2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k
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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 the Great Lakes region, there were 850 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $30,363 and $22,838 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 491 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 19 colleges that offered 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.
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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 for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” list to help you make the college decision.
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Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k
The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
Top 19 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $30-$48k) in the Great Lakes Region
Out of the 19 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #1 spot on the list. Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Northwestern also took the #2 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern is $3,995 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Out of the 19 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the #2 spot on the list. University of Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 14 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UChicago, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UChicago is $2,800 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low student loan default rate of 0.6% 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 freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Notre Dame. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k. University of Notre Dame is located in Notre Dame, Indiana and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 24 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Notre Dame, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $15,609 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Notre Dame.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k. UW - Madison is a large public school situated in Madison, Wisconsin. It awarded 31 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
UW - Madison also made our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #5. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison is $6,860 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k. U-M is a public institution located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 55 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
U-M not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend U-M is $5,887 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, 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 96%.
Purdue University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #6. West Lafayette, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 8 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $30-$48k list, Purdue has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Purdue is $5,879 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 2.2% 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%.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #7. UIUC is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 18 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $8,464 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Area Studies at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Indiana University - Bloomington came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. IU Bloomington is a large public school situated in Bloomington, Indiana. It awarded 15 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
IU Bloomington did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for IU Bloomington is $6,192 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, 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 91%.
Grand Valley State University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Grand Valley State University is a large school located in Allendale, Michigan that handed out 1 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
GVSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for GVSU is $12,459 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
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%.
Read full report on Area Studies at Grand Valley State University
Ohio State University - Main Campus landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Columbus, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.
Ohio State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Ohio State University - Main Campus is $10,037 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low student loan default rate of 4.4% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
University of Illinois at Chicago came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Illinois at Chicago is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UIC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Chicago is $11,185 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low 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%.
University of Michigan - Dearborn landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Michigan - Dearborn is a public institution located in Dearborn, Michigan. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $30-$48k list, UM Dearborn has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UM Dearborn is $8,057 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Miami University - Oxford landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Oxford, Ohio, and it awarded 55 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Miami University - Oxford, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Miami University - Oxford is $17,692 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Denison University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Denison is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Granville, Ohio. It awarded 6 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
Denison also took the #9 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $13,909 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Denison.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, 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 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #15. UWM is a large public school situated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It awarded 5 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
UWM not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee is $14,957 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
Read more about Area Studies at University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Bowling Green State University - Main Campus landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. BGSU is located in Bowling Green, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
BGSU also made our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #17. The yearly cost to attend BGSU is $15,533 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
Siena Heights University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #17. Located in Adrian, Michigan, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 16 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2019-2020.
Siena Heights University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Siena Heights University is $16,673 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
Ohio University - Athens Campus ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Athens, Ohio, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $30-$48k list, OHIO Athens has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Ohio University - Athens Campus is $18,863 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
DePaul University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 11 students in 2019-2020.
DePaul also took the #15 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for DePaul is $25,842 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low student loan default rate of 4.5% 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%.
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Best Area Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Area Studies students in the Great Lakes Region
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Area Studies students in the Great Lakes Region
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Area Studies students with family income less than $30k in the Great Lakes Region
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Area Studies students with family income $48-$75k in the Great Lakes Region
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Area Studies students with family income $75-$110k in the Great Lakes Region
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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