Bachelor's · Charlottesville, Virginia
Is Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies at University of Virginia-Main Campus worth it?
Medium confidence Medium confidence: 40–99 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 5.6 years.
- Earnings 1 year after graduating
- $47,970
- Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Earnings 4 years after graduating
- $61,919
- Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Typical federal debt at graduation
- $22,075
- NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
- Net cost to graduate, all families
- $77k (likely $77k – $77k)
- AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
- Earnings bump, year 4
- $22k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in VA
- 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Payback
- 5.6 years (likely 4.2–8.1)
- Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
- 10-year net return
- −$46k (likely −$122k – $46k)
- Today's dollars
- 20-year net return
- $236k (likely $55k – $446k)
- Today's dollars
- Odds of finishing (school-wide)
- 94%
- Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Change income, residency or loans Compare Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies at other schools
🌍 Getting ready in high school
Students heading toward languages & cultures majors like this one often take these classes. Every school offers a different mix, so check with your counselor.
AP classes
- AP Spanish Language and Culture (or French, German, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Latin)
- AP World History: Modern
- AP Human Geography
IB Higher Level
- Language B HL
- History HL or Geography HL
Build my roadmap 🗺️ Middle school to career, plus high schools near you that offer these classes.
Other majors at University of Virginia-Main Campus
- Law (First professional)$284,309
- Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's)$224,229
- Business/Commerce, General (Master's)$180,117
- Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management (Master's)$155,787
- Systems Engineering (Master's)$152,854
- Computer Engineering (Bachelor's)$148,175
- Systems Engineering (Bachelor's)$144,830
- Computer and Information Sciences, General (Master's)$143,020
- Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's)$142,041
- Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor's)$139,095
- Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral)$133,752
- Computer Software and Media Applications (Master's)$127,420