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Area Studies bachelor's degree outcomes at American University

Washington, DC · Private nonprofit · Federal field 0501

Data scope

Federal records group outcomes by college, four-digit field and credential level. A record may cover several catalog programs or concentrations.

The short version

The comparison evidence is incomplete.

Open the available cost, debt and cohort measures below before drawing a conclusion.

Debt pressure
Not available
Positive-payoff price ceiling
Not reached
10-year scenario
Use your actual price
Price evidence
College-wide context only
OUTCOME SIGNALS

Graduate outcomes from several angles.

Follow earnings over time and inspect the cohort behind each federal measure.

+53%Earnings growth, year 1 → 5$43,671$67,023
Earn above high-school thresholdGraduate count in the year-4 cohort
Working in the college’s stateGraduate count in the year-4 cohort
29Year-5 earnings observationsCohort behind the year-5 median
25Borrowers representedCohort behind the debt median
Not availableAwarding-school debtDebt attributed to the college granting the credential
0Recent awardsIPEDS 2023–24 first-major completions in this field and credential
01 · PRICE CONTEXT$41,943

Institution-wide annual average net price—not this program’s price.

02 · BORROWING$27,000

Median federal debt across schools attended at this academic level.

03 · EARNINGSNot available

Observed median earnings four full years after completion.

04 · REPAYMENT$286/mo

Estimated standard 10-year federal payment.

WHAT WILL IT COST?

Published college costs provide the starting point.

Your exact offering, aid, residency and time to finish determine the price you actually pay.

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AVERAGE NET PRICE$41,943Institution-wide annual figure
COST OF ATTENDANCE$76,058Institution-wide annual budget
ADMISSION RATE62.0%Institution context
COMPLETION RATE75.5%Institution-wide completion rate
WHAT DO GRADUATES EARN?

Reported earnings after completion.

Each point may represent a different federal cohort. A missing bar means the figure was unavailable or suppressed.

$43,671Year 1
Not availableYear 4
$67,023Year 5
CAN THE EARNINGS SUPPORT THE DEBT?

Repayment pressure is not available

Estimated monthly payment divided by observed gross monthly earnings. This excludes taxes, other debts and income-driven repayment.

Gross monthly earningsNot available
Estimated loan payment$286
25borrowers represented where reported
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

Not available vs. $56,625

The like-for-like difference is unavailable.

Same-field national median
WHAT WORK CAN IT LEAD TO?

Related occupations, wages and outlook.

Official CIP–SOC links show careers the curriculum may prepare students for—not observed jobs held by this school’s graduates. BLS wages describe everyone working in an occupation.

BLS May 2025 wage estimates and 2025–35 employment projections.
Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary$101,700 median wageDC estimate · 230 jobs · 25-1062+2.7% projected U.S. growth · 1k openings/yrTypical entry: Doctoral or professional degree
Possible alternatives

Same degree, stronger on at least one reported measure.

Every option below reports higher earnings, lower federal debt or a lower college-wide net price. Same-state options appear first.

Ithaca, NY

Cornell University

$9,375 less debt · $13,253 lower annual net price

Earnings
$96,976
Debt
$17,625
Annual net price
$28,690
View outcomes →
New York, NY

Columbia University in the City of New York

$4,514 less debt · $20,353 lower annual net price

Earnings
$96,884
Debt
$22,486
Annual net price
$21,590
View outcomes →
Oxford, OH

Miami University-Oxford

$6,448 less debt · $13,559 lower annual net price

Earnings
$79,449
Debt
$20,552
Annual net price
$28,384
View outcomes →
Brunswick, ME

Bowdoin College

$3,000 less debt · $27,545 lower annual net price

Earnings
$75,966
Debt
$24,000
Annual net price
$14,398
View outcomes →
Compare these programs →
DATA QUALITY

Check the evidence behind the estimate.

29 observations in the earnings cohort

June 10, 2026 College Scorecard release

Observed, estimated and contextual figures are labeled separately throughout this page

IS IT WORTH IT AT YOUR PRICE?

Your price and current earnings determine the result.

Add your grants, borrowing and current salary to estimate payment pressure, break-even time and ten-year payoff.

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