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2026 Highest Paid Area Studies Grads in Virginia

[Area Studies](/majors/ethnic-cultural-gender-studies/area-studies/) is a field where your choice of school can shape what you earn after graduation. A top-earning program sends graduates into careers with strong starting pay.

For its 2026 highest-paid-graduates ranking, College Factual looked at 3 schools to find where area studies graduates earn the most.

What’s on this page:

• Highest Paid Area Studies Grads in Virginia

2026 Highest Paid Area Studies Grads in Virginia

Below are the schools whose area studies graduates go on to earn the most.

Highest Paid Area Studies Graduates

1

College Of William And Mary
Williamsburg, VA

$75,576 Average Early-Career Salary

College Of William And Mary tops our 2026 list of the highest-paying area studies schools in Virginia. Located in the suburb of Williamsburg, College Of William And Mary is a public institution. Students who complete the area studies program here go on to a median salary of roughly $75,576.

2

University Of Virginia Main Campus
Charlottesville, VA

$57,540 Average Early-Career Salary

University Of Virginia Main Campus produces some of the highest-paid graduates in area studies, landing the #2 spot this year. Set in the suburb of Charlottesville, University Of Virginia Main Campus is a public institution. Area Studies graduates of University Of Virginia Main Campus earn a median of about $57,540 a year early in their careers.

3

Virginia Commonwealth University
Richmond, VA

$51,261 Average Early-Career Salary

A rank of #3 makes Virginia Commonwealth University one of the highest-paying schools for area studies. Virginia Commonwealth University is a public school located in the city of Richmond. Area Studies graduates of Virginia Commonwealth University earn a median of about $51,261 a year early in their careers.

View All Area Studies Rankings >

Notes and References

This list is compiled by College Factual, 2026 edition. Schools are ranked on the median early-career earnings of their area studies graduates, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).

Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 3 schools evaluated.

*Salary figures reflect median early-career earnings (about 5 years after graduation) and may vary by how long a person takes to complete their degree.

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Graduate earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard) field-of-study earnings.

More about our data sources and methodologies.