by our College Data Analytics Team
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 Southwest 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 Southwest region, there were 836 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $28,908 and $21,438 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 226 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,130 and $22,381 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region” ranking, we looked at 19 colleges that offer a degree in area studies. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their area studies program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region bachelor’s degree area studies students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region list. Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary is a small school located in Fort Worth, Texas that handed out 40 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
Read more about Area Studies at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Austin College. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region. This small school is located in Sherman, Texas, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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%.
Out of the 19 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Southwestern University landed the #3 spot on the list. Georgetown, Texas is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 6 students 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%.
Out of the 19 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Trinity University landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in San Antonio, Texas, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 5 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% 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%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Rice University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region list. Rice is a private not-for-profit institution located in Houston, Texas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
University of Arizona came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region ranking. University of Arizona is a large school located in Tucson, Arizona that handed out 56 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of New Mexico - Main Campus came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region ranking. This large school is located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and it awarded 12 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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%.
The University of Texas at Austin landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region ranking. UT Austin is a large school located in Austin, Texas that handed out 55 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Southern Methodist University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #9. Dallas, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 2 students in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 Southern Methodist University
Northeastern State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region ranking. Northeastern State University is a medium-sized public school situated in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. It awarded 1 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #11, Baylor University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region list. Baylor is a private not-for-profit institution located in Waco, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% 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%.
With a ranking of #12, Oklahoma State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region list. OSU is a large school located in Stillwater, Oklahoma that handed out 2 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Oklahoma State University - Main Campus Area Studies Report
Texas Christian University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #13. TCU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Fort Worth, Texas. It awarded 0 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Arizona State University - Tempe landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region ranking. ASU - Tempe is located in Tempe, Arizona and, has a large 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 86%, 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 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Area Studies at Arizona State University - Tempe
University of Oklahoma Norman Campus came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region ranking. University of Oklahoma Norman Campus is a public institution located in Norman, Oklahoma. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, 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 more about Area Studies at University of Oklahoma Norman Campus
University of Houston ranked #16 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region list. Houston, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 6 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, 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%.
The University of Texas at San Antonio came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region ranking. UTSA is located in San Antonio, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 5 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
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 The University of Texas at San Antonio Area Studies Report
The University of Texas at Dallas landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region ranking. UT Dallas is a public institution located in Richardson, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
With a ranking of #19, University of North Texas did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Southwest Region list. University of North Texas is a large public school situated in Denton, Texas. It awarded 3 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies