Which state pays other interdisciplinary studies bachelor's graduates the most?

Texas, where the median program pays its graduates $48,381 in their first year, the highest of 10 state rankings. Virginia is next, at $46,359.

How much debt do other interdisciplinary studies bachelor's graduates have?

The median program leaves its graduates with $25,591 in federal debt. Across programs, the median debt is 65% of first-year pay.

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

Q: Which other interdisciplinary studies bachelor's program pays the most?

University of the Pacific in California reports the highest first-year pay of the 181 programs ranked here, $104,803. Its median federal debt is $15,500.

182 programs report first-year pay
10 state rankings
Bachelor's in Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

The median other interdisciplinary studies bachelor's program in the US pays its graduates $39,112 in their first year and $54,061 five years after. Texas has the highest state median ($48,381), and Oregon the lowest ($31,571). The median program leaves its graduates with $25,591 in federal debt.

Median first-year pay$39,112Across 182 programs

Median pay after 5 years$54,061Across 178 programs

Median federal debt$25,591Across 190 programs

Debt-to-earnings65%Across 172 programs

All 181 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	University of the PacificStockton, CA · private nonprofit	$104,803	$94,656	$182,091	$15,500	15%
2	Thomas Edison State UniversityTrenton, NJ · public	$88,629	Not adjusted	$102,164	$11,474	13%
3	University of Arkansas GranthamLIttle Rock, AR · public	$74,432	Not adjusted	$74,329	$9,625	13%
4	Drexel UniversityPhiladelphia, PA · private nonprofit	$72,174	$73,970	$93,676	$25,878	36%
5	University of MichiganAnn Arbor, MI · public	$59,105	Not adjusted	$106,619	$19,000	32%
6	Texas Southern UniversityHouston, TX · public	$57,511	$59,255	$62,503	$37,125	65%
7	Purdue GlobalWest Lafayette, IN · public	$57,005	Not adjusted	Not reported	$26,000	46%
8	University of HoustonHouston, TX · public	$56,904	$58,629	$58,563	$21,500	38%
9	UH-Clear LakeHouston, TX · public	$56,645	$58,363	$57,855	$20,904	37%
10	Rogers StateClaremore, OK · public	$56,439	$64,250	$57,683	$31,827	56%
11	Montana State University BillingsBillings, MT · public	$55,918	$59,082	Not reported	$34,680	62%
12	University of Minnesota-CrookstonCrookston, MN · public	$54,656	$55,420	$62,058	$31,000	57%
13	Boston UniversityBoston, MA · private nonprofit	$54,456	Not adjusted	$116,242	$22,625	42%
14	Texas Woman's UniversityDenton, TX · public	$54,038	$55,677	$56,249	$21,668	40%
15	UNTDenton, TX · public	$53,733	$55,362	$58,140	$23,573	44%
16	Northwestern State University of LouisianaNatchitoches, LA · public	$53,442	Not adjusted	Not reported	$31,000	58%
17	UT Permian BasinOdessa, TX · public	$53,109	$54,719	$54,906	$17,750	33%
18	Sam Houston StateHuntsville, TX · public	$52,792	$54,393	$54,796	$27,000	51%
19	UVACharlottesville, VA · public	$52,463	$51,890	$73,091	$26,700	51%
20	UT DallasRichardson, TX · public	$52,162	$53,744	$58,397	$24,092	46%
21	Prairie View A&M UniversityPrairie View, TX · public	$52,148	$53,729	$55,009	$31,000	59%
22	Brandeis UniversityWaltham, MA · private nonprofit	$51,615	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
23	Texas A&M-Central TexasKilleen, TX · public	$51,398	$52,957	$57,683	$19,212	37%
24	UT AustinAustin, TX · public	$51,107	$52,657	$56,657	$21,500	42%
25	Eastern Illinois UniversityCharleston, IL · public	$50,862	$50,883	$59,275	$22,033	43%
26	Texas TechLubbock, TX · public	$50,664	$52,200	$56,016	$22,800	45%
27	Texas A&MCollege Station, TX · public	$50,235	$51,758	$56,370	$20,500	41%
28	Texas A&M-Corpus ChristiCorpus Christi, TX · public	$50,040	$51,557	$51,541	$24,816	50%
29	Metropolitan State UniversitySaint Paul, MN · public	$49,751	$50,447	$61,930	$35,110	71%
30	UT ArlingtonArlington, TX · public	$49,748	$51,256	$58,562	$19,500	39%
31	UH-DowntownHouston, TX · public	$49,734	$51,242	$59,058	$28,237	57%
32	American UniversityWashington, DC · private nonprofit	$49,486	Not adjusted	$69,087	$23,000	46%
33	UH West OahuKapolei, HI · public	$49,464	$44,987	$75,755	$17,820	36%
34	University of RichmondUniversity of Richmond, VA · private nonprofit	$49,421	Not adjusted	$81,521	$24,750	50%
