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2024 Best International Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools

119 Colleges in the United States
6,197 Bachelor's Degrees
$30,329 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on getting your bachelor's degree in international studies, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #69 in the country in terms of popularity. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 119 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best International Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 6,197 bachelor's degrees in international studies during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great International Studies School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best International Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools Your choice of international studies for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality international studies program can vary widely even among the top schools. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we consider a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a combination of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Average Earnings

To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their bachelor's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their bachelor's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for international studies students working on their bachelor's degree.

More Ways to Rank International Studies Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More International Studies Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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 Best International Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools list to help you make the college decision.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study International Studies in the United States

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in international studies. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

17 Top Schools for a Bachelor's in International Studies

1
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
48 Annual Graduates

Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in international studies has to look into University of Pennsylvania. UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Philadelphia.More information about a bachelor’s in international studies from University of Pennsylvania

2
32 Annual Graduates

University of Notre Dame is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in international studies. Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Notre Dame.More information about a bachelor’s in international studies from University of Notre Dame

3
128 Annual Graduates
$15,636 Median Student Debt

University of California - Berkeley is a great choice for individuals pursuing a bachelor's degree in international studies. Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in international studies from University of California - Berkeley

4
64 Annual Graduates
$36,903 Median Starting Salary
$20,250 Median Student Debt

It's hard to beat Washington University in St Louis if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in international studies. WUSTL is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Saint Louis.

Those international studies students who get their bachelor's degree from Washington University in St Louis make $6,574 more than the average international studies student.

More information about a bachelor’s in international studies from Washington University in St Louis

5
585 Annual Graduates
$41,542 Median Starting Salary
$16,500 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a very large student population.

Those international studies students who get their bachelor's degree from University of California - San Diego make $11,213 more than the standard international studies student.

More information about a bachelor’s in international studies from University of California - San Diego

6
290 Annual Graduates
$35,213 Median Starting Salary
$14,792 Median Student Debt

UCSB is a fairly large public university located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara.

Bachelor's recipients from the international studies program at University of California - Santa Barbara get $4,884 above the standard graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in international studies from University of California - Santa Barbara

7
4 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in international studies from University of Southern California

8
209 Annual Graduates
$33,806 Median Starting Salary
$15,053 Median Student Debt

Located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Those international studies students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor earn $3,477 more than the typical international studies student.

More information about a bachelor’s in international studies from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

9
198 Annual Graduates
$35,418 Median Starting Salary
$18,535 Median Student Debt

UT Austin is a fairly large public university located in the city of Austin.

International Studies bachelor's degree recipients from The University of Texas at Austin earn a boost of around $5,089 over the typical earnings of international studies majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in international studies from The University of Texas at Austin

10
42 Annual Graduates
$43,229 Median Starting Salary
$12,000 Median Student Debt

UCLA is a very large public university located in the city of Los Angeles.

International Studies bachelor's degree recipients from University of California - Los Angeles receive an earnings boost of around $12,900 over the typical earnings of international studies graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in international studies from University of California - Los Angeles

11
172 Annual Graduates
$32,752 Median Starting Salary
$15,250 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a very large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the international studies major at University of California - Irvine get $2,423 above the typical graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in international studies from University of California - Irvine

12
66 Annual Graduates
$40,384 Median Starting Salary
$25,694 Median Student Debt

Brandeis is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Waltham.

Those international studies students who get their bachelor's degree from Brandeis University make $10,055 more than the typical international studies student.

More information about a bachelor’s in international studies from Brandeis University

13
94 Annual Graduates
$56,758 Median Starting Salary
$13,125 Median Student Debt

American Military University is a very large private for-profit university located in the town of Charles Town.

Those international studies students who get their bachelor's degree from American Public University System make $26,429 more than the standard international studies graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in international studies from American Public University System

14
Colby crest
Colby College
Waterville, ME

Colby is a small private not-for-profit college located in the town of Waterville.

Bachelor's recipients from the international studies degree program at Colby College earn $14,021 more than the typical college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in international studies from Colby College

15
95 Annual Graduates
$28,989 Median Starting Salary
$20,469 Median Student Debt

UW - Madison is a very large public university located in the large city of Madison.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the international studies program earn an average of $28,989 in their early career salary.

More information about a bachelor’s in international studies from University of Wisconsin - Madison

16
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
90 Annual Graduates
$26,055 Median Starting Salary
$12,000 Median Student Debt

UF is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Gainesville.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the international studies program state that they receive average early career income of $26,055.

More information about a bachelor’s in international studies from University of Florida

17
Boston College crest
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA
86 Annual Graduates
$39,636 Median Starting Salary
$19,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Chestnut Hill, Boston College is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

Those international studies students who get their bachelor's degree from Boston College earn $9,307 more than the average international studies student.

More information about a bachelor’s in international studies from Boston College

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best International Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
18 Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA
19 Arizona State University - Tempe Tempe, AZ
20 University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT
21 University of Oklahoma Norman Campus Norman, OK
22 Providence College Providence, RI
23 Texas A&M University - College Station College Station, TX
24 George Fox University Newberg, OR
25 Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX

International Studies by Region

View the Best International Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

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International Studies is one of 51 different types of Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies programs to choose from.

International Studies Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
International/Globalization Studies 6,197

Majors Similar to International Studies

Related Major Annual Graduates
Other Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies 24,095
Interdisciplinary Studies 7,810
Nutrition Science 3,815
Cognitive Science 2,650
Biological & Physical Science 2,632
Human Biology 1,907
Behavioral Science 1,814
Sustainability Science 1,215
Mathematics & Computer Science 993
Natural Sciences 918

Notes and References

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