2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region
34
Ranked Colleges
205
Degrees Awarded
$31,952
Avg Salary
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region” ranking - to help you make that decision.
Area Studies is the 115th most popular major in the country with 6,257 degrees awarded in 2021-2022. 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 Plains States region, there were 247 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,952 and $23,000 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 205 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,724 and $22,887 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region” ranking looked at 34 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in area studies. That schools that top this list have a program in area studies in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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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 Plains States Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region
The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region bachelor’s degree area studies students.
Top 34 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies in the Plains States Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend St Olaf College. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region list. St. Olaf is a private not-for-profit institution located in Northfield, Minnesota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 22 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Area Studies at St Olaf College
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Carleton College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region list. This small school is located in Northfield, Minnesota, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.4% 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%. 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.
Read full report on Area Studies at Carleton College
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Gustavus Adolphus College. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region. Gustavus Adolphus College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Peter, Minnesota. It awarded 11 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Area Studies at Gustavus Adolphus College
Out of the 34 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Coe College landed the #4 spot on the list. This small school is located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
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. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 full report on Area Studies at Coe College
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Macalester College. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region. Macalester is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s 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 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Full Macalester Area Studies Report
Saint Johns University ranked #6 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region list. Saint Johns University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Collegeville, Minnesota. It awarded 2 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Saint Johns University Area Studies Report
With a ranking of #7, University of Missouri - Columbia did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region list. Located in Columbia, Missouri, this large public school awarded 47 degrees to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Area Studies at Mizzou
College of Saint Benedict landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Saint Joseph, Minnesota, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 0 degrees to qualified bachelors’s area studies students 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 0.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Area Studies at College of Saint Benedict
Washington University in St Louis landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Saint Louis, Missouri, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 25 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s area studies students 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Washington University in St Louis Area Studies Report
University of Minnesota - Duluth landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking. University of Minnesota - Duluth is located in Duluth, Minnesota and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 8 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Area Studies at University of Minnesota - Duluth
University of Minnesota - Morris ranked #11 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region list. University of Minnesota - Morris is located in Morris, Minnesota and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 1 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%.
Read more about Area Studies at University of Minnesota - Morris
University of Kansas came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Lawrence, Kansas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 18 students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.2% 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 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full KU Area Studies Report
Saint Ambrose University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking. St. Ambrose University is a small school located in Davenport, Iowa that handed out 5 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Area Studies at Saint Ambrose University
University of Iowa did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #14. Iowa is a large public school situated in Iowa City, Iowa. It awarded 11 bachelors’s area studies 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.
Read more about Area Studies at University of Iowa
Iowa State University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Iowa State is a public institution located in Ames, Iowa. The school has a large population, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Area Studies at Iowa State University
With a ranking of #16, University of Nebraska at Omaha did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region list. UNOMAHA is a fairly large public school situated in Omaha, Nebraska. It awarded 8 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Area Studies at University of Nebraska at Omaha
Saint Louis University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #17. SLU is located in Saint Louis, Missouri and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 4 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on Area Studies at Saint Louis University
Creighton University landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Creighton is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Omaha, Nebraska. It awarded 1 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.4% 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 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Area Studies at Creighton
Minnesota State University - Moorhead came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Minnesota State University - Moorhead is a small public school situated in Moorhead, Minnesota. It awarded 0 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
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%.
Read full report on Area Studies at Minnesota State University - Moorhead
University of North Dakota ranked #20 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region list. UND is a public institution located in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.
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%.
Full University of North Dakota Area Studies Report
Minnesota State University - Mankato landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Minnesota State University - Mankato is located in Mankato, Minnesota and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 2 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
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 Minnesota State Mankato Area Studies Report
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this large public school handed out 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. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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%.
Read more about Area Studies at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
University of Nebraska - Lincoln came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Lincoln, Nebraska, this large public school awarded 1 degrees to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Area Studies at UNL
Columbia College landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Columbia College is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Columbia, Missouri. It awarded 0 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%.
Read more about Area Studies at Columbia College Missouri
Cornell College ranked #24 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region list. Cornell College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Mount Vernon, Iowa. 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 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Cornell College Area Studies Report
University of Jamestown did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #24. UJ is located in Jamestown, North Dakota and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 0 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
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%.
Full University of Jamestown Area Studies Report
With a ranking of #24, Saint Cloud State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region list. St. Cloud State University is a public institution located in Saint Cloud, Minnesota. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 0 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad 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 Saint Cloud State University
Hamline University ranked #24 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region list. Hamline University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It awarded 0 bachelors’s area studies 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%.
Full Hamline Area Studies Report
Luther College came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Luther College is located in Decorah, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 0 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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%.
Full Luther Area Studies Report
Bethany Lutheran College ranked #24 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region list. Bethany Lutheran College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Mankato, Minnesota. 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 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Area Studies at BLC
Presentation College ranked #24 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region list. Presentation College is a small school located in Aberdeen, South Dakota that handed out 0 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Area Studies at Presentation College
Webster University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Webster University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Louis, Missouri. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1 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%.
Read full report on Area Studies at Webster University
Augustana University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #24. Augustana Sioux Falls is a small school located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota that handed out 0 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
Read full report on Area Studies at Augustana University
Augsburg University landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Augsburg is a small school located in Minneapolis, Minnesota that handed out 0 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.2% 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%.
Full Augsburg Area Studies Report
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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
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate 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
