2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region
70
Ranked Colleges
408
Degrees Awarded
$31,832
Avg Salary
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 “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2021-2022, 6,257 people earned their degree in area studies, making the major the 115th most popular in the United States. In , area studies graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $33,127 and had an average of $22,500 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 704 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,342 and $25,269 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 408 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,415 and $23,858 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking looked at 70 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in area studies. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in area studies.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
More Ways to Rank Area Studies Schools
The area studies school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region”.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region”.
Top 25 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies in the Great Lakes Region
Out of the 70 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Oberlin College landed the #1 spot on the list. Oberlin College is a small school located in Oberlin, Ohio that handed out 35 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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 impressive undergraduate 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.
Full Oberlin Area Studies Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Earlham College. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region. Earlham College is a small school located in Richmond, Indiana that handed out 5 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergraduate 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 undergrad 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%.
Read more about Area Studies at Earlham College
Out of the 70 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, The College of Wooster landed the #3 spot on the list. Wooster, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 8 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Area Studies at Wooster College
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Wittenberg University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This small school is located in Springfield, Ohio, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Area Studies at Wittenberg University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Siena Heights University. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region. Located in Adrian, Michigan, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 7 degrees to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Siena Heights University Area Studies Report
Kalamazoo College ranked #6 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Kalamazoo College is located in Kalamazoo, Michigan and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 7 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.3%, 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 85%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on Area Studies at Kalamazoo College
Lake Forest College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Lake Forest College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lake Forest, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Lake Forest College Area Studies Report
Knox College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Galesburg, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 6 degrees to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad 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 Knox
Lawrence University ranked #9 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Lawrence University is located in Appleton, Wisconsin and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 7 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.3% 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%.
Full Lawrence U Area Studies Report
Miami University - Oxford landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Miami University - Oxford is a fairly large school located in Oxford, Ohio that handed out 30 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, 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 89%.
Full Miami University - Oxford Area Studies Report
Adrian College landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Adrian is a private not-for-profit institution located in Adrian, Michigan. The school has a small population, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Area Studies at Adrian
Hillsdale College ranked #12 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Hillsdale College is a small school located in Hillsdale, Michigan that handed out 2 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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 full report on Area Studies at Hillsdale College
University of Notre Dame did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #13. University of Notre Dame is a fairly large school located in Notre Dame, Indiana that handed out 22 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.2% 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 98%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Full Notre Dame Area Studies Report
Carthage College ranked #14 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Carthage College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Kenosha, Wisconsin. It awarded 2 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Carthage College Area Studies Report
Saint Norbert College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #15. SNC is a small school located in De Pere, Wisconsin that handed out 4 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad 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%.
Full SNC Area Studies Report
Ohio Wesleyan University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #16. This small school is located in Delaware, Ohio, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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%.
Full Ohio Wesleyan University Area Studies Report
Valparaiso University ranked #17 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Valparaiso University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Valparaiso, Indiana. The school has a small population, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Area Studies at Valparaiso University
University of Michigan - Dearborn came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. UM Dearborn is a medium-sized public school situated in Dearborn, Michigan. It awarded 4 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full UM Dearborn Area Studies Report
Augustana College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #19. Augustana is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Rock Island, Illinois. It awarded 1 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Area Studies at Augustana College
With a ranking of #20, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region list. U-M is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 37 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.2%, 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 97%.
Read more about Area Studies at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Bradley University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Peoria, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 6 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
Read more about Area Studies at Bradley
University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire is located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 6 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire Area Studies Report
Hope College came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Hope is a private not-for-profit institution located in Holland, Michigan. The school has a small population, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Hope Area Studies Report
University of Rio Grande landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. University of Rio Grande is a private not-for-profit institution located in Rio Grande, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 0 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad 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 University of Rio Grande
University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh ranked #25 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Oshkosh, Wisconsin is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 3 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Area Studies at University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh
