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2023 Most Focused Colleges for Area Studies in Washington

11 Ranked Colleges
$35,400 Avg Cost*
Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Washington

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 Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Washington” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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 Washington, there were 234 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,738 and $22,574 respectively.

This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Washington” ranking analyzed 11 colleges that offered a degree in area studies. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in area studies.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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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 Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Washington” 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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Washington

The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Washington”.

Top 11 Most Focused Colleges for Area Studies in Washington

1

Out of the 11 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Washington that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #1 spot on the list. UW Seattle is a public institution located in Seattle, Washington. The school has a large population, and it awarded 200 ’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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Area Studies at University of Washington - Seattle Campus

2
PLU crest
Pacific Lutheran University
Tacoma, Washington

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Pacific Lutheran University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Washington list. Located in Tacoma, Washington, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 2 diplomas to qualified ’s area studies students 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%.

Read full report on Area Studies at PLU

3
SPU crest
Seattle Pacific University
Seattle, Washington

Out of the 11 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Washington that were part of this year’s ranking, Seattle Pacific University landed the #3 spot on the list. Seattle Pacific University is located in Seattle, Washington and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 3 ’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full SPU Area Studies Report

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Washington - Bothell Campus. The school came in at #4 for the Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Washington. UW Bothell is a medium-sized school located in Bothell, Washington that handed out 9 ’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full UW Bothell Area Studies Report

5
WWU crest
Western Washington University
Bellingham, Washington

Out of the 11 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Washington that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Washington University landed the #5 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Bellingham, Washington, and it awarded 13 ’s area studies degrees 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 more about Area Studies at Western Washington University

6
CWU crest
Central Washington University
Ellensburg, Washington

Central Washington University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Washington ranking. CWU is a public institution located in Ellensburg, Washington. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1 ’s degrees 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 CWU

7

University of Washington - Tacoma Campus landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Washington ranking. Located in Tacoma, Washington, this small public school awarded 1 degrees to qualified ’s area studies students in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Area Studies at University of Washington - Tacoma Campus

8
Seattle U crest
Seattle University
Seattle, Washington

With a ranking of #8, Seattle University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Washington list. Seattle U is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Seattle, Washington. It awarded 0 ’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Area Studies at Seattle University

9
Gonzaga crest
Gonzaga University
Spokane, Washington

With a ranking of #9, Gonzaga University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Washington list. Spokane, Washington is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s area studies degrees to 0 students in 2021-2022.

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 92%.

Full Gonzaga University Area Studies Report

10
Whitman crest
Whitman College
Walla Walla, Washington

Whitman College landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Washington ranking. Located in Walla Walla, Washington, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 2 degrees to qualified ’s area studies students in 2021-2022.

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. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Whitman Area Studies Report

10
Wazzu crest
Washington State University
Pullman, Washington

Washington State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Washington ranking, coming in at #10. Located in Pullman, Washington, this large public school handed out 3 degrees to qualified ’s area studies students 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%.

Read more about Area Studies at Washington State University

Notes and References

References

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