Which state pays international studies bachelor's graduates the most?

Massachusetts, where the median program pays its graduates $46,530 in their first year, the highest of 3 state rankings. Texas is next, at $36,305.

Which international studies bachelor's program pays the most?

Bentley University in Massachusetts reports the highest first-year pay of the 80 programs ranked here, $75,006. Its median federal debt is $23,625.

How much debt do international studies bachelor's graduates have?

The median program leaves its graduates with $22,233 in federal debt. Across programs, the median debt is 69% of first-year pay.

Highest-Paying International Studies (Bachelor's) Programs in the US

80 programs report first-year pay
3 state rankings
Bachelor's in International/Globalization Studies

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

The median international studies bachelor's program in the US pays its graduates $32,513 in their first year and $54,564 five years after. Massachusetts has the highest state median ($46,530), and California the lowest ($34,246). The median program leaves its graduates with $22,233 in federal debt.

Median first-year pay$32,513Across 80 programs

Median pay after 5 years$54,564Across 61 programs

Median federal debt$22,233Across 82 programs

Debt-to-earnings69%Across 76 programs

All 80 programs, ranked by graduate pay

Each program is ranked by the median pay of its graduates one year after they finished, from College Scorecard. This measures what graduates earn, not how good the teaching is. Pay also depends on where graduates live and work. Programs that don't report a figure are listed last when you sort by it.

