2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $75-$110k) in the Southwest Region

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k” 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 Southwest region, there were 301 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $30,500 and $25,548 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 193 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,896 and $23,899 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking looked at 4 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.

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

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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. 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 for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k.

Top 4 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $75-$110k) in the Southwest Region

#1

The University of Texas at Austin

Austin, Texas

#1 in overall quality

$20,454 Average Net Price

$30,771 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Texas at Austin. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k. UT Austin is a public institution located in Austin, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 63 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Austin also took the #1 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas at Austin is $20,454 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $75-$110k.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Area Studies at UT Austin

#2

Arizona State University - Tempe

Tempe, Arizona

#2 in overall quality

$17,373 Average Net Price

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Arizona State University - Tempe. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. ASU - Tempe is a public institution located in Tempe, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

ASU - Tempe did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Arizona State University - Tempe is $17,373 for southwest region bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $75-$110k.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Arizona State University - Tempe Area Studies Report

#3

University of Arizona

Tucson, Arizona

#3 in overall quality

$20,200 Average Net Price

$31,495 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Arizona. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k. This large school is located in Tucson, Arizona, and it awarded 42 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Arizona not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Arizona is $20,200 for southwest region bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $75-$110k.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full University of Arizona Area Studies Report

#4

University of New Mexico - Main Campus

Albuquerque, New Mexico

#4 in overall quality

$18,920 Average Net Price

$23,803 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of New Mexico - Main Campus landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

UNM not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UNM is $18,920 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read full report on Area Studies at University of New Mexico - Main Campus

• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $75-$110k)

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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