Best Schools for Area Studies

Top colleges ranked by median earnings 2 years after graduation.

50
Schools
$38,670
Avg. Earnings
1,304
Graduates
#1
G

Georgetown University

Washington, DC · Private

$52,107
2yr Earnings
Acceptance: 13.1%
#2
D

Dartmouth College

Hanover, NH · Private

$48,432
2yr Earnings
1yr Earnings: $47,302
Graduates: 33
Acceptance: 6.2%
#3
G

George Washington University

Washington, DC · Private

$47,846
2yr Earnings
Acceptance: 43.5%
#4
U

University of the Pacific

Stockton, CA · Private

$44,384
2yr Earnings
Acceptance: 94.9%
#5
W

Williams College

Williamstown, MA · Private

$44,384
2yr Earnings
1yr Earnings: $37,948
Graduates: 16
Acceptance: 10.0%
#6
U

University of Virginia-Main Campus

Charlottesville, VA · Public

$44,356
2yr Earnings
1yr Earnings: $22,566
Graduates: 34
Acceptance: 16.9%
#7
C

Cornell University

Ithaca, NY · Private

$44,170
2yr Earnings
1yr Earnings: $30,086
Graduates: 18
Acceptance: 8.2%
#8
M

Middlebury College

Middlebury, VT · Private

$44,091
2yr Earnings
1yr Earnings: $36,925
Graduates: 26
Acceptance: 10.4%
#9
C

Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY · Private

$43,798
2yr Earnings
Acceptance: 4.2%
#10
L

La Salle University

Philadelphia, PA · Private

$43,240
2yr Earnings
1yr Earnings: $37,984
Graduates: 26
Acceptance: 86.2%
#11
S

Saint Mary's College of California

Moraga, CA · Private

$42,682
2yr Earnings
Acceptance: 88.6%
#12
E

Emory University

Atlanta, GA · Private

$42,123
2yr Earnings
1yr Earnings: $27,258
Graduates: 31
Acceptance: 11.1%
#13
B

Bowdoin College

Brunswick, ME · Private

$42,123
2yr Earnings
1yr Earnings: $46,244
Graduates: 36
Acceptance: 8.0%
#14
H

Harvard University

Cambridge, MA · Private

$41,937
2yr Earnings
Acceptance: 3.5%
#15
U

University of California-Berkeley

Berkeley, CA · Public

$40,821
2yr Earnings
1yr Earnings: $40,373
Graduates: 80
Acceptance: 11.7%
#16
T

The University of Alabama

Tuscaloosa, AL · Public

$39,909
2yr Earnings
Acceptance: 75.8%
#17
U

University of Massachusetts-Boston

Boston, MA · Public

$39,729
2yr Earnings
Acceptance: 83.0%
#18
B

Barnard College

New York, NY · Private

$39,648
2yr Earnings
1yr Earnings: $42,983
Graduates: 32
Acceptance: 8.0%
#19
M

Mary Baldwin University

Staunton, VA · Private

$39,648
2yr Earnings
Acceptance: N/A
#20
O

Occidental College

Los Angeles, CA · Private

$39,369
2yr Earnings
Acceptance: 39.9%
#21
U

University of San Francisco

San Francisco, CA · Private

$39,369
2yr Earnings
1yr Earnings: $31,773
Graduates: 19
Acceptance: 50.8%
#22
Y

Yale University

New Haven, CT · Private

$39,009
2yr Earnings
1yr Earnings: $27,225
Graduates: 25
Acceptance: 4.5%
#23
U

University of Maryland-College Park

College Park, MD · Public

$38,829
2yr Earnings
1yr Earnings: $36,080
Graduates: 27
Acceptance: 44.8%
#24
D

Dickinson College

Carlisle, PA · Private

$38,289
2yr Earnings
Acceptance: 43.1%
#25
F

Fordham University

Bronx, NY · Private

$37,928
2yr Earnings
1yr Earnings: $38,846
Graduates: 43
Acceptance: 56.3%
#26
U

University of Richmond

University of Richmond, VA · Private

$37,928
2yr Earnings
1yr Earnings: $25,863
Graduates: 20
Acceptance: 23.3%
#27
A

American University

