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Program ranking · CIP 45.09 bachelor's · College Scorecard · Mar-Jul 2026 retrievals

Best Colleges for International Relations

Using U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard field-of-study data retrieved March-July 2026, these colleges rank highest on median earnings for International Relations (CIP 45.09) bachelor's completers. Rankings use earnings only - not prestige, selectivity, or editorial judgment - and require at least 25 completers so tiny suppressed cohorts do not dominate the list.

$99,205
Highest international relations earnings
70
Colleges ranked
$42,864
#70 cutoff

The list in one line

Every college on this list reports at least $42,864 median earnings for International Relations bachelor's (CIP 45.09) completers. Johns Hopkins University leads at $99,205.

According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.

$99,205
#1 - Johns Hopkins University
$42,864
#70 - the cutoff to make this list
25+
completers required per school
363
US schools offering this CIP

Earnings are field-of-study medians for federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled; see methodology for horizon and lag details.

Top 15 international relations programs by median completer earnings

International Relations bachelor's (CIP 45.09) · higher is higher early-career pay

median earnings

What this shows International-relations medians mix government, NGO, and graduate-school pipelines - debt still matters when early public-sector pay sits below private knowledge work.

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard Field of Study As of Mar-Jul 2026 retrievals

The full top 70

# School Name StateMedian EarningsMedian DebtCompleters
1 Johns Hopkins University MD $99,205 $12,000 78
2 Claremont McKenna College CA $96,520 - 30
3 Middlebury College VT $92,728 - 49
4 Stanford University CA $91,075 - 64
5 William & Mary VA $91,065 $20,500 76
6 Angelo State University TX $87,991 - 45
7 University of Pennsylvania PA $87,439 $10,470 49
8 Brown University RI $86,780 $12,000 100
9 University of Southern California CA $84,866 $13,247 165
10 University of Miami FL $84,474 $16,478 36
11 University of Virginia-Main Campus VA $82,991 $19,500 203
12 Georgetown University DC $82,197 $17,500 268
13 Lehigh University PA $79,569 $21,250 35
14 Emory University GA $78,029 $19,500 34
15 Tufts University MA $77,998 $16,250 133
16 Tulane University of Louisiana LA $77,300 $20,000 64
17 Fordham University NY $77,234 $24,759 93
18 Colgate University NY $77,199 - 47
19 George Washington University DC $76,751 $20,958 537
20 Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott AZ $75,520 $22,500 61
21 Northeastern University MA $74,816 $21,000 51
22 Michigan State University MI $74,709 $23,750 87
23 Northwestern University IL $74,477 $19,234 34
24 American University DC $73,865 $23,250 382
25 Virginia Military Institute VA $72,700 $21,875 45
26 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University VA $71,988 $21,250 130
27 Connecticut College CT $71,960 $25,605 26
28 Seton Hall University NJ $71,949 $20,500 81
29 Fairmont State University WV $71,751 $18,896 29
30 Brigham Young University UT $71,622 - 32
31 Liberty University VA $71,436 $21,750 50
32 Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus PA $71,001 $24,375 139
33 Pennsylvania State University-World Campus PA $71,001 $24,375 33
34 University of Georgia GA $70,510 $18,761 226
35 Rollins College FL $70,502 $27,000 26
36 Occidental College CA $70,394 $19,275 53
37 George Mason University VA $69,399 $20,117 166
38 James Madison University VA $68,798 $18,138 82
39 Syracuse University NY $68,049 $26,068 101
40 Norwich University VT $68,004 $18,000 26
41 University of North Georgia GA $67,692 $20,500 28
42 Baylor University TX $67,484 $22,409 53
43 Miami University-Oxford OH $67,301 $20,475 44
44 University of California-Davis CA $67,056 $12,500 121
45 Boston University MA $66,661 $23,394 233
46 Ohio State University-Main Campus OH $66,064 $18,384 144
47 San Francisco State University CA $65,775 $16,625 58
48 University of Delaware DE $64,715 $24,748 35
49 Hamilton College NY $64,585 $19,000 25
50 Florida International University FL $64,399 $17,662 305
51 Florida State University FL $63,984 $16,750 298
52 Dickinson College PA $62,570 $19,000 29
53 University of San Diego CA $61,509 $24,100 31
54 Kennesaw State University GA $60,031 $21,500 32
55 University of Denver CO $59,895 $19,500 83
56 San Diego State University CA $59,733 $15,124 52
57 University of San Francisco CA $59,387 $24,603 40
58 CUNY City College NY $59,039 $14,060 64
59 University of South Florida FL $58,999 $16,204 93
60 University of Nevada-Reno NV $58,002 $21,094 35
61 Indiana University-Bloomington IN $57,806 $16,832 120
62 Lewis & Clark College OR $57,783 $23,000 39
63 Towson University MD $57,498 $21,824 32
64 University of Cincinnati-Main Campus OH $57,228 $22,500 42
65 University of Minnesota-Twin Cities MN $56,257 $19,632 57
66 University of California-Riverside CA $56,108 $18,829 92
67 The University of Alabama AL $55,419 $23,250 34
68 University of South Carolina-Columbia SC $54,781 $18,875 40
69 University of Arkansas AR $48,925 $20,500 34
70 The University of Texas at San Antonio TX $42,864 $21,522 36

About This Ranking

Schools are ranked by College Scorecard field-of-study median earnings for International Relations (CIP 45.09) bachelor's completers. Only operating schools with at least 25 completers and a published median are included. Ties break toward larger completer cohorts. For the full program profile - including every reporting school and national distribution - see International Relations (bachelor's). Methodology lives on our methodology page.

Caveats and limitations

"Best" here means highest reported median earnings for the stated CIP scope - not teaching quality, licensure pass rates, clinical placement strength, or fit for any one student. This list covers International Relations and National Security Studies (CIP 45.09) bachelor's programs - political science (CIP 45.10) is ranked separately.

Figures cover federally aided completers only, use Treasury-linked earnings, and describe a lagged cohort. Regional pay scales and graduate-school paths both move the median without proving a causal school effect.

This ranking is for informational purposes only and does not constitute academic or career advice. Earnings do not predict any individual graduate's outcome.

Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Rankings are computed directly from College Scorecard field-of-study data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar-Jul 2026 retrievals.