Urban Studies/Affairs: degree ROI, salary & best colleges
Urban Studies/Affairs graduates earn a median $62,532 four years after finishing — $14,172/yr above the $48,360 high-school baseline. At a typical $16,906/yr net price ($67,624 over four years), that pays back in about 4.8 years. Federal data pools 99 bachelor's programs graduating roughly 982 students a year. (Scorecard field-of-study, 2026 · our math.)
Urban Studies/Affairs ranks #97 of 202 bachelor's fields by earnings — pays more than 52% of majors.
| # | College | State | Grad earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York University | NY | $81,123 |
| 2 | Barnard College | NY | $79,807 |
| 3 | University of California-Berkeley | CA | $76,125 |
| 4 | CUNY Queens College | NY | $74,979 |
| 5 | Brown University | RI | $73,905 |
| 6 | University of Pennsylvania | PA | $73,190 |
| 7 | California State University-Northridge | CA | $72,148 |
| 8 | University of California-San Diego | CA | $71,380 |
| 9 | San Francisco State University | CA | $70,207 |
| 10 | University of Utah | UT | $68,928 |
| 11 | University of California-Irvine | CA | $63,819 |
| 12 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus | WA | $63,174 |
College Scorecard field-of-study (2026), program-level median earnings for this CIP · our ranking.
How we compute this. Earnings are the national median for graduates of this field measured 1 and 4 years after completion (Scorecard field-of-study, bachelor's). Premium = 4-year earnings − the $48,360 high-school baseline. Payback = a representative 4-year net cost (median college net price × 4) ÷ premium. Field medians blend every school — a specific program can pay far more or less. Full method on the methodology page; the field ranking is on ROI by major.