Best International Relations and National Security 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

113

Colleges with salary data

Average 20-Yr Net ROI

-$121,263

Across all programs

Average Annual Cost

$51,665

Cost of attendance

# College State 20-Yr Net ROI Median Salary Annual Cost Avg Debt
1 Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey CA +$851,340 $84,567 N/A N/A Full ROI →
2 Brigham Young University

Grad rate: 80.4%

 UT +$589,604 $75,656 $20,879 N/A Full ROI →
3 Middlebury College

Grad rate: 93.0%

 VT +$522,300 $84,567 $82,260 N/A Full ROI →
4 Lehigh University

Grad rate: 90.2%

 PA +$302,012 $74,038 $77,515 $21,250 Full ROI →
5 University of Pennsylvania

Grad rate: 96.5%

 PA +$276,953 $73,702 $85,738 $10,470 Full ROI →
6 University of Virginia-Main Campus

Grad rate: 95.3%

 VA +$239,524 $62,998 $38,132 $20,672 Full ROI →
7 California State University Maritime Academy

Grad rate: 64.9%

 CA +$224,348 $60,400 $27,138 $26,000 Full ROI →
8 Colgate University

Grad rate: 90.9%

 NY +$173,420 $67,401 $83,650 N/A Full ROI →
9 University of Rochester

Grad rate: 87.0%

 NY +$161,957 $68,086 $82,600 $21,750 Full ROI →
10 Michigan State University

Grad rate: 81.9%

 MI +$157,733 $57,664 $30,528 $24,766 Full ROI →
11 Stanford University

Grad rate: 94.0%

 CA +$147,952 $65,830 $82,162 N/A Full ROI →
12 Northeastern University Oakland CA +$124,761 $49,664 N/A $21,125 Full ROI →
13 Brown University

Grad rate: 95.5%

 RI +$122,916 $65,953 $84,986 $12,000 Full ROI →
14 Towson University

Grad rate: 68.7%

 MD +$105,726 $54,298 $26,621 $25,000 Full ROI →
15 Virginia Military Institute

Grad rate: 79.2%

 VA +$102,243 $55,311 $33,738 $21,500 Full ROI →
16 Connecticut College

Grad rate: 83.9%

 CT +$91,939 $64,786 $82,219 $25,855 Full ROI →
17 The College of New Jersey

Grad rate: 85.5%

 NJ +$80,954 $55,146 $37,070 $24,952 Full ROI →
18 Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia

Grad rate: 81.0%

 PA +$77,568 $58,981 $65,513 N/A Full ROI →
19 University of New Hampshire-Main Campus

Grad rate: 77.1%

 NH +$71,462 $54,309 $34,567 $27,000 Full ROI →
20 Lafayette College

Grad rate: 88.6%

 PA +$27,467 $60,266 $78,854 $16,620 Full ROI →
21 Wheaton College

Grad rate: 87.4%

 IL +$18,860 $55,844 $56,447 $23,875 Full ROI →
22 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Grad rate: 86.3%

 VA +$18,335 $50,776 $32,040 $21,500 Full ROI →
23 Liberty University

Grad rate: 64.5%

 VA +$14,789 $52,549 $41,707 $21,750 Full ROI →
24 University of North Georgia

Grad rate: 37.7%

 GA +$13,537 $47,673 $18,062 $20,500 Full ROI →
25 American Public University System

Grad rate: 54.3%

 WV +$10,984 $46,726 $16,358 $13,410 Full ROI →
26 Webster University

Grad rate: 60.0%

 MO -$1,812 $51,753 $49,218 N/A Full ROI →
27 Duquesne University

Grad rate: 76.6%

 PA -$3,580 $56,192 $63,042 $26,113 Full ROI →
28 Northwestern University

Grad rate: 96.2%

 IL -$25,061 $59,606 $87,804 $19,234 Full ROI →
29 Suffolk University

Grad rate: 60.1%

 MA -$28,484 $54,962 $62,822 $26,990 Full ROI →
30 University of San Diego

Grad rate: 82.1%

 CA -$36,471 $56,779 $74,879 $24,100 Full ROI →
31 James Madison University

Grad rate: 81.0%

 VA -$47,513 $46,913 $30,213 $18,460 Full ROI →
32 University of Iowa

Grad rate: 73.4%

 IA -$53,592 $46,454 $26,883 $26,030 Full ROI →
33 Bucknell University

Grad rate: 86.4%

 PA -$56,364 $55,173 $79,956 N/A Full ROI →
34 George Mason University

Grad rate: 69.9%

 VA -$65,298 $45,682 $26,972 $23,000 Full ROI →
35 University of Mary Washington

Grad rate: 68.1%

 VA -$69,522 $46,064 $29,234 $25,086 Full ROI →
36 Central Michigan University

Grad rate: 61.8%

 MI -$69,710 $45,631 $26,470 $27,000 Full ROI →
37 Dickinson College

Grad rate: 83.5%

 PA -$72,506 $55,723 $80,329 $19,000 Full ROI →
38 University of Georgia

Grad rate: 87.6%

 GA -$79,769 $44,815 $27,436 $19,500 Full ROI →
39 St. Mary's University

Grad rate: 57.4%

 TX -$88,332 $46,857 $46,368 N/A Full ROI →
40 William & Mary

Grad rate: 91.0%

 VA -$94,962 $46,893 $41,118 $21,000 Full ROI →
41 Kennesaw State University

Grad rate: 47.2%

 GA -$95,882 $43,682 $24,618 $23,000 Full ROI →
42 San Diego State University

Grad rate: 78.1%

 CA -$100,418 $43,607 $27,357 $17,134 Full ROI →
43 Rollins College

Grad rate: 77.3%

 FL -$104,710 $53,145 $72,790 $27,000 Full ROI →
44 Saint Cloud State University

Grad rate: 45.5%

 MN -$105,033 $42,528 $21,389 $22,250 Full ROI →
45 Eastern Washington University

Grad rate: 48.4%

 WA -$108,648 $41,122 $22,772 N/A Full ROI →
46 Middle Tennessee State University

Grad rate: 54.3%

 TN -$111,936 $40,954 $22,754 N/A Full ROI →
47 San Francisco State University

Grad rate: 52.2%

 CA -$115,584 $42,403 $25,258 $16,750 Full ROI →
48 The University of Alabama

Grad rate: 73.2%

 AL -$121,163 $43,916 $32,024 $23,250 Full ROI →
49 University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

Grad rate: 84.6%

 MN -$121,407 $43,161 $29,013 $21,167 Full ROI →
50 University of Idaho

Grad rate: 61.0%

 ID -$125,336 $41,914 $22,669 $24,400 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 International Relations and National Security Studies Degrees by State

Browse International Relations and National Security Studies programs ranked by 20-year ROI in every state that offers this degree.

Alabama Best International Relations and National Security Studies → Arizona Best International Relations and National Security Studies → Arkansas Best International Relations and National Security Studies → California Best International Relations and National Security Studies → Colorado Best International Relations and National Security Studies → Connecticut Best International Relations and National Security Studies → Delaware Best International Relations and National Security Studies → Florida Best International Relations and National Security Studies → Georgia Best International Relations and National Security Studies → Idaho Best International Relations and National Security Studies → Illinois Best International Relations and National Security Studies → Indiana Best International Relations and National Security Studies → Iowa Best International Relations and National Security Studies → Louisiana Best International Relations and National Security Studies → Maryland Best International Relations and National Security Studies → Massachusetts Best International Relations and National Security Studies → Michigan Best International Relations and National Security Studies → Minnesota Best International Relations and National Security Studies → Missouri Best International Relations and National Security Studies → Nevada Best International Relations and National Security Studies → New Hampshire Best International Relations and National Security Studies → New Jersey Best International Relations and National Security Studies → New York Best International Relations and National Security Studies → North Carolina Best International Relations and National Security Studies → Ohio Best International Relations and National Security Studies → Oregon Best International Relations and National Security Studies → Pennsylvania Best International Relations and National Security Studies → Rhode Island Best International Relations and National Security Studies → South Carolina Best International Relations and National Security Studies → Tennessee Best International Relations and National Security Studies → Texas Best International Relations and National Security Studies → Utah Best International Relations and National Security Studies → Vermont Best International Relations and National Security Studies → Virginia Best International Relations and National Security Studies → Washington Best International Relations and National Security Studies → West Virginia Best International Relations and National Security Studies →