35	East Texas A&M UniversityCommerce, TX · public	$49,365	$50,862	$51,684	$25,250	51%
36	UTEPEl Paso, TX · public	$49,351	$50,847	$54,209	$22,512	46%
37	Texas StateSan Marcos, TX · public	$49,240	$50,733	$53,495	$25,000	51%
38	VCURichmond, VA · public	$49,111	$48,575	$51,371	$25,125	51%
39	Virginia Wesleyan UniversityVirginia Beach, VA · private nonprofit	$48,841	Not adjusted	$49,588	$31,000	63%
40	Tarleton StateStephenville, TX · public	$48,381	$49,848	$50,554	$24,562	51%
41	Texas A&M-San AntonioSan Antonio, TX · public	$48,239	$49,702	Not reported	$21,000	44%
42	CU BoulderBoulder, CO · public	$48,229	$46,801	Not reported	$23,831	49%
43	Trinity CollegeHartford, CT · private nonprofit	$47,952	Not adjusted	Not reported	$23,927	50%
44	Texas A&M-VictoriaVictoria, TX · public	$47,803	$49,253	$52,913	$25,930	54%
45	UMass AmherstAmherst, MA · public	$47,762	$45,162	$57,091	$29,309	61%
46	Stephen F. AustinNacogdoches, TX · public	$46,871	$48,292	$51,172	$25,000	53%
47	West Texas A&M UniversityCanyon, TX · public	$46,614	$48,027	$49,680	$24,804	53%
48	Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimore, MD · private nonprofit	$46,455	Not adjusted	Not reported	$13,750	30%
49	Old Dominion UniversityNorfolk, VA · public	$46,359	$45,853	$49,302	$27,000	58%
50	UCLALos Angeles, CA · public	$46,154	$41,685	$85,005	$15,000	32%
51	Texas A&M-KingsvilleKingsville, TX · public	$46,123	$47,522	$53,674	$19,581	42%
52	Lamar UniversityBeaumont, TX · public	$46,064	$47,461	$50,109	$31,000	67%
53	Texas Wesleyan UniversityFort Worth, TX · private nonprofit	$45,952	$47,345	$53,953	$29,711	65%
54	ASUTempe, AZ · public	$45,875	$45,567	$63,362	$25,000	54%
55	Yale UniversityNew Haven, CT · private nonprofit	$45,769	Not adjusted	$130,467	$13,500	29%
56	College of CharlestonCharleston, SC · public	$45,613	Not adjusted	Not reported	$39,037	86%
57	Cal Poly HumboldtArcata, CA · public	$45,490	$41,086	$45,421	$18,196	40%
58	UC BerkeleyBerkeley, CA · public	$45,461	$41,059	$93,915	$14,500	32%
59	Boise StateBoise, ID · public	$45,369	$47,510	$54,169	$26,000	57%
60	Southwestern Oklahoma StateWeatherford, OK · public	$44,818	$51,021	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
61	UTSASan Antonio, TX · public	$44,563	$45,914	$53,919	$23,984	54%
62	University of CincinnatiCincinnati, OH · public	$44,438	$47,899	$57,856	$27,000	61%
63	North Dakota StateFargo, ND · public	$44,064	Not adjusted	$52,303	$21,500	49%
64	Keene State CollegeKeene, NH · public	$43,752	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
65	Midwestern StateWichita Falls, TX · public	$43,667	$44,991	$48,686	$27,375	63%
66	Franklin and Marshall CollegeLancaster, PA · private nonprofit	$43,593	Not adjusted	$78,260	$19,875	46%
67	Northeastern StateTahlequah, OK · public	$43,368	$49,370	$59,214	$30,750	71%
68	UT TylerTyler, TX · public	$43,359	$44,674	$47,658	$26,658	61%
69	University of MinnesotaMinneapolis, MN · public	$42,339	$42,931	$66,786	$20,500	48%
70	Liberty UniversityLynchburg, VA · private nonprofit	$42,284	Not adjusted	$52,839	$28,375	67%
71	Metropolitan State University of DenverDenver, CO · public	$42,196	$40,946	$46,218	$30,700	73%
72	Saint Cloud StateSaint Cloud, MN · public	$42,192	$42,782	$49,852	$28,551	68%
73	College of the Holy CrossWorcester, MA · private nonprofit	$41,820	Not adjusted	$70,234	$27,000	65%
74	UTRGVEdinburg, TX · public	$41,757	$43,023	$54,523	$15,465	37%
75	Southern Oregon UniversityAshland, OR · public	$41,454	$40,106	Not reported	$29,271	71%
76	Empire State UniversitySaratoga Springs, NY · public	$41,424	Not adjusted	Not reported	$27,708	67%
77	Emmanuel CollegeBoston, MA · private nonprofit	$41,346	$39,095	$54,902	$27,000	65%
78	UW-SuperiorSuperior, WI · public	$41,207	Not adjusted	$46,724	$31,000	75%
79	Texas A&M-TexarkanaTexarkana, TX · public	$41,197	$42,446	$41,768	$23,690	58%
80	IU IndianapolisIndianapolis, IN · public	$40,588	Not adjusted	Not reported	$14,842	37%
81	LeTourneau UniversityLongview, TX · private nonprofit	$40,506	$41,734	Not reported	$24,188	60%
82	Winona StateWinona, MN · public	$40,406	$40,971	$51,281	$29,750	74%
83	Utah Valley UniversityOrem, UT · public	$40,290	$40,753	Not reported	$20,575	51%
84	Loyola University MarylandBaltimore, MD · private nonprofit	$40,150	Not adjusted	$68,938	$27,000	67%
85	UNC PembrokePembroke, NC · public	$39,925	$42,327	Not reported	$30,479	76%
86	Utah StateLogan, UT · public	$39,870	$40,328	$44,439	$21,932	55%
87	University of New HampshireDurham, NH · public	$39,852	$38,259	$54,353	$27,000	68%
88	Radford UniversityRadford, VA · public	$39,562	$39,130	$50,527	$25,000	63%
89	Miami UniversityOxford, OH · public	$39,484	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
90	Emerson CollegeBoston, MA · private nonprofit	$39,183	Not adjusted	Not reported	$25,987	66%
91	Angelo StateSan Angelo, TX · public	$39,121	$40,307	$45,627	$23,556	60%
92	University of Alaska FairbanksFairbanks, AK · public	$39,103	$38,202	Not reported	$33,469	86%
93	National Louis UniversityChicago, IL · private nonprofit	$38,765	$38,781	$47,095	$28,202	73%
94	Western Michigan UniversityKalamazoo, MI · public	$38,754	$40,278	$45,373	$31,000	80%
95	UNC GreensboroGreensboro, NC · public	$38,654	$40,979	Not reported	$28,537	74%
96	UConnStorrs, CT · public	$38,647	$37,300	$62,769	$23,307	60%
97	William & MaryWilliamsburg, VA · public	$38,590	$38,169	$60,794	$18,929	49%
98	University of IowaIowa City, IA · public	$38,584	$43,964	$67,075	$24,929	65%
99	Middle Tennessee StateMurfreesboro, TN · public	$38,272	$41,659	$43,290	$26,000	68%
100	Capital UniversityColumbus, OH · private nonprofit	$38,266	Not adjusted	$45,303	$33,544	88%
101	Suffolk UniversityBoston, MA · private nonprofit	$37,935	$35,870	Not reported	$24,485	65%
102	Minnesota State MankatoMankato, MN · public	$37,880	$38,410	$43,605	$30,325	80%
103	Southern UniversityBaton Rouge, LA · public	$37,855	$42,916	$38,700	$43,250	114%
104	Moravian UniversityBethlehem, PA · private nonprofit	$37,824	$38,765	Not reported	$27,000	71%
105	Arkansas Tech UniversityRussellville, AR · public	$37,760	$43,434	$43,440	$34,046	90%
106	FIUMiami, FL · public	$37,745	$36,499	$61,634	$26,610	70%
107	Sul Ross StateAlpine, TX · public	$37,501	$38,638	Not reported	$14,627	39%
108	Newman UniversityWichita, KS · private nonprofit	$37,399	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
109	Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, TN · private nonprofit	$37,276	Not adjusted	$73,586	$12,000	32%
110	Belmont UniversityNashville, TN · private nonprofit	$37,264	$40,562	$49,107	$20,500	55%
111	University of MemphisMemphis, TN · public	$37,229	$40,524	$45,387	$30,430	82%
112	Buena Vista UniversityStorm Lake, IA · private nonprofit	$37,138	$42,317	$42,638	$34,965	94%
113	Ohio StateColumbus, OH · public	$36,725	$39,585	$45,469	$20,029	55%
114	Lindenwood UniversitySaint Charles, MO · private nonprofit	$36,653	$40,359	Not reported	$34,596	94%
115	Kennesaw StateKennesaw, GA · public	$36,114	$37,504	$51,641	$29,125	81%
116	Mississippi StateMississippi State, MS · public	$36,113	$41,532	$45,314	$27,000	75%
117	Iowa StateAmes, IA · public	$36,006	Not adjusted	$59,542	$25,687	71%
118	Christopher Newport UniversityNewport News, VA · public	$35,953	$35,560	$52,776	$26,000	72%
119	Dallas Baptist UniversityDallas, TX · private nonprofit	$35,924	$37,013	$58,048	$25,000	70%
120	Eastern Michigan UniversityYpsilanti, MI · public	$35,886	$37,297	$52,732	$31,125	87%
121	Tulane University of LouisianaNew Orleans, LA · private nonprofit	$35,755	Not adjusted	$63,560	$19,250	54%
122	Stevenson UniversityOwings Mills, MD · private nonprofit	$35,723	$34,035	$51,682	$31,000	87%
123	Vermont StateRandolph, VT · public	$35,685	$36,429	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
124	UC IrvineIrvine, CA · public	$35,404	$31,976	$59,782	$16,332	46%
125	Massachusetts College of Liberal ArtsNorth Adams, MA · public	$35,293	$33,372	$39,959	$26,000	74%
126	New York Institute of TechnologyOld Westbury, NY · private nonprofit	$34,859	Not adjusted	$66,384	$25,058	72%
127	Missouri Western StateSaint Joseph, MO · public	$34,729	$38,241	$49,458	$26,863	77%
128	Penn StateUniversity Park, PA · public	$34,699	Not adjusted	Not reported	$26,000	75%
129	LSUBaton Rouge, LA · public	$34,296	$38,881	$46,773	$24,646	72%
130	Troy UniversityTroy, AL · public	$34,238	$38,546	Not reported	$25,000	73%
131	University of FloridaGainesville, FL · public	$33,854	$32,736	$67,069	$20,205	60%
132	Louisiana Tech UniversityRuston, LA · public	$33,829	$38,352	Not reported	$30,693	91%
133	Montclair StateMontclair, NJ · public	$33,686	$30,960	$60,449	$25,000	74%
134	University of New OrleansNew Orleans, LA · public	$33,645	$38,143	$47,807	$26,402	78%
135	Concordia University-WisconsinMequon, WI · private nonprofit	$33,484	Not adjusted	$45,357	$26,000	78%
