Free tool · federal data
What does this major pay at different colleges?
Pick a major, a degree level and a state. You get what graduates of each college's program earned four years after graduating and what they borrowed in federal loans, from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, with the national median for the same program as the yardstick.
Your results
International Relations, bachelor's programs nationwide
Nationally, bachelor's graduates in International Relations earn a median $66,596 four years after graduating. Among 65 programs with federal earnings data, Johns Hopkins University (MD) graduates had the highest median, $99,205 (2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23, College Scorecard).
- Programs with data
- 65
- Highest median
- $99,205
- National median
- $66,596
| College | State | Median earnings, 4 yrs after | vs national median | Debt borrowed at this college (median) | Add to the side-by-side comparison |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johns Hopkins University | MD | $99,205 | +49% | $12,000 | |
| William & Mary | VA | $91,065 | +37% | $20,500 | Compare |
| Brown University | RI | $86,780 | +30% | $12,000 | Compare |
| University of Southern California | CA | $84,866 | +27% | $13,247 | Compare |
| University of Virginia-Main Campus | VA | $82,991 | +25% | $19,500 | Compare |
| Georgetown University | DC | $82,197 | +23% | $17,500 | |
| Emory UniversityFigure covers 2 campuses | GA | $78,029 | +17% | $19,500 | Compare |
| Tufts University | MA | $77,998 | +17% | $16,250 | |
| Tulane University of Louisiana | LA | $77,300 | +16% | $20,000 | Compare |
| Fordham University | NY | $77,234 | +16% | $24,759 | Compare |
| George Washington University | DC | $76,751 | +15% | $20,958 | Compare |
| California State University Maritime Academy | CA | $76,478 | +15% | $25,500 | Compare |
| Michigan State University | MI | $74,709 | +12% | $23,750 | Compare |
| American University | DC | $73,865 | +11% | $23,250 | |
| Virginia Military Institute | VA | $72,700 | +9% | $21,875 | Compare |
| Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | VA | $71,988 | +8% | $21,250 | Compare |
| Seton Hall University | NJ | $71,949 | +8% | $20,500 | Compare |
| Liberty University | VA | $71,436 | +7% | $21,750 | Compare |
| Pennsylvania State University-Main CampusFigure covers 22 campuses | PA | $71,001 | +7% | $24,375 | Compare |
| University of Georgia | GA | $70,510 | +6% | $18,761 | Compare |
| Occidental College | CA | $70,394 | +6% | $19,275 | Compare |
| George Mason University | VA | $69,399 | +4% | $20,117 | Compare |
| James Madison University | VA | $68,798 | +3% | $18,138 | Compare |
| DePaul University | IL | $68,180 | about the same | $20,094 | Compare |
| Syracuse University | NY | $68,049 | about the same | $26,068 | Compare |
The 25 highest of 65 programs. Ordered by median earnings four years after graduating: one federal measure, not a ranking of program quality.
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Same major, other degree levels: Undergraduate certificate · Master's · Professional degree · Graduate certificate
What these numbers are
Earnings: graduates of 2017-18 and 2018-19, earnings measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars. Only programs with at least 30 graduates in the earnings cohort are listed, and a multi-state system whose figure pools campuses in several states is left out of state lists. Median earnings of graduates who received federal student aid, worked, and were not enrolled in school; debt is the median federal loans borrowed at this college by graduates who borrowed (Direct Subsidized, Unsubsidized and Grad PLUS; not Parent PLUS, private loans or interest). Programs with too few graduates are suppressed by the Department of Education. Federal program group: International Relations and National Security Studies. Earnings reflect who enrolls and where graduates work as well as the program itself.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field-of-study data, 10 June 2026. Download every program (CSV).