by our College Data Analytics Team
[Near & Middle Eastern Studies](/majors/ethnic-cultural-gender-studies/area-studies/near-and-middle-eastern-studies/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 1 schools to find the best return on investment for near & middle eastern studies students.
What’s on this page:
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in near & middle eastern studies, balancing cost against outcomes.
For return on investment in near & middle eastern studies, no school beat Brown University this year. Brown University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Providence. Students from in state pay about $71,312 in tuition and fees. Near & Middle Eastern Studies graduates carry a median of $12,000 in student loans. Early-career near & middle eastern studies graduates make about $39,165. That is a strong return on a $12,000 median debt. The acceptance rate is 5%.
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 1 school evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.