2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k
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 for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking.
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 the Plains States region, there were 335 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $30,400 and $23,969 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 274 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,786 and $25,576 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 11 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.
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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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 Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k” list to help you make the college decision.
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. 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 for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k
The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
Top 11 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $30-$48k) in the Plains States Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Washington University in St Louis. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. WUSTL is a fairly large school located in Saint Louis, Missouri that handed out 29 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at WUSTL, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Washington University in St Louis is $6,248 for Plains States 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 94%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #2 spot on the list. UMN Twin Cities is a large school located in Minneapolis, Minnesota that handed out 5 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMN Twin Cities, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $8,418 for plains states region bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UMN Twin Cities.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Missouri - Columbia. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k. Located in Columbia, Missouri, this large public school handed out 76 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2019-2020.
Mizzou not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Mizzou is $11,595 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, 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 89%.
Read full report on Area Studies at University of Missouri - Columbia
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Minnesota - Duluth. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k. University of Minnesota - Duluth is a fairly large public school situated in Duluth, Minnesota. It awarded 4 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
UMN Duluth not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $7,992 for plains states region bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UMN Duluth.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend St Olaf College. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. St Olaf College is located in Northfield, Minnesota and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 25 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
St. Olaf also took the #4 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend St Olaf College is $12,276 for plains states 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 91%. The low student loan default rate of 1.0% 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%.
Carleton College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Carleton College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Northfield, Minnesota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Carleton, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $9,358 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Carleton.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Iowa State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in Ames, Iowa, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Iowa State, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Iowa State is $10,843 for Plains States 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 89%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Saint Louis University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #8. SLU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Louis, Missouri. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
SLU also took the #5 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Saint Louis University is $21,082 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Minnesota State University - Mankato landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Minnesota State Mankato is a fairly large school located in Mankato, Minnesota that handed out 2 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
Minnesota State Mankato did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $11,781 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Minnesota State Mankato.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Area Studies at Minnesota State University - Mankato
University of Iowa did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #10. Iowa is a public institution located in Iowa City, Iowa. The school has a large population, and it awarded 22 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Iowa did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $15,073 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Iowa.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
University of Kansas did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #11. Lawrence, Kansas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 25 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $30-$48k list, KU has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $15,380 for plains states region bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend KU.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
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Best Area Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region
Area Studies students in the Plains States Region
Most Focused Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Area Studies in the Plains States Region
Area Studies students in the Plains States Region
Most Popular Bachelor's Degree Online Area Studies Schools
Area Studies students in the Plains States Region
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region
Area Studies students with family income less than $30k in the Plains States Region
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $48-$75k) in the Plains States Region
Area Studies students with family income $48-$75k in the Plains States Region
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income Over $110k) in the Plains States Region
Area Studies students with family income exceeding $110k in the Plains States Region
Highest Paid Bachelor's Degree Area Studies Graduates in the Plains States Region
Area Studies students in the Plains States Region
Most Popular Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Area Studies in the Plains States Region
Area Studies students in the Plains States Region
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Area Studies in the Plains States Region (With Aid)
Area Studies students getting aid in the Plains States Region
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $30-$48k) in the Plains States Region
Area Studies students with family income $30-$48k in the Plains States Region
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $75-$110k) in the Plains States Region
Area Studies students with family income $75-$110k in the Plains States 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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