Washington, DC · Private

$37,748
2yr Earnings
Acceptance: 47.4%
#28
B

Brandeis University

Waltham, MA · Private

$37,208
2yr Earnings
1yr Earnings: $38,853
Graduates: 47
Acceptance: 35.3%
#29
V

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN · Private

$37,208
2yr Earnings
Acceptance: 6.3%
#30
I

Iowa State University

Ames, IA · Public

$36,848
2yr Earnings
1yr Earnings: $31,963
Graduates: 23
Acceptance: 89.1%
#31
C

Connecticut College

New London, CT · Private

$36,312
2yr Earnings
1yr Earnings: $35,171
Graduates: 32
Acceptance: 38.3%
#32
T

Towson University

Towson, MD · Public

$36,141
2yr Earnings
Acceptance: 82.8%
#33
U

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL · Public

$35,594
2yr Earnings
1yr Earnings: $32,224
Graduates: 61
Acceptance: 43.7%
#34
U

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, IN · Private

$35,416
2yr Earnings
Acceptance: 12.4%
#35
U

University of Hartford

West Hartford, CT · Private

$35,060
2yr Earnings
Acceptance: 83.0%
#36
T

Tufts University

Medford, MA · Private

$35,060
2yr Earnings
1yr Earnings: $33,157
Graduates: 34
Acceptance: 10.1%
#37
S

Smith College

Northampton, MA · Private

$34,420
2yr Earnings
1yr Earnings: $30,077
Graduates: 30
Acceptance: 19.7%
#38
W

Wellesley College

Wellesley, MA · Private

$34,420
2yr Earnings
1yr Earnings: $36,749
Graduates: 31
Acceptance: 13.9%
#39
U

University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI · Public

$34,420
2yr Earnings
1yr Earnings: $19,348
Graduates: 45
Acceptance: 17.9%
#40
U

University of Missouri-Columbia

Columbia, MO · Public

$34,298
2yr Earnings
1yr Earnings: $42,527
Graduates: 98
Acceptance: 77.0%
#41
U

University of California-Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA · Public

$33,993
2yr Earnings
1yr Earnings: $22,438
Graduates: 44
Acceptance: 8.7%
#42
D

DePaul University

Chicago, IL · Private

$33,993
2yr Earnings
1yr Earnings: $28,163
Graduates: 23
Acceptance: 73.5%
#43
U

University of Iowa

Iowa City, IA · Public

$33,993
2yr Earnings
Acceptance: 84.7%
#44
C

Colby College

Waterville, ME · Private

$33,993
2yr Earnings
Acceptance: 6.8%
#45
R

Rider University

Lawrenceville, NJ · Private

$33,993
2yr Earnings
Acceptance: 79.4%
#46
B

Brown University

Providence, RI · Private

$33,993
2yr Earnings
1yr Earnings: $37,471
Graduates: 50
Acceptance: 5.2%
#47
U

University of Washington-Seattle Campus

Seattle, WA · Public

$33,325
2yr Earnings
1yr Earnings: $36,522
Graduates: 100
Acceptance: 42.5%
#48
U

University of Washington-Bothell Campus

Bothell, WA · Public

$33,325
2yr Earnings
1yr Earnings: $36,522
Graduates: 100
Acceptance: 91.8%
#49
U

University of Washington-Tacoma Campus

Tacoma, WA · Public

$33,325
2yr Earnings
1yr Earnings: $36,522
Graduates: 100
Acceptance: 83.0%
#50
U

University of Hawaii at Manoa

Honolulu, HI · Public

$33,281
2yr Earnings
1yr Earnings: $28,828
Graduates: 20
Acceptance: 69.7%

Data source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard - earnings data for graduates with this field of study.

Earnings: Median earnings 2 years after graduation for students who completed this major.

College logos from Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA).