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2026 Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in Rhode Island

[Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies](/majors/ethnic-cultural-gender-studies/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.

College Factual analyzed 5 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the best value area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies schools.

What’s on this page:

• Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in Rhode Island

2026 Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in Rhode Island

If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies degrees they offer, see the list below.

Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools

1

University Of Rhode Island
Kingston, RI

$16,942 In-State Tuition & Fees

$21,875 Avg Student Debt

$69,743 Median Earnings (10yr)

For return on investment in area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies, no school beat University Of Rhode Island this year. Set in the suburb of Kingston, University Of Rhode Island is a very large public institution. Students from in state pay about $16,942 in tuition and fees, compared with $37,146 for out-of-state students. Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies graduates carry a median of $21,875 in student loans. Early-career area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies graduates make about $28,181. That is a strong return on a $21,875 median debt. University Of Rhode Island admits about 72% of applicants.

2

Brown University
Providence, RI

$71,312 In-State Tuition & Fees

$12,000 Avg Student Debt

$93,487 Median Earnings (10yr)

Brown University came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best value area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies schools. Set in the city of Providence, Brown University is a large private not-for-profit institution. Students from in state pay about $71,312 in tuition and fees. Typical student debt for area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies graduates is $12,000. Soon after graduation, area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies degree recipients from Brown University generally make around $38,805. Set against $12,000 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 5% of applicants are accepted.

View All Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Rankings >

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 · 5 schools evaluated.

*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 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.