by our College Data Analytics Team
[Ethnic Studies](/majors/ethnic-cultural-gender-studies/ethnic-studies/) programs reward a close look at where graduates go on to earn the most. The highest-paying schools turn a ethnic studies degree into the strongest early-career earnings.
College Factual analyzed 4 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the highest-paying ethnic studies schools.
What’s on this page:
Below are the schools whose ethnic studies graduates go on to earn the most.
For graduate earnings in ethnic studies, no school beat Minnesota State University Mankato this year. Located in the city of Mankato, Minnesota State University Mankato is a public institution. After graduating, ethnic studies degree recipients from Minnesota State University Mankato typically earn about $49,022 annually.
Students chasing top earnings in ethnic studies will find them at University Of Minnesota Duluth, which ranked #2. Set in the city of Duluth, University Of Minnesota Duluth is a public institution. Ethnic Studies graduates of University Of Minnesota Duluth earn a median of about $41,926 a year early in their careers.
University Of Minnesota Twin Cities came in at #3 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying ethnic studies schools. Set in the city of Minneapolis, University Of Minnesota Twin Cities is a public institution. Ethnic Studies graduates of University Of Minnesota Twin Cities earn a median of about $48,333 a year early in their careers.
St Olaf College came in at #4 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying ethnic studies schools. St Olaf College is a private not-for-profit school located in the town of Northfield. Early-career ethnic studies graduates from St Olaf College make a median of around $28,288 per year.
This ranking is produced by College Factual, 2026 edition. The methodology measures the salaries ethnic studies graduates go on to earn early in their careers, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).
Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 4 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.