#	School	Year 1 pay	After cost of living	Year 5 pay	Debt	Debt to pay
1	Bentley UniversityWaltham, MA · private nonprofit	$75,006	$70,923	Not reported	$23,625	31%
2	Notre DameNotre Dame, IN · private nonprofit	$69,362	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
3	American Public University SystemCharles Town, WV · private for-profit	$64,133	Not adjusted	$83,481	$13,125	20%
4	Ohio StateColumbus, OH · public	$55,240	$59,543	Not reported	$20,075	36%
5	Boston CollegeChestnut Hill, MA · private nonprofit	$51,371	Not adjusted	$81,227	$19,000	37%
6	UMBCBaltimore, MD · public	$49,115	$46,794	Not reported	$20,258	41%
7	UC BerkeleyBerkeley, CA · public	$46,660	$42,142	Not reported	$15,636	34%
8	College of the Holy CrossWorcester, MA · private nonprofit	$46,530	$43,997	Not reported	$23,000	49%
9	NC StateRaleigh, NC · public	$45,648	$48,394	Not reported	$22,500	49%
10	UC San DiegoLa Jolla, CA · public	$45,168	$40,795	$73,765	$16,500	37%
11	University of MichiganAnn Arbor, MI · public	$44,446	Not adjusted	$72,091	$15,053	34%
12	Colby CollegeWaterville, ME · private nonprofit	$42,756	Not adjusted	$79,364	Not reported	Not reported
13	UT AustinAustin, TX · public	$42,701	$43,996	$74,259	$18,535	43%
14	SewaneeSewanee, TN · private nonprofit	$42,390	Not adjusted	$65,486	$19,500	46%
15	UVACharlottesville, VA · public	$42,197	$41,736	Not reported	$19,500	46%
16	Texas A&MCollege Station, TX · public	$41,886	$43,156	$62,793	$18,000	43%
17	UW-MadisonMadison, WI · public	$40,594	Not adjusted	$61,225	$20,469	50%
18	Drexel UniversityPhiladelphia, PA · private nonprofit	$40,189	$41,189	$78,524	$29,046	72%
19	UCLALos Angeles, CA · public	$39,082	$35,298	$77,658	$12,000	31%
20	UCFOrlando, FL · public	$38,953	$37,667	$63,756	$20,142	52%
21	WashUSt. Louis, MO · private nonprofit	$38,854	Not adjusted	Not reported	$20,250	52%
22	Michigan StateEast Lansing, MI · public	$38,410	$39,920	$62,935	$27,000	70%
23	Texas StateSan Marcos, TX · public	$37,397	$38,531	Not reported	$24,313	65%
24	ASUTempe, AZ · public	$37,161	Not adjusted	$51,348	$21,966	59%
25	University of Nebraska-LincolnLincoln, NE · public	$36,926	$40,982	$54,194	$20,500	56%
26	Pepperdine UniversityMalibu, CA · private nonprofit	$36,920	Not adjusted	$58,137	$26,000	70%
27	University of UtahSalt Lake City, UT · public	$36,883	$37,307	$64,104	$25,611	69%
28	Brandeis UniversityWaltham, MA · private nonprofit	$36,874	Not adjusted	$69,903	$25,694	70%
29	Saint Edward's UniversityAustin, TX · private nonprofit	$36,305	$37,406	$58,748	$23,625	65%
30	University at AlbanyAlbany, NY · public	$35,683	$33,064	$51,851	$26,875	75%
31	Centre CollegeDanville, KY · private nonprofit	$35,367	$39,227	Not reported	$27,000	76%
32	Cal State Monterey BaySeaside, CA · public	$34,246	$30,930	Not reported	$14,093	41%
33	CU BoulderBoulder, CO · public	$33,892	$32,888	$54,974	$17,600	52%
34	University of Nebraska at OmahaOmaha, NE · public	$33,798	$37,510	$42,037	$20,527	61%
35	University of VermontBurlington, VT · public	$33,757	Not adjusted	$52,608	$20,500	61%
36	UC Santa BarbaraSanta Barbara, CA · public	$33,553	$30,304	$65,890	$14,792	44%
37	Texas TechLubbock, TX · public	$33,504	$34,520	Not reported	$21,500	64%
38	UC IrvineIrvine, CA · public	$33,388	$30,155	$62,832	$15,250	46%
39	University of DaytonDayton, OH · private nonprofit	$32,994	Not adjusted	$55,869	$24,199	73%
40	Wright StateDayton, OH · public	$32,819	Not adjusted	Not reported	$32,500	99%
41	UNC CharlotteCharlotte, NC · public	$32,206	$34,143	$46,937	$24,250	75%
42	Western Michigan UniversityKalamazoo, MI · public	$32,147	$33,411	$54,564	$27,000	84%
43	University of Oklahoma-Norman CampusNorman, OK · public	$32,129	$36,575	$67,948	$21,681	67%
44	Cal State Long BeachLong Beach, CA · public	$31,589	$28,531	Not reported	$15,454	49%
45	UW-MilwaukeeMilwaukee, WI · public	$31,433	$33,406	$54,140	$26,738	85%
46	Arcadia UniversityGlenside, PA · private nonprofit	$30,872	Not adjusted	$52,123	$27,000	87%
47	University of North FloridaJacksonville, FL · public	$30,861	$29,842	$44,186	$18,625	60%
48	Hofstra UniversityHempstead, NY · private nonprofit	$30,759	Not adjusted	$62,712	$25,750	84%
49	Temple UniversityPhiladelphia, PA · public	$30,754	$31,519	Not reported	$25,125	82%
50	UNTDenton, TX · public	$30,621	$31,550	$49,046	$21,033	69%
51	UIUCChampaign, IL · public	$30,438	$30,451	Not reported	$21,628	71%
52	Middle Tennessee StateMurfreesboro, TN · public	$30,365	$33,052	$42,724	$23,850	79%
53	Liberty UniversityLynchburg, VA · private nonprofit	$30,349	Not adjusted	Not reported	$22,914	76%
54	Shippensburg University of PennsylvaniaShippensburg, PA · public	$30,124	Not adjusted	Not reported	$27,000	90%
55	Emmanuel CollegeBoston, MA · private nonprofit	$29,688	Not adjusted	Not reported	$27,000	91%
56	BYU-IdahoRexburg, ID · private nonprofit	$29,287	Not adjusted	$54,564	$10,000	34%
57	University of WyomingLaramie, WY · public	$29,132	Not adjusted	$41,127	$17,375	60%
58	UT ArlingtonArlington, TX · public	$29,118	$30,001	Not reported	$25,028	86%
59	University of FloridaGainesville, FL · public	$29,043	$28,084	$64,698	$12,000	41%
60	Bowling Green StateBowling Green, OH · public	$29,013	$31,273	Not reported	$26,000	90%
61	Colorado StateFort Collins, CO · public	$28,919	$28,063	$52,921	$19,763	68%
62	University of OregonEugene, OR · public	$28,502	$27,575	$46,171	$19,500	68%
63	University of New MexicoAlbuquerque, NM · public	$28,238	$30,623	Not reported	$18,500	66%
64	University of IowaIowa City, IA · public	$28,140	$32,064	$51,488	$25,242	90%
65	Missouri StateSpringfield, MO · public	$27,814	$30,626	Not reported	$24,750	89%
66	The New SchoolNew York, NY · private nonprofit	$27,652	$25,622	$45,612	$22,792	82%
67	University of ArizonaTucson, AZ · public	$27,416	$27,232	$50,506	$25,000	91%
68	University of KentuckyLexington, KY · public	$26,104	$28,953	$52,705	$25,368	97%
69	St Lawrence UniversityCanton, NY · private nonprofit	$26,016	Not adjusted	$47,281	$27,000	104%
70	Southeast Missouri StateCape Girardeau, MO · public	$25,984	$28,611	Not reported	$25,000	96%
71	College of CharlestonCharleston, SC · public	$25,764	$27,482	$49,041	$17,750	69%
72	Spelman CollegeAtlanta, GA · private nonprofit	$25,753	Not adjusted	$73,556	$27,000	105%
73	CU DenverDenver, CO · public	$25,307	$24,558	$48,914	$24,618	97%
74	UW-Stevens PointStevens Point, WI · public	$25,217	$26,800	$40,161	$25,372	101%
75	Saint Mary's CollegeNotre Dame, IN · private nonprofit	$25,164	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
76	Appalachian StateBoone, NC · public	$23,073	Not adjusted	Not reported	$22,991	100%
77	UNC WilmingtonWilmington, NC · public	$21,830	$23,143	$44,663	$18,750	86%
78	UC RiversideRiverside, CA · public	$21,428	$19,353	$48,595	$20,500	96%
79	Macalester CollegeSaint Paul, MN · private nonprofit	$21,176	Not adjusted	$53,128	$23,324	110%
80	University of Puget SoundTacoma, WA · private nonprofit	$16,037	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported

