2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $30-$48k) in Iowa

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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 Iowa, there were 62 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $23,250 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 46 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,922 and $25,876 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 2 colleges that offer a degree in area studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality area studies programs that also have a lower cost than 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Area Studies Schools

The area studies school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k”.

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 Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 2 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $30-$48k) in Iowa

#1

Iowa State University

Ames, Iowa

#2 in overall quality

$10,843 Average Net Price

$31,670 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Iowa State University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k. This large school is located in Ames, Iowa, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our iowa bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $30-$48k list, Iowa State has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Iowa State is $10,843 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Area Studies at Iowa State University

#2

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa

#1 in overall quality

$15,073 Average Net Price

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Iowa. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k. Iowa is located in Iowa City, Iowa and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 22 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

Iowa not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. The yearly cost to attend Iowa is $15,073 for iowa bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.5% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Area Studies at Iowa

• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $30-$48k) in the Plains States Region
• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $30-$48k)

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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