2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies in District of Columbia (With Aid)

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in District of Columbia For Those Getting Aid” ranking - to help you make that 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 District of Columbia, there were 221 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $46,900 and $40,178 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 72 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $44,446 and $25,767 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in District of Columbia For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 3 colleges that offered a degree 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.

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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Area Studies Schools

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 District of Columbia For Those Getting Aid” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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 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 District of Columbia For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in District of Columbia For Those Getting Aid.

Top 3 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies in District of Columbia (With Aid)

#1

Georgetown University

Washington, District of Columbia

#1 in overall quality

$28,909 Average Net Price

$46,087 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Georgetown University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in District of Columbia For Those Getting Aid list. Georgetown is located in Washington, District of Columbia and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 25 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

Georgetown also made our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in District of Columbia” list, coming in at #1. The yearly cost to attend Georgetown is $28,909 for District of Columbia Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national 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.

Read more about Area Studies at Georgetown University

#2

American University

Washington, District of Columbia

#3 in overall quality

$43,451 Average Net Price

$39,648 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend American University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in District of Columbia For Those Getting Aid. The American University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Washington, District of Columbia. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 18 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The American University also made our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in District of Columbia” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $43,451 for District of Columbia Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students with aid per year to attend The American University.

The low student loan default rate of 2.5% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Area Studies at The American University

#3

George Washington University

Washington, District of Columbia

#2 in overall quality

$33,719 Average Net Price

$38,289 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend George Washington University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in District of Columbia For Those Getting Aid. Located in Washington, District of Columbia, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 29 degrees to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2019-2020.

GWU also took the #2 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in District of Columbia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend George Washington University is $33,719 for district of columbia 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.

Full George Washington University Area Studies Report

• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies in the Middle Atlantic Region (With Aid)
• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies (With Aid)

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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