2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.
In 2019-2020, 6,820 people earned their degree in area studies, making the major the 106th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, area studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $33,734 and had an average of $23,024 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Plains States region, there were 335 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $30,400 and $23,969 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 274 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,786 and $25,576 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 11 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in area studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great area studies programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the area studies program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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More Ways to Rank Area Studies Schools
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
Top 11 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Washington University in St Louis. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Washington University in St Louis is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Louis, Missouri. It awarded 29 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
WUSTL also took the #1 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Washington University in St Louis is $5,273 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low student loan default rate of 1.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Carleton College. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Northfield, Minnesota, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 21 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2019-2020.
Carleton also made our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for Carleton College is $9,579 for plains states region bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low student loan default rate of 1.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UMN Twin Cities is a large public school situated in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It awarded 5 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
UMN Twin Cities not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UMN Twin Cities is $7,266 for plains states region bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Minnesota - Duluth. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k. UMN Duluth is a public institution located in Duluth, Minnesota. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UMN Duluth did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $7,443 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Minnesota - Duluth.
The low student loan default rate of 3.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Missouri - Columbia. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Mizzou is a large school located in Columbia, Missouri that handed out 76 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
Mizzou did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Missouri - Columbia is $10,940 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Area Studies at University of Missouri - Columbia
St Olaf College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. St. Olaf is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Northfield, Minnesota. It awarded 25 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at St. Olaf, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $12,459 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend St Olaf College.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Iowa State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Ames, Iowa, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Iowa State, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Iowa State University is $10,054 for plains states region bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
With a ranking of #8, University of Iowa did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Iowa City, Iowa is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 22 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $0-$30k list, Iowa has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Iowa is $12,975 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Saint Louis University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. SLU is a fairly large school located in Saint Louis, Missouri that handed out 7 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at SLU, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Saint Louis University is $20,051 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. The low student loan default rate of 2.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Minnesota State University - Mankato ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Minnesota State University - Mankato is a fairly large school located in Mankato, Minnesota that handed out 2 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Minnesota State Mankato, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Minnesota State University - Mankato is $11,057 for plains states region bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low student loan default rate of 4.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
University of Kansas ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Lawrence, Kansas, this large public school awarded 25 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at KU, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Kansas is $14,387 for plains states region bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
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Best Area Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region
Area Studies students in the Plains States Region
Most Focused Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Area Studies in the Plains States Region
Area Studies students in the Plains States Region
Most Popular Bachelor's Degree Online Area Studies Schools
Area Studies students in the Plains States Region
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region
Area Studies students with family income less than $30k in the Plains States Region
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $48-$75k) in the Plains States Region
Area Studies students with family income $48-$75k in the Plains States Region
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income Over $110k) in the Plains States Region
Area Studies students with family income exceeding $110k in the Plains States Region
Highest Paid Bachelor's Degree Area Studies Graduates in the Plains States Region
Area Studies students in the Plains States Region
Most Popular Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Area Studies in the Plains States Region
Area Studies students in the Plains States Region
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Area Studies in the Plains States Region (With Aid)
Area Studies students getting aid in the Plains States Region
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $30-$48k) in the Plains States Region
Area Studies students with family income $30-$48k in the Plains States Region
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $75-$110k) in the Plains States Region
Area Studies students with family income $75-$110k in the Plains States Region
Notes and References
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
Footnotes
- *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Karl Udo Gerth.
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