2022 Best Value Colleges for Area Studies (Income $0-$30k) in Oregon

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 in Oregon 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 Oregon, there were 57 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $23,750 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Area Studies Schools in Oregon For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 3 colleges that offer a degree 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.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the area studies program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 in Oregon For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Area Studies Schools in Oregon For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for oregon area studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 3 Best Value Colleges for Area Studies (Income $0-$30k) in Oregon

#1

Oregon State University

Corvallis, Oregon

#1 in overall quality

$14,157 Average Net Price

$41,303 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools in Oregon For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Oregon State University landed the #1 spot on the list. Corvallis, Oregon is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s area studies degrees to 8 students in 2019-2020.

Oregon State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Area Studies Schools in Oregon” list. The yearly cost to attend Oregon State University is $14,157 for oregon area studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Oregon State University Area Studies Report

#2

University of Oregon

Eugene, Oregon

#3 in overall quality

$12,690 Average Net Price

$37,360 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Oregon. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools in Oregon For Those Making $0-$30k. University of Oregon is a large public school situated in Eugene, Oregon. It awarded 22 ’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UO, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Area Studies Schools in Oregon” ranking. It costs about $12,690 for oregon area studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Oregon.

The low student loan default rate of 4.2% 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%.

Full University of Oregon Area Studies Report

#3

University of Portland

Portland, Oregon

#2 in overall quality

$27,524 Average Net Price

$50,213 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Portland. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools in Oregon For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Portland, Oregon, and it awarded 6 ’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Portland also made our “Best Area Studies Schools in Oregon” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for University of Portland is $27,524 for Oregon Area Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, 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 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Portland Area Studies Report

• Best Value Colleges for Area Studies (Income $0-$30k) in the Far Western US Region
• Best Value Colleges for Area Studies (Income $0-$30k)

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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