Pay after cost of living divides first-year pay by the Bureau of Economic Analysis price level of the school's state, where the US average is 100. It is shown for 53 programs where at least half of the graduates who work are working in the school's state. The other 27, whose graduates mostly work in other states or whose state has no price level, are listed last when you sort by it.

4 programs report pay but not debt, so they are ranked only by pay.

College Scorecard withholds pay for programs with too few graduates, to protect their privacy, so those programs can't be ranked.

International Studies (Bachelor's) programs by state

Each row is the median across the state's international studies bachelor's programs. State names link to the full ranking of that state's programs.

#	State	Programs	Year 1 pay	Debt
1	Massachusetts	5	$46,530	$23,625
2	Texas	7	$36,305	$21,500
3	California	9	$34,246	$15,454

Programs in 31 more states and territories report pay, but too few to rank. A state ranking needs at least five programs that report both pay and debt.

Quick picks nationwide

Lowest median debt

UCLA, CA$12,000
Cal State Monterey Bay, CA$14,093
UC Santa Barbara, CA$14,792
UC Irvine, CA$15,250
Cal State Long Beach, CA$15,454
UC Berkeley, CA$15,636
UC San Diego, CA$16,500
Texas A&M, TX$18,000
UT Austin, TX$18,535
Boston College, MA$19,000

Lowest debt for the pay

Only the 21 programs with their own page here are included. "Debt for the pay" is median debt divided by first-year pay.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to international studies, largest first. Pay is the median across the US and all experience levels.

Political Scientists

$142,080

Median pay in the US. 5,540 people work in this job in the US. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 2% from 2025 to 2035, with about 400 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.

Bottom 10%: $83,350Top 10%: $195,190

Common questions

The median international studies bachelor's program in the US pays its graduates $32,513 in their first year and $54,564 five years after.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid, and earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Medians are across programs, not students: each program counts once, however many graduates it has.
National medians include every program in the 50 states, DC, and US territories, including schools that have since closed. Schools with several campuses that report one combined figure are counted once.
Programs are ranked by College Scorecard median pay one year after graduation. Pay after cost of living uses the price level of the school's state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025. Price levels are the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities for 2024.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024