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

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Area Studies Schools in Rhode Island For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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.

Across Rhode Island, there were 114 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,000 and $15,500 respectively.

The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great area studies programs and 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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 Rhode Island For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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 in Rhode Island For Those Making $0-$30k

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

Top 1 Best Value Colleges for Area Studies (Income $0-$30k) in Rhode Island

#1

Brown University

Providence, Rhode Island

#1 in overall quality

$201 Average Net Price

$50,614 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Brown University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools in Rhode Island For Those Making $0-$30k list. Brown University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Providence, Rhode Island. It awarded 105 ’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Brown, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Area Studies Schools in Rhode Island” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Brown is $201 for Rhode Island 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 92%. The low student loan default rate of 2.1% 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%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Area Studies at Brown

• Best Value Colleges for Area Studies (Income $0-$30k) in the New England 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.

Featured Political and Social Sciences Schools

Request Info

Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs ... Learn More >