Majors

Best Colleges for Urban Studies/Affairs, by Earnings

68 of the colleges we track award a bachelor's degree in Urban Studies/Affairs, about 860 degrees a year. Across the 23 that report earnings, graduates make a median of $62,807 four years after finishing.

Rank	College	State	Median earnings, 4 years out	Degrees a year	Acceptance rate
1	New York University	NY	$81,123	20	7.7%
2	Barnard College	NY	$79,807	25	8.8%
3	University of California-Berkeley	CA	$76,125	35	11%
4	CUNY Queens College	NY	$74,979	36	64.4%
5	Brown University	RI	$73,905	21	5.4%
6	University of Pennsylvania	PA	$73,190	21	5.4%
7	California State University-Northridge	CA	$72,148	25	93.5%
8	University of California-San Diego	CA	$71,380	33	26.7%
9	San Francisco State University	CA	$70,207	9	96.4%
10	University of California-Irvine	CA	$63,819	67	28.6%
11	University of Washington-Tacoma Campus	WA	$63,174	37	82.5%
12	University of Minnesota	MN	$62,807	35	79.8%
13	Vassar College	NY	$59,930	12	18.6%
14	Rutgers University-Camden	NJ	$59,261	6	66.3%
15	Rutgers University-New Brunswick	NJ	$59,261	6	58.1%
16	Wayne State University	MI	$58,915	11	81.2%
17	Virginia Commonwealth University	VA	$58,084	23	92.6%
18	University of Nevada-Las Vegas	NV	$58,010	32	96.2%
19	University of Connecticut	CT	$57,342	19	52.4%
20	University at Albany	NY	$57,150	10	69.1%
21	Cleveland State University	OH	$53,582	29	91.3%
22	University of Pittsburgh	PA	$51,378	9	58.1%
23	Worcester State University	MA	$48,387	9	88%

45 more colleges award this degree but have no earnings figure, usually because the program is small.

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Frequently asked questions

Which college has the highest-paid Urban Studies/Affairs graduates?

New York University ($81,123), Barnard College ($79,807), University of California-Berkeley ($76,125), CUNY Queens College ($74,979), Brown University ($73,905) report the highest median earnings four years after graduation.

How much do Urban Studies/Affairs majors make?

The median across 23 colleges is $62,807 four years after graduation. By college it runs from $48,387 to $81,123.

Which colleges have the biggest Urban Studies/Affairs programs?

By bachelor's degrees awarded in a year: University of California-Irvine (67), University of Washington-Tacoma Campus (37), CUNY Queens College (36), University of California-Berkeley (35), University of Minnesota (35).

Does a higher-earning program mean a better program?

Not on its own. Earnings reflect where graduates live, what jobs they take, and who enrolled in the first place, as well as the teaching. The figures cover only graduates who received federal financial aid, and small programs are left out, so a college missing from this list may still have a strong department.

Source: College Scorecard, Most Recent Data by Field of Study (U.S. Department of Education), 2026-06-10 release, federal program category "Urban Studies/Affairs". Earnings are medians for graduates who received federal financial aid, working and not enrolled, four years after a bachelor's degree.