136	Southern Utah UniversityCedar City, UT · public	$33,465	Not adjusted	Not reported	$12,425	37%
137	University of MissouriColumbia, MO · public	$33,359	$36,732	$59,357	$27,000	81%
138	San Diego StateSan Diego, CA · public	$33,165	$29,954	$47,974	$15,862	48%
139	RutgersNew Brunswick, NJ · public	$33,109	$30,430	$55,836	$26,250	79%
140	Stony Brook UniversityStony Brook, NY · public	$32,855	$30,444	$57,395	$24,000	73%
141	UT MartinMartin, TN · public	$32,674	$35,565	$38,915	$29,750	91%
142	Central Methodist University-College of Liberal Arts and SciencesFayette, MO · private nonprofit	$32,499	Not adjusted	Not reported	$27,000	83%
143	Culinary Institute of AmericaHyde Park, NY · private nonprofit	$32,450	Not adjusted	Not reported	$23,250	72%
144	University of Nevada-Las VegasLas Vegas, NV · public	$32,165	$32,172	$47,474	$30,875	96%
145	Baylor UniversityWaco, TX · private nonprofit	$31,994	$32,964	$55,617	$19,500	61%
146	Western Oregon UniversityMonmouth, OR · public	$31,893	$30,856	$44,645	$27,000	85%
147	University of Northwestern-St PaulSaint Paul, MN · private nonprofit	$31,828	Not adjusted	Not reported	$18,000	57%
148	Roosevelt UniversityChicago, IL · private nonprofit	$31,806	$31,819	$47,320	$28,474	90%
149	University of West AlabamaLivingston, AL · public	$31,786	Not adjusted	$36,443	$39,700	125%
150	UW-MilwaukeeMilwaukee, WI · public	$31,714	$33,704	$46,967	$26,000	82%
151	East Texas Baptist UniversityMarshall, TX · private nonprofit	$31,652	$32,612	$47,521	$26,950	85%
152	Portland StatePortland, OR · public	$31,571	$30,544	$57,275	$16,500	52%
153	Plymouth StatePlymouth, NH · public	$31,495	$30,236	Not reported	$26,856	85%
154	Nicholls StateThibodaux, LA · public	$31,195	$35,366	$41,545	$27,000	87%
155	Salisbury UniversitySalisbury, MD · public	$30,895	$29,435	Not reported	$17,500	57%
156	Reed CollegePortland, OR · private nonprofit	$30,834	Not adjusted	Not reported	$19,250	62%
157	Texas A&M International UniversityLaredo, TX · public	$30,657	$31,587	$46,846	$18,238	59%
158	University of North AlabamaFlorence, AL · public	$30,633	$34,488	Not reported	$31,000	101%
159	Georgia StateAtlanta, GA · public	$30,536	$31,712	$56,279	$28,230	92%
160	Pacific Lutheran UniversityTacoma, WA · private nonprofit	$30,142	$28,167	$45,541	$20,500	68%
161	WVUMorgantown, WV · public	$30,002	Not adjusted	$52,628	$25,000	83%
162	Hope CollegeHolland, MI · private nonprofit	$29,635	Not adjusted	$42,935	Not reported	Not reported
163	Chadron State CollegeChadron, NE · public	$29,464	Not adjusted	$38,641	$25,000	85%
164	Utah Tech UniversitySaint George, UT · public	$29,324	$29,661	$67,517	Not reported	Not reported
165	Wright StateDayton, OH · public	$28,561	Not adjusted	Not reported	$43,250	151%
166	Eastern Kentucky UniversityRichmond, KY · public	$28,195	$31,273	Not reported	$25,495	90%
167	University of RedlandsRedlands, CA · private nonprofit	$28,128	$25,405	Not reported	$26,967	96%
168	Alabama StateMontgomery, AL · public	$27,978	$31,499	Not reported	$26,000	93%
169	DePauw UniversityGreencastle, IN · private nonprofit	$27,414	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
170	George Fox UniversityNewberg, OR · private nonprofit	$26,749	Not adjusted	Not reported	$26,500	99%
171	Binghamton UniversityVestal, NY · public	$26,700	$24,740	$77,548	$21,667	81%
172	Brevard CollegeBrevard, NC · private nonprofit	$26,605	Not adjusted	Not reported	$27,000	101%
173	Michigan StateEast Lansing, MI · public	$26,133	$27,160	$48,532	$26,130	100%
174	Columbia College ChicagoChicago, IL · private nonprofit	$25,999	Not adjusted	$38,616	$27,000	104%
175	Chowan UniversityMurfreesboro, NC · private nonprofit	$25,019	Not adjusted	Not reported	$38,595	154%
176	California Lutheran UniversityThousand Oaks, CA · private nonprofit	$23,879	$21,567	Not reported	$22,875	96%
177	University of TennesseeKnoxville, TN · public	$23,404	$25,475	$48,158	$20,500	88%
178	Western Washington UniversityBellingham, WA · public	$23,213	$21,692	$45,064	$19,500	84%
179	Lourdes UniversitySylvania, OH · private nonprofit	$22,921	Not adjusted	$39,698	$28,673	125%
180	University of Puget SoundTacoma, WA · private nonprofit	$22,192	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
181	Long Island UniversityBrookville, NY · private nonprofit	$21,549	Not adjusted	$37,773	$21,000	97%

