2026 Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in District of Columbia
[Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies](/majors/ethnic-cultural-gender-studies/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies education at a price that pays off.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 6 schools to find the best return on investment for area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students.
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2026 Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in District of Columbia
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools
Gallaudet University earned the #1 spot for value among area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies schools in District of Columbia. Gallaudet University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Washington. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $19,654. Typical student debt for area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies graduates is $28,125. Early-career area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies graduates make about $31,541. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Gallaudet University admits about 58% of applicants.
George Washington University came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best value area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies schools. Set in the city of Washington, George Washington University is a very large private not-for-profit institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $67,710. Students borrow a median of $25,500 to complete the area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies program here. Soon after graduation, area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies degree recipients from George Washington University generally make around $73,749. That is a strong return on a $25,500 median debt. Roughly 47% of applicants are accepted.
Georgetown University came in at #3 on our 2026 list of the best value area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies schools. Set in the city of Washington, Georgetown University is a very large private not-for-profit institution. In-state tuition and fees average $68,089. Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies graduates carry a median of $17,000 in student loans. Early-career area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies graduates make about $64,783. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 13% of applicants are accepted.
American University is a great value for students pursuing a degree in area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies, landing the #4 spot this year. Located in the city of Washington, American University is a large private not-for-profit university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $58,771. Students borrow a median of $26,810 to complete the area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies program here. Soon after graduation, area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies degree recipients from American University generally make around $44,036. Set against $26,810 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 62%.
Howard University is a great value for students pursuing a degree in area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies, landing the #5 spot this year. Located in the city of Washington, Howard University is a large private not-for-profit university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $35,810. Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies graduates carry a median of $25,498 in student loans. Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies graduates of Howard University earn a median of $58,495 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $25,498 median debt. Roughly 41% of applicants are accepted.
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Notes and References
This list is compiled 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 · 6 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 3 ranked schools only.
- 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.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
