2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools in Michigan For Those Making $0-$30k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Area Studies Schools in Michigan For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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 Michigan, there were 149 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,250 and $14,817 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Area Studies Schools in Michigan For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 4 colleges that offer a degree in area studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent area studies programs, but they also 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.

More Ways to Rank Area Studies Schools

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Area Studies Schools in Michigan For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. 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 Michigan For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Area Studies Schools in Michigan For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 4 Best Value Colleges for Area Studies (Income $0-$30k) in Michigan

#1

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, Michigan

#1 in overall quality

$3,166 Average Net Price

$56,526 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools in Michigan For Those Making $0-$30k. U-M is a large school located in Ann Arbor, Michigan that handed out 85 ’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

U-M not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Area Studies Schools in Michigan” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is $3,166 for michigan area studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.2% 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 U-M Area Studies Report

#2

Grand Valley State University

Allendale, Michigan

#2 in overall quality

$11,578 Average Net Price

$41,297 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools in Michigan For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Grand Valley State University landed the #2 spot on the list. GVSU is a large school located in Allendale, Michigan that handed out 1 ’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

GVSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Area Studies Schools in Michigan” list. The estimated yearly cost for Grand Valley State University is $11,578 for Michigan Area Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.7% 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 GVSU Area Studies Report

#3

University of Michigan - Dearborn

Dearborn, Michigan

#4 in overall quality

$6,751 Average Net Price

$47,536 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools in Michigan For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Michigan - Dearborn landed the #3 spot on the list. University of Michigan - Dearborn is a public institution located in Dearborn, Michigan. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 10 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UM Dearborn not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Area Studies Schools in Michigan” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Michigan - Dearborn is $6,751 for michigan area studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Michigan - Dearborn Area Studies Report

#4

Siena Heights University

Adrian, Michigan

#3 in overall quality

$18,135 Average Net Price

$49,100 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Siena Heights University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools in Michigan For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Adrian, Michigan, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 16 diplomas to qualified ’s area studies students in 2019-2020.

Siena Heights University also made our “Best Area Studies Schools in Michigan” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend Siena Heights University is $18,135 for Michigan Area Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Siena Heights University Area Studies Report

• Best Value Colleges for Area Studies (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes 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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