
University of Missouri-Columbia
Grad rate: 75.7% |
MO | -$74,689 | $45,692 | $28,948 | $24,250 | Full ROI → |
| 12 |
Brigham Young University
Grad rate: 80.4% |
UT | -$83,914 | $42,671 | $20,879 | $10,236 | Full ROI → |
| 13 |
University of California-Los Angeles
Grad rate: 92.6% |
CA | -$89,569 | $46,048 | $36,643 | $17,746 | Full ROI → |
| 14 |
California State University-Long Beach
Grad rate: 71.3% |
CA | -$93,570 | $42,443 | $20,310 | $15,697 | Full ROI → |
| 15 |
Amherst College
Grad rate: 92.7% |
MA | -$99,740 | $53,743 | $83,650 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 16 |
University of California-Davis
Grad rate: 85.7% |
CA | -$116,953 | $44,722 | $38,067 | $14,167 | Full ROI → |
| 17 |
Rutgers University-New Brunswick
Grad rate: 84.7% |
NJ | -$121,111 | $44,744 | $35,232 | $25,973 | Full ROI → |
| 18 |
Emory University
Grad rate: 90.9% |
GA | -$146,721 | $51,743 | $78,814 | $19,500 | Full ROI → |
| 19 |
George Washington University
Grad rate: 85.0% |
DC | -$157,653 | $51,984 | $80,727 | $25,500 | Full ROI → |
| 20 |
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Grad rate: 84.8% |
IL | -$164,003 | $41,715 | $32,134 | $22,050 | Full ROI → |
| 21 |
University of Southern California
Grad rate: 92.2% |
CA | -$173,792 | $50,246 | $84,678 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 22 |
Williams College
Grad rate: 95.8% |
MA | -$185,316 | $48,967 | $81,164 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 23 |
University of Washington-Bothell Campus
Grad rate: 68.5% |
WA | -$187,472 | $38,526 | $24,462 | $14,922 | Full ROI → |
| 24 |
University of Washington-Tacoma Campus
Grad rate: 58.5% |
WA | -$187,736 | $38,526 | $24,528 | $14,922 | Full ROI → |
| 25 |
University of Maryland-Baltimore County
Grad rate: 70.5% |
MD | -$192,275 | $39,762 | $27,935 | $26,500 | Full ROI → |
| 26 |
University of Hartford
Grad rate: 57.6% |
CT | -$200,612 | $44,424 | $62,273 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 27 |
Temple University
Grad rate: 76.3% |
PA | -$203,323 | $41,483 | $39,799 | $25,028 | Full ROI → |
| 28 |
California State University-Fullerton
Grad rate: 69.3% |
CA | -$205,073 | $36,281 | $16,767 | $17,500 | Full ROI → |
| 29 |
University of Washington-Seattle Campus
Grad rate: 84.0% |
WA | -$210,752 | $38,526 | $30,282 | $14,922 | Full ROI → |
| 30 |
Tufts University
Grad rate: 93.5% |
MA | -$229,040 | $47,468 | $84,600 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 31 |
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Grad rate: 91.7% |
NC | -$229,234 | $36,452 | $25,181 | $13,000 | Full ROI → |
| 32 |
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Grad rate: 62.5% |
HI | -$229,498 | $36,979 | $23,832 | $25,000 | Full ROI → |
| 33 |
Columbia University in the City of New York
Grad rate: 95.1% |
NY | -$232,364 | $49,108 | $86,042 | $22,486 | Full ROI → |
| 34 |
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Grad rate: 93.2% |
MI | -$236,548 | $37,988 | $33,345 | $16,984 | Full ROI → |
| 35 |
Miami University-Oxford
Grad rate: 81.3% |
OH | -$241,777 | $38,742 | $37,218 | $20,552 | Full ROI → |
| 36 |
University of Illinois Chicago
Grad rate: 60.9% |
IL | -$244,072 | $35,196 | $26,998 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 37 |
Wellesley College
Grad rate: 90.7% |
MA | -$244,198 | $47,043 | $83,050 | $9,525 | Full ROI → |
| 38 |
Yale University
Grad rate: 97.0% |
CT | -$248,180 | $46,615 | $85,120 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 39 |
Millersville University of Pennsylvania
Grad rate: 55.7% |
PA | -$250,369 | $36,585 | $27,086 | $24,982 | Full ROI → |
| 40 |
Azusa Pacific University
Grad rate: 62.8% |
CA | -$251,660 | $40,364 | $54,735 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 41 |
Mary Baldwin University
Grad rate: 48.5% |
VA | -$253,780 | $38,198 | $44,435 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 42 |
University of Arizona
Grad rate: 66.9% |
AZ | -$259,487 | $36,388 | $28,543 | $24,500 | Full ROI → |
| 43 |
University of Oregon
Grad rate: 72.5% |
OR | -$259,562 | $36,916 | $32,636 | $20,251 | Full ROI → |
| 44 |
California State University-Chico
Grad rate: 63.9% |
CA | -$282,646 | $34,091 | $25,590 | $16,375 | Full ROI → |
| 45 |
The University of Texas at Austin
Grad rate: 87.7% |
TX | -$305,678 | $34,184 | $29,842 | $22,215 | Full ROI → |
| 46 |
Colby College
Grad rate: 89.2% |
ME | -$308,540 | $42,883 | $81,550 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 47 |
Fordham University
Grad rate: 81.8% |
NY | -$310,797 | $43,745 | $77,351 | $26,884 | Full ROI → |
| 48 |
University of Richmond
Grad rate: 87.9% |
VA | -$318,522 | $42,865 | $77,290 | $19,750 | Full ROI → |
| 49 |
Brandeis University
Grad rate: 86.7% |
MA | -$322,772 | $44,041 | $82,123 | $26,000 | Full ROI → |
| 50 |
Furman University
Grad rate: 83.5% |
SC | -$323,340 | $40,585 | $73,760 | N/A | Full ROI → |
How ROI is calculated
20-Year Net ROI = Gross Earnings (salary × 20) − Total Degree Cost − Debt Payoff (×1.35) − Baseline Opportunity Cost ($42,000 × 20). Data from the U.S. College Scorecard.
Find Best Area Studies Degrees by State
Browse Area Studies programs ranked by 20-year ROI in every state that offers this degree.