2023 Best Value Colleges for Area Studies (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region
10
Ranked Colleges
808
Degrees Awarded
$9,800
Avg Net Price*
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.
Area Studies is the 115th most popular major in the country with 6,966 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, area studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $33,127 and had an average of $20,927 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 808 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,342 and $21,486 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 10 colleges that offer a degree in area studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality area studies programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the area studies program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 10 Best Value Colleges for Area Studies (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, this large public school handed out 68 degrees to qualified ’s area studies students in 2020-2021.
U-M not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $2,670 for Great Lakes Region Area Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Area Studies Report
Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #2 spot on the list. UW - Madison is a large public school situated in Madison, Wisconsin. It awarded 157 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
UW - Madison also made our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for UW - Madison is $3,981 for great lakes region area studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Area Studies at University of Wisconsin - Madison
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Chicago. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k. University of Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 45 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UChicago also took the #6 spot in our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UChicago is $2,500 for Great Lakes Region Area Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Area Studies at UChicago
Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #4 spot on the list. UIUC is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 32 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $4,858 for great lakes region area studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Area Studies at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Indiana University - Bloomington. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Bloomington, Indiana, this large public school awarded 44 diplomas to qualified ’s area studies students in 2020-2021.
IU Bloomington also made our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #7. It costs about $5,752 for Great Lakes Region Area Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend IU Bloomington.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.4% 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%.
Read full report on Area Studies at IU Bloomington
Oberlin College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Oberlin is a private not-for-profit institution located in Oberlin, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 41 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Oberlin not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Oberlin College is $8,756 for Great Lakes Region Area Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Oberlin Area Studies Report
With a ranking of #7, Miami University - Oxford did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Miami University - Oxford is a fairly large public school situated in Oxford, Ohio. It awarded 56 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Miami University - Oxford also made our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for Miami University - Oxford is $13,956 for Great Lakes Region Area Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.0% 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%.
Read more about Area Studies at Miami University - Oxford
University of Illinois at Chicago came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s area studies degrees to 17 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our great lakes region area studies students whose families make $0-$30k list, UIC has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UIC is $10,549 for Great Lakes Region Area Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Area Studies at UIC
Siena Heights University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #9. This small school is located in Adrian, Michigan, and it awarded 14 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Siena Heights University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Siena Heights University is $18,163 for great lakes region area studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read full report on Area Studies at Siena Heights University
With a ranking of #10, DePaul University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. DePaul is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 11 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at DePaul, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend DePaul University is $27,123 for great lakes region area studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Area Studies at DePaul University
