Bachelor's · Stanford, California
Is International Relations and National Security Studies at Stanford 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 fast: graduates typically recover the cost in about 1.4 years.
- Earnings 1 year after graduating
- Not enough graduates to report
- Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Earnings 4 years after graduating
- $97,826
- 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
- $54k (likely $52k – $73k)
- AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
- Earnings bump, year 4
- $58k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in CA
- 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Payback
- 1.4 years (likely 1.0–2.2)
- Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
- 10-year net return
- $339k (likely $148k – $570k)
- Today's dollars
- 20-year net return
- $994k (likely $615k – $1.50M)
- Today's dollars
- Odds of finishing (school-wide)
- 92%
- Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Change income, residency or loans Compare International Relations and National Security Studies at other schools
Other majors at Stanford University
- Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's)$261,816
- Law (First professional)$259,944
- Computer Science (Master's)$255,667
- Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering (Doctoral)$231,917
- Medical Illustration and Informatics (Master's)$230,298
- Mechanical Engineering (Doctoral)$218,808
- Computer Science (Bachelor's)$214,907
- Engineering-Related Fields (Master's)$206,093
- Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Master's)$206,046
- Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering (Master's)$181,705
- Chemistry (Doctoral)$170,898
- Mechanical Engineering (Master's)$167,632
International Relations and National Security Studies at other schools in California
- Claremont McKenna College$96,520
- Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey$92,728
- University of Southern California$84,866
- Cal Poly Maritime Academy$76,478
- Occidental College$70,394
- University of California-Davis$67,056
- San Francisco State University$65,775
- University of San Diego$61,509
- San Diego State University$59,733
- University of San Francisco$59,387