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 130 programs where at least half of the graduates who work are working in the school's state. The other 51, whose graduates mostly work in other states or whose state has no price level, are listed last when you sort by it.

10 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. One more program reports pay but isn't listed, because College Scorecard's school file doesn't name its school. The national medians above still count them.

Other Interdisciplinary Studies (Bachelor's) programs by state

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

#	State	Programs	Year 1 pay	Debt
1	Texas	39	$48,381	$24,038
2	Virginia	9	$46,359	$26,700
3	Minnesota	7	$42,192	$30,038
4	Massachusetts	8	$41,583	$26,000
5	California	8	$40,433	$17,264
6	Ohio	6	$37,496	$28,673
7	Tennessee	6	$37,247	$23,250
8	Louisiana	7	$34,296	$27,000
9	New York	6	$32,653	$25,000
10	Oregon	5	$31,571	$24,000

Programs in 35 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

Vanderbilt University, TN$12,000
UC Berkeley, CA$14,500
Sul Ross State, TX$14,627
UCLA, CA$15,000
UTRGV, TX$15,465
University of the Pacific, CA$15,500
San Diego State, CA$15,862
UC Irvine, CA$16,332
Portland State, OR$16,500
UT Permian Basin, TX$17,750

Lowest debt for the pay

Only the 99 programs with their own page here are included. "Debt for the pay" is median debt divided by first-year pay.

Common questions

The median other interdisciplinary studies bachelor's program in the US pays its graduates $39,112 in their first year and $54,061 five years after.

Other Interdisciplinary Studies (Associate's) programs in the US, ranked29 programs by pay and debt

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