by our College Data Analytics Team
[Ethnic Studies](/majors/ethnic-cultural-gender-studies/ethnic-studies/) is a field where your choice of school can shape what you earn after graduation. The highest-paying schools turn a ethnic studies degree into the strongest early-career earnings.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 11 schools on the early-career earnings of their ethnic studies graduates.
What’s on this page:
If you want to know which schools send ethnic studies graduates into the highest-paying careers, see the list below.
For graduate earnings in ethnic studies, no school beat Eastern Michigan University this year. Set in the suburb of Ypsilanti, Eastern Michigan University is a public institution. Students who complete the ethnic studies program here go on to a median salary of roughly $50,577.
Indiana University Bloomington came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying ethnic studies schools. Set in the city of Bloomington, Indiana University Bloomington is a public institution. Ethnic Studies graduates of Indiana University Bloomington earn a median of about $49,207 a year early in their careers.
Strong graduate earnings at Grand Valley State University earned it the #3 place for ethnic studies. Located in the town of Allendale, Grand Valley State University is a public institution. After graduating, ethnic studies degree recipients from Grand Valley State University typically earn about $44,436 annually.
A rank of #4 makes University Of Michigan Ann Arbor one of the highest-paying schools for ethnic studies. University Of Michigan Ann Arbor is a public school located in the city of Ann Arbor. After graduating, ethnic studies degree recipients from University Of Michigan Ann Arbor typically earn about $59,348 annually.
Ohio State University Main Campus produces some of the highest-paid graduates in ethnic studies, landing the #5 spot this year. Set in the city of Columbus, Ohio State University Main Campus is a public institution. Early-career ethnic studies graduates from Ohio State University Main Campus make a median of around $51,643 per year.
Northwestern University placed #6 among the highest-paying schools for ethnic studies. Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Evanston. Early-career ethnic studies graduates from Northwestern University make a median of around $39,012 per year.
University Of Illinois At Chicago ranked #7 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying ethnic studies schools. University Of Illinois At Chicago is a public school located in the city of Chicago. Students who complete the ethnic studies program here go on to a median salary of roughly $45,248.
University Of Wisconsin Madison placed #8 among the highest-paying schools for ethnic studies. University Of Wisconsin Madison is a public school located in the city of Madison. Early-career ethnic studies graduates from University Of Wisconsin Madison make a median of around $52,025 per year.
University Of Wisconsin Milwaukee ranked #9 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying ethnic studies schools. Set in the city of Milwaukee, University Of Wisconsin Milwaukee is a public institution. Students who complete the ethnic studies program here go on to a median salary of roughly $50,530.
University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign ranked #10 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying ethnic studies schools. Located in the city of Champaign, University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign is a public institution. After graduating, ethnic studies degree recipients from University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign typically earn about $32,856 annually.
Depaul University placed #11 among the highest-paying schools for ethnic studies. Set in the city of Chicago, Depaul University is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, ethnic studies degree recipients from Depaul University typically earn about $18,029 annually.
This ranking is produced by College Factual, 2026 edition. Schools are ranked on the median early-career earnings of their ethnic studies graduates, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).
Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 11 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.
More about our data sources and methodologies.