2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies in the Southwest Region (With Aid)

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 Getting Aid” ranking.

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 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 Getting Aid” ranking looked at 4 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. 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.

Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid

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

Top 4 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies in the Southwest Region (With Aid)

#1

The University of Texas at Austin

Austin, Texas

#1 in overall quality

$18,023 Average Net Price

$30,771 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Texas at Austin. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid list. The University of Texas at Austin is a large school located in Austin, Texas that handed out 63 bachelors’s area studies 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 estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas at Austin is $18,023 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students with aid.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Area Studies at The University of Texas at Austin

#2

Arizona State University - Tempe

Tempe, Arizona

#2 in overall quality

$11,706 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 Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Tempe, Arizona, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

ASU - Tempe not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for ASU - Tempe is $11,706 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students with aid.

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

Read more about Area Studies at ASU - Tempe

#3

University of Arizona

Tucson, Arizona

#3 in overall quality

$15,016 Average Net Price

$31,495 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 Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Arizona landed the #3 spot on the list. University of Arizona is a public institution located in Tucson, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 42 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Arizona also made our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend University of Arizona is $15,016 for southwest region 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 85%.

Full University of Arizona Area Studies Report

#4

University of New Mexico - Main Campus

Albuquerque, New Mexico

#4 in overall quality

$14,446 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 Getting Aid 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 also took the #4 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UNM is $14,446 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students with aid.

Full UNM Area Studies Report

• 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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