2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies (With Aid)
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
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.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 4,788 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 145 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.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the area studies program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid
The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree area studies students with aid.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies (With Aid)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Lehman College. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid. Lehman College is a fairly large school located in Bronx, New York that handed out 7 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Lehman College is $1,814 for bachelor’s degree area studies students with aid.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. UW Seattle is a large public school situated in Seattle, Washington. It awarded 193 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for UW Seattle is $13,297 for bachelor’s degree area studies students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. 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%.
Full University of Washington - Seattle Campus Area Studies Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 247 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on this list, UNC Chapel Hill is in the top on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for UNC Chapel Hill is $12,352 for Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students with aid.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 1.9% 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 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Stanford is a fairly large school located in Stanford, California that handed out 21 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
Stanford also made our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford is $11,496 for bachelor’s degree area studies students with aid.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 4 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 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Out of the 145 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Yale University landed the #5 spot on the list. Yale is a fairly large school located in New Haven, Connecticut that handed out 46 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Yale, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Yale is $17,549 for Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students with aid.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
California State University - Fullerton landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Fullerton, California, this large public school awarded 68 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Cal State Fullerton is $7,991 for Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students with aid.
The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Area Studies at California State University - Fullerton
Amherst College landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Amherst College is a small school located in Amherst, Massachusetts that handed out 28 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Amherst, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Amherst College is $18,524 for bachelor’s degree area studies students with aid.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Harvard University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Harvard is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Harvard, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Harvard is $15,386 for bachelor’s degree area studies students with aid.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Purdue University - Main Campus came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in West Lafayette, Indiana, this large public school handed out 8 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Purdue University - Main Campus is $13,986 for bachelor’s degree area studies students with aid.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
With a ranking of #10, Brigham Young University - Provo did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Brigham Young University - Provo is a private not-for-profit institution located in Provo, Utah. The school has a large population, and it awarded 69 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for BYU is $13,322 for bachelor’s degree area studies students with aid.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 18 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $15,880 for Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students with aid.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. UW - Madison is a large school located in Madison, Wisconsin that handed out 31 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $17,708 for Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students with aid per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
California State University - Long Beach ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 65 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend CSULB is $9,622 for Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low student loan default rate of 1.6% 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%.
John Jay College of Criminal Justice landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. John Jay College of Criminal Justice is located in New York, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 11 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $2,532 for bachelor’s degree area studies students with aid per year to attend John Jay.
With a ranking of #15, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 19 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for UC Irvine is $14,783 for bachelor’s degree area studies students with aid.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
With a ranking of #16, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. UC Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 103 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
UC Berkeley also made our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #20. It costs about $15,329 for Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students with aid per year to attend UC Berkeley.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Read more about Area Studies at University of California - Berkeley
Florida International University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Miami, Florida, this large public school handed out 38 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $7,296 for Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students with aid per year to attend Florida International University.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read full report on Area Studies at Florida International University
California State University - Los Angeles landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Cal State LA is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend Cal State LA is $2,768 for bachelor’s degree area studies students with aid.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full California State University - Los Angeles Area Studies Report
The University of Texas at Austin did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #19. The University of Texas at 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.
The yearly cost to attend UT Austin is $18,023 for Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students with aid.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Columbia University in the City of New York came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Columbia University in the City of New York is a large private not-for-profit school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 62 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Columbia, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $23,306 for bachelor’s degree area studies students with aid per year to attend Columbia.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low student loan default rate of 2.1% 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%.
University of California - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #21. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 99 students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $14,279 for bachelor’s degree area studies students with aid per year to attend UCLA.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
University of Maryland Global Campus ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. University of Maryland Global Campus is a public institution located in Adelphi, Maryland. The school has a large population, and it awarded 38 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $14,288 for Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students with aid per year to attend University of Maryland Global Campus.
With a ranking of #23, University of Maryland - College Park did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. College Park, Maryland 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.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Maryland - College Park is $19,045 for bachelor’s degree area studies students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Wellesley College landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Wellesley is a private not-for-profit institution located in Wellesley, Massachusetts. The school has a small population, and it awarded 41 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Wellesley also took the #14 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $22,087 for Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students with aid per year to attend Wellesley College.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The low student loan default rate of 1.5% 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%.
California State University - Northridge landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State University - Northridge is a large public school situated in Northridge, California. It awarded 17 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $8,414 for Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students with aid per year to attend CSUN.
The low student loan default rate of 2.0% 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%.
Read more about Area Studies at California State University - Northridge
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Area Studies students with family 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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