Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies at Brandeis University

Starting at $35,000 puts Brandeis graduates well above the national median for this field, but there's a catch: they're earning less than the typical Massachusetts graduate in this same program ($40,120). That $5,000 gap matters when you're paying private school tuition—this program ranks only in the 40th percentile statewide, trailing not just elite liberal arts colleges like Wellesley but also UMass-Boston.

The encouraging part is the trajectory: earnings jump 38% by year four to $48,239, showing real career momentum. With debt under $25,000, graduates aren't drowning in payments, and that 0.69 debt-to-earnings ratio is manageable. Still, the small sample size (under 30 graduates) means these numbers could swing significantly year to year, making this more of a rough sketch than a precise picture.

For a highly selective school where admitted students average 1473 on the SAT, these outcomes raise questions about return on investment. Your child might build valuable skills and connections at Brandeis, but purely from an earnings standpoint, this program doesn't appear to leverage the institution's selectivity into stronger financial outcomes compared to less expensive in-state alternatives. If graduate school is part of the plan, that changes the calculus—but as a terminal bachelor's degree, the numbers suggest looking carefully at the full cost of attendance.