Bachelor's · Ithaca, New York

Is Area Studies at Cornell University worth it?

Low confidence Low confidence: fewer than 40 graduates behind the earnings figures.

The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans

Pays back in time: graduates typically recover the cost in about 3.8 years.

Earnings 1 year after graduating: $49,317; Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating: $104,164; Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation: Not enough borrowers to report; NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
Net cost to graduate, all families: $144k (likely $144k – $144k); AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Earnings bump, year 4: $66k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in NY; 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback: 3.8 years (likely 3.1–4.8); Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return: $288k (likely $132k – $467k); Today's dollars
20-year net return: $1.06M (likely $718k – $1.45M); Today's dollars
Odds of finishing (school-wide): 95%; Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26