2022 Best Vallue Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making Over $110k
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It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Vallue Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making Over $110k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
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.
This year’s “Best Vallue Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making Over $110k” ranking looked at 11 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.
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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Vallue Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making Over $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. 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.
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Best Vallue Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making Over $110k
The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make more than $110k.
Top 11 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income Over $110k) in the Plains States Region
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Missouri - Columbia. The school came in at #1 for the Best Vallue Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making Over $110k. Located in Columbia, Missouri, this large public school handed out 76 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make more than $110k list, Mizzou has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Mizzou is $16,001 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make more than $110k.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Iowa State University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Vallue Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making Over $110k list. 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. It costs about $15,496 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend Iowa State.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.
Out of the 11 schools in the Best Vallue Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making Over $110k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Iowa landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Iowa City, Iowa, this large public school handed out 22 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2019-2020.
Iowa also took the #6 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $19,145 for plains states region bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make more than $110k 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.
Out of the 11 schools in the Best Vallue Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making Over $110k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Kansas landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Lawrence, Kansas, this large public school awarded 25 degrees to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2019-2020.
KU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Kansas is $18,918 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make more than $110k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Out of the 11 schools in the Best Vallue Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making Over $110k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Minnesota - Duluth landed the #5 spot on the list. UMN 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 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. The yearly cost to attend University of Minnesota - Duluth is $17,067 for plains states region bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make more than $110k.
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%.
Minnesota State University - Mankato came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Vallue Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making Over $110k ranking. Located in Mankato, Minnesota, this fairly large public school handed out 2 degrees to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Minnesota State Mankato, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Minnesota State University - Mankato is $16,221 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make more than $110k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Area Studies at Minnesota State University - Mankato
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Vallue Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making Over $110k ranking. Minneapolis, Minnesota is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 5 students in 2019-2020.
UMN Twin Cities also made our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend UMN Twin Cities is $17,740 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make more than $110k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, 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 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Saint Louis University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Vallue Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making Over $110k ranking. Located in Saint Louis, Missouri, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 7 degrees to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2019-2020.
SLU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Saint Louis University is $28,188 for plains states region bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make more than $110k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. 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. 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%.
St Olaf College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Vallue Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making Over $110k 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.
In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make more than $110k list, St. Olaf has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for St. Olaf is $23,543 for plains states region bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make more than $110k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Washington University in St Louis ranked #10 on this year’s Best Vallue Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making Over $110k list. This fairly large school is located in Saint Louis, Missouri, and it awarded 29 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
WUSTL also took the #1 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $26,869 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend Washington University in St Louis.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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 low student loan default rate of 1.4% 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%.
Carleton College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Vallue Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making Over $110k ranking. Carleton College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Northfield, Minnesota. It awarded 21 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
Carleton also made our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for Carleton is $31,133 for plains states region bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make more than $110k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low student loan default rate of 1.3% 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 Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income Over $110k) in the Southeast Region
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Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for European Studies (Income Over $110k) in the Plains States Region
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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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