2021 Highest Paid International Studies Graduates
Finding the Best International Studies School for You
International Studies is the #68 most popular major in the country with 6,494 bachelor's degrees awarded in 2018-2019.
When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Highest Paid International Studies list to help you make the college decision.
This year's Highest Paid International Studies Graduates ranking looked at 62 colleges that offer a bachelor's in international studies.
In this ranking, we use early career salaries - salaries 10 years from when a student started college. This is the salary typically earned 4-6 years after graduation, but may be different depending on how long a person takes to complete their degree.
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Comparing Average Salaries of International Studies Majors
The average international studies major who graduates from a school in the United States earns about $29,580 per year during the early years of their career. If salary is one of the most important things on your career list, you may be disappointed to hear that this is 26% less than the salary of a typical college graduate.
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2021 Highest Paid International Studies Grads in the United States
Learn more about the colleges and universities that produce the highest paid international studies graduates.
Top 17 Best Schools for Highly Paid International Studies Graduates
American Public University System earned the #1 spot in our 2021 rankings. Located in the town of Charles Town, American Military University is a private for-profit college with a fairly large student population. International Studies majors who obtain their bachelor's from the school make an average salary of $52,000.
International Studies majors at American Military University take out an average of $22,487 in student loans while working on their bachelor's degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $216, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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University of Pennsylvania landed the #2 spot in our 2021 rankings for highest paid international studies school. UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Philadelphia.
The average amount in student loans that international studies majors at UPenn take out while working on their bachelor's is $17,947.
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Boston College landed the #2 spot in our 2021 rankings for highest paid international studies school. Located in the small city of Chestnut Hill, Boston College is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population. The average salary for a student who gets a bachelor's degree in international studies from the school is $42,400.
After completing their bachelor's degree, international studies graduates from Boston College carry an average student debtload of $14,607. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $169, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Southern Methodist University landed the #3 spot in our 2021 rankings for highest paid international studies school. SMU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Dallas.
The average amount in student loans that international studies majors at SMU take out while working on their bachelor's is $20,690. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $215.
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Brandeis University earned the #3 spot in our 2021 rankings. Brandeis is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Waltham. The average salary for a student who gets a bachelor's degree in international studies from the school is $41,600.
After completing their bachelor's degree, international studies graduates from Brandeis carry an average student debtload of $22,987. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $257, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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The #4 spot in this year's ranking belongs to Colby College. Colby is a small private not-for-profit school located in the remote town of Waterville. Students who receive their bachelor's in international studies from the school go on to jobs that make an average salary of $40,000.
After completing their bachelor's degree, international studies graduates from Colby carry an average student debtload of $16,008. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $156, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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United States Air Force Academy earned the #4 spot in our 2021 rankings. USAFA is a small public school located in the town of USAF Academy.
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Kenyon College earned the #5 spot in our 2021 rankings. Located in the distant town of Gambier, Kenyon is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
While working on their bachelor's, international studies majors at Kenyon accumulate an average of around $16,945 in student debt.
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University of California - San Diego comes in at #5 in this year's ranking. Located in the city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public school with a fairly large student population. Students who receive their bachelor's in international studies from the school go on to jobs that make an average salary of $37,500.
While working on their bachelor's, international studies majors at UCSD accumulate an average of around $17,643 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $178.
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University of California - Los Angeles earned the #6 spot in our 2021 rankings. UCLA is a very large public school located in the large city of Los Angeles. International Studies majors who obtain their bachelor's from the school make an average salary of $37,000.
After completing their bachelor's degree, international studies graduates from UCLA carry an average student debtload of $18,210. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $210, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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The #7 spot in this year's ranking belongs to University of California - Irvine. UC Irvine is a very large public school located in the city of Irvine. The average salary for a student who gets a bachelor's degree in international studies from the school is $36,600.
While working on their bachelor's, international studies majors at UC Irvine accumulate an average of around $17,821 in student debt. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $185.
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Carnegie Mellon University landed the #7 spot in our 2021 rankings for highest paid international studies school. Located in the city of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
On average, international studies graduates from Carnegie Mellon take out $24,894 in student loans while working on their bachelor's degree.
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Our rankings recognize Arizona State University - Tempe as the #8 school in this year's rankings. ASU - Tempe is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Tempe. Students who receive their bachelor's in international studies from the school go on to jobs that make an average salary of $36,100.
After completing their bachelor's degree, international studies graduates from ASU - Tempe carry an average student debtload of $19,666. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $202, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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The #8 spot in this year's ranking belongs to Lehigh University. Lehigh is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Bethlehem.
While working on their bachelor's, international studies majors at Lehigh accumulate an average of around $17,067 in student debt.
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Our rankings recognize Arizona State University - Skysong as the #9 school in this year's rankings. ASU - Skysong is a fairly large public school located in the city of Scottsdale. Students who receive their bachelor's in international studies from the school go on to jobs that make an average salary of $36,100.
On average, international studies graduates from ASU - Skysong take out $19,666 in student loans while working on their bachelor's degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $202, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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The University of Texas at Austin earned the #10 spot in our 2021 rankings. UT Austin is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Austin. International Studies majors who obtain their bachelor's from the school make an average salary of $35,900.
The average amount in student loans that international studies majors at UT Austin take out while working on their bachelor's is $19,826. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $208.
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Villanova University comes in at #10 in this year's ranking. Villanova is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Villanova.
On average, international studies graduates from Villanova take out $20,868 in student loans while working on their bachelor's degree.
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These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Highest Paid International Studies Graduates award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | Pepperdine University | Malibu, CA |
| 12 | University of Utah | Salt Lake City, UT |
| 13 | Hofstra University | Hempstead, NY |
| 14 | Texas A&M University - College Station | College Station, TX |
| 15 | Drexel University | Philadelphia, PA |
| 16 | Adelphi University | Garden City, NY |
| 20 | Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus | Atlanta, GA |
| 21 | Bentley University | Waltham, MA |
| 24 | Bryant University | Smithfield, RI |
| 25 | University of Denver | Denver, CO |
International Studies by Region
View the Highest Paid International Studies Graduates for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
Rankings in Majors Related to International Studies
International Studies is one of 28 different types of Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies programs to choose from.
Majors Similar to International Studies
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Other Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies | 26,669 |
| Interdisciplinary Studies | 5,508 |
| Nutrition Science | 3,334 |
| Behavioral Science | 2,433 |
| Biological & Physical Science | 2,177 |
View All International Studies Related Majors >
Notes and References
- 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 the rest 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).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Yerpo.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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