2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $0-$30k)
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.
Area Studies is the 106th most popular major in the country with 6,820 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. 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.
At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 1,036 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $56,398 and $43,194 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 71 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.
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.
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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 for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $0-$30k)
Out of the 71 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #1 spot on the list. Stanford University is a fairly large school located in Stanford, California that handed out 32 masters’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
Stanford also took the #3 spot in our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Stanford University are $55,011.
Out of the 71 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Georgetown University landed the #2 spot on the list. Georgetown is located in Washington, District of Columbia and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 123 masters’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
Georgetown not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Georgetown University are $53,591, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Out of the 71 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Washington University in St Louis landed the #3 spot on the list. WUSTL is located in Saint Louis, Missouri and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 6 masters’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
WUSTL not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at WUSTL are $56,562, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Yale University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Yale University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in New Haven, Connecticut. It awarded 24 masters’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
Yale also took the #8 spot in our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Yale are $44,500, but some majors have different tuition rates.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Brown University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Brown is located in Providence, Rhode Island and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 20 masters’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
Brown did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Brown are $60,363, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Harvard University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Harvard University is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 47 masters’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
Harvard not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Harvard are $50,654, but some majors have different tuition rates.
University of Chicago ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 25 diplomas to qualified masters’s area studies students in 2019-2020.
UChicago also took the #12 spot in our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Chicago are $61,548.
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. U-M is a large school located in Ann Arbor, Michigan that handed out 22 masters’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our master’s degree area studies students whose families make $0-$30k list, U-M has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at U-M are $49,548.
With a ranking of #9, University of Florida did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Florida is a public institution located in Gainesville, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 11 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at UF are $30,130, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
With a ranking of #10, Vanderbilt University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 2 degrees to qualified masters’s area studies students in 2019-2020.
Vanderbilt also took the #14 spot in our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Vanderbilt are $50,624, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Cornell University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Cornell is a large school located in Ithaca, New York that handed out 14 masters’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cornell, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Cornell University are $30,042, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Columbia University in the City of New York ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. New York, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s area studies degrees to 47 students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Columbia, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Columbia University in the City of New York are $51,194, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UW - Madison is located in Madison, Wisconsin and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 masters’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our master’s degree area studies students whose families make $0-$30k list, UW - Madison has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UW - Madison are $25,523, but some majors have different tuition rates.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 14 masters’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
UIUC also took the #19 spot in our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are $30,083, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Area Studies Report
With a ranking of #15, University of Maryland - College Park did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. UMCP is a large school located in College Park, Maryland that handed out 2 masters’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Maryland - College Park are $30,885, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 masters’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
Average graduate tuition and fees at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are $30,248, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
With a ranking of #17, University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Seattle, Washington, this large public school awarded 29 diplomas to qualified masters’s area studies students in 2019-2020.
UW Seattle also took the #20 spot in our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UW Seattle are $30,294, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read full report on Area Studies at University of Washington - Seattle Campus
William & Mary ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. William & Mary is a public institution located in Williamsburg, Virginia. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 2 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at William & Mary are $34,800.
University of California - Los Angeles landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 29 degrees to qualified masters’s area studies students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our master’s degree area studies students whose families make $0-$30k list, UCLA has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UCLA are $28,131.
Purdue University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #20. Purdue is a large public school situated in West Lafayette, Indiana. It awarded 4 masters’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Purdue are $28,794.
Read full report on Area Studies at Purdue University - Main Campus
Indiana University - Bloomington ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. IU Bloomington is located in Bloomington, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 14 masters’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
IU Bloomington did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Indiana University - Bloomington are $33,338.
Read full report on Area Studies at Indiana University - Bloomington
University of California - Berkeley ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. UC Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 9 masters’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
UC Berkeley also made our “Best Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #18. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Berkeley are $29,347, but some majors have different tuition rates.
The City College of New York ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. The City College of New York is a public institution located in New York, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 4 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at CCNY are $20,832, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
With a ranking of #24, Florida International University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Miami, Florida, this large public school awarded 18 diplomas to qualified masters’s area studies students in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at FIU are $24,211.
With a ranking of #25, University of South Florida - Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. USF Tampa is located in Tampa, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 masters’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at USF Tampa are $21,126.
Read more about Area Studies at University of South Florida - Main Campus
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Area Studies students with family income $75-$110k
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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