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2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid

29 Ranked Colleges
984 Degrees Awarded
$13,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor's in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid

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 the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid” 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 Far Western US region, there were 1,412 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,483 and $21,165 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 984 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,083 and $22,209 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 29 colleges that offered 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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 the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest 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 Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for far western us region bachelor’s degree area studies students with aid.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies in the Far Western US Region (With Aid)

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. UW Seattle is located in Seattle, Washington and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 193 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

UW Seattle did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $13,297 for far western us region bachelor’s degree area studies students with aid per year to attend UW Seattle.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Read more about Area Studies at University of Washington - Seattle Campus

#2

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid. This fairly large school is located in Stanford, California, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Stanford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford University is $11,496 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 4 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 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Area Studies at Stanford

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fullerton. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid. Located in Fullerton, California, this large public school awarded 68 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2019-2020.

Cal State Fullerton did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $7,991 for far western us region bachelor’s degree area studies students with aid per year to attend Cal State Fullerton.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. 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%.

Full Cal State Fullerton Area Studies Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Long Beach. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region 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.

CSULB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $9,622 for far western us region bachelor’s degree area studies students with aid per year to attend California State University - Long Beach.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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 full report on Area Studies at California State University - Long Beach

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Irvine. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid. Located in Irvine, California, this large public school awarded 19 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Irvine is $14,783 for far western us region bachelor’s degree area studies students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Full UC Irvine Area Studies Report

University of California - Berkeley landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of California - Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 103 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Berkeley is $15,329 for far western us region bachelor’s degree area studies students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Area Studies at University of California - Berkeley

California State University - Los Angeles landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school awarded 5 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Los Angeles is $2,768 for far western us region bachelor’s degree area studies students with aid.

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%.

Read more about Area Studies at California State University - Los Angeles

#8

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

University of California - Los Angeles landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of California - Los Angeles is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 99 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCLA is $14,279 for far western us region bachelor’s degree area studies students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Full UCLA Area Studies Report

#25 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, California State University - Northridge did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. CSUN is a large public school situated in Northridge, California. It awarded 17 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUN did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #25 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend CSUN is $8,414 for far western us region bachelor’s degree area studies students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Northridge Area Studies Report

#10

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California

With a ranking of #10, University of California - Riverside did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Riverside, California, this large public school handed out 20 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree area studies students with aid list, UCR has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Riverside is $12,871 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.

Read more about Area Studies at University of California - Riverside

With a ranking of #11, University of California - San Diego did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. UCSD is a large public school situated in La Jolla, California. It awarded 22 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree area studies students with aid list, UCSD has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $14,232 for far western us region bachelor’s degree area studies students with aid per year to attend UCSD.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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.

Full University of California - San Diego Area Studies Report

#23 in overall quality

California State University - Sacramento came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Sac State is located in Sacramento, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree area studies students with aid list, Sac State has also earned the #23 rank in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Sac State is $9,979 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Sacramento Area Studies Report

#13

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 12 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

SDSU also made our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #21. The yearly cost to attend San Diego State University is $14,788 for far western us region bachelor’s degree area studies students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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.

Full San Diego State University Area Studies Report

#13

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California
#17 in overall quality

San Francisco State University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. SFSU is a public institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SFSU also made our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #17. The estimated yearly cost for San Francisco State University is $15,113 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students with aid.

Full San Francisco State University Area Studies Report

University of California - Davis ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Davis, California, this large public school handed out 28 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2019-2020.

UC Davis also made our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #12. The estimated yearly cost for UC Davis is $14,669 for far western us region bachelor’s degree area studies students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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 more about Area Studies at University of California - Davis

#16

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

University of California - Santa Barbara ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. University of California - Santa Barbara is a public institution located in Santa Barbara, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $15,884 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students with aid per year to attend University of California - Santa Barbara.

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 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Area Studies at UCSB

#17

University of Hawaii at Manoa

Honolulu, Hawaii

With a ranking of #17, University of Hawaii at Manoa did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. University of Hawaii at Manoa is a public institution located in Honolulu, Hawaii. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 19 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UH Manoa also made our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #24. It costs about $15,030 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students with aid per year to attend University of Hawaii at Manoa.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UH Manoa Area Studies Report

With a ranking of #18, California State University - Chico did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in Chico, California, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Chico State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #22 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Chico is $15,017 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Area Studies at California State University - Chico

#19

University of Oregon

Eugene, Oregon

University of Oregon did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #19. This large school is located in Eugene, Oregon, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

UO also took the #18 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UO is $16,461 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Area Studies at University of Oregon

#20

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#20 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Cruz ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. Santa Cruz, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

UC Santa Cruz also made our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #20. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Santa Cruz is $18,186 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of California - Santa Cruz Area Studies Report

#21

Western Washington University

Bellingham, Washington

Western Washington University landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. WWU is a public institution located in Bellingham, Washington. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 18 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

WWU also made our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #19. The estimated yearly cost for WWU is $16,529 for Far Western US Region 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%.

Read full report on Area Studies at Western Washington University

#22

Oregon State University

Corvallis, Oregon
#9 in overall quality

Oregon State University landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Oregon State University is a large public school situated in Corvallis, Oregon. It awarded 8 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Oregon State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Oregon State is $20,016 for far western us region bachelor’s degree area studies students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Oregon State Area Studies Report

#23

Washington State University

Pullman, Washington

Washington State University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Wazzu is a large school located in Pullman, Washington that handed out 2 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $16,358 for far western us region bachelor’s degree area studies students with aid per year to attend Washington State University.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Area Studies at Washington State University

With a ranking of #24, University of Washington - Bothell Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. University of Washington - Bothell Campus is a medium-sized public school situated in Bothell, Washington. It awarded 6 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Washington - Bothell Campus is $11,060 for far western us region bachelor’s degree area studies students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 2.2% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Area Studies at University of Washington - Bothell Campus

University of Washington - Tacoma Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #25. Tacoma, Washington is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 5 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Washington - Tacoma Campus is $10,817 for far western us region 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%.

Read full report on Area Studies at UW Tacoma

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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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