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

5 Ranked Colleges
85 Degrees Awarded
$10,000 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor's in Minnesota For Those Making $30-$48k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Minnesota For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

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 Minnesota, there were 90 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $25,800 and $20,950 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 85 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,526 and $26,035 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Minnesota For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 5 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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 for a Bachelor’s in Minnesota For Those Making $30-$48k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Minnesota For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for minnesota bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 5 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $30-$48k) in Minnesota

#1

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota
#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Minnesota For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this large public school awarded 5 degrees to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMN Twin Cities, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Minnesota” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is $8,418 for Minnesota Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Area Studies at UMN Twin Cities

#4 in overall quality

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Minnesota For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Minnesota - Duluth landed the #2 spot on the list. University of Minnesota - Duluth is located in Duluth, Minnesota and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

UMN Duluth also made our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Minnesota” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend University of Minnesota - Duluth is $7,992 for Minnesota Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.1% 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%.

Read full report on Area Studies at UMN Duluth

#3

St Olaf College

Northfield, Minnesota

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend St Olaf College. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Minnesota For Those Making $30-$48k list. Northfield, Minnesota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 25 students in 2019-2020.

St. Olaf not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Minnesota” list. The yearly cost to attend St Olaf College is $12,276 for Minnesota 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%.

Full St Olaf College Area Studies Report

#4

Carleton College

Northfield, Minnesota

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Minnesota For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Carleton College landed the #4 spot on the list. Carleton College is a small school located in Northfield, Minnesota that handed out 21 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our minnesota bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $30-$48k list, Carleton has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Minnesota” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Carleton College is $9,358 for Minnesota Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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.

Read more about Area Studies at Carleton College

#5 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Minnesota State University - Mankato. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Minnesota For Those Making $30-$48k list. Minnesota State University - Mankato is located in Mankato, Minnesota and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

Minnesota State Mankato did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Minnesota” list. The yearly cost to attend Minnesota State Mankato is $11,781 for minnesota bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%.

Full Minnesota State University - Mankato Area Studies Report

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.

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