2023 Most Focused Colleges for Area Studies in Illinois
18
Ranked Colleges
$31,300
Avg Cost*
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
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 Illinois, there were 152 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $32,250 and $43,398 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois” ranking, we looked at 18 colleges that offer a degree 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.
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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois”.
Top 18 Most Focused Colleges for Area Studies in Illinois
Out of the 18 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Lake Forest College landed the #1 spot on the list. Lake Forest, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s area studies degrees to 3 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, 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 Lake Forest College Area Studies Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Knox College. The school came in at #2 for the Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois. Knox College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Galesburg, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 6 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Knox College Area Studies Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 43 diplomas to qualified ’s area studies students in 2021-2022.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 99%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Area Studies at University of Chicago
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Augustana College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois list. Augustana is located in Rock Island, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 1 ’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
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%. 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 Augustana
Out of the 18 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Bradley University landed the #5 spot on the list. Bradley University is located in Peoria, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 6 ’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, 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 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Bradley Area Studies Report
Northeastern Illinois University ranked #6 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois list. Northeastern Illinois University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 11 ’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.4% 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 Northeastern Illinois University Area Studies Report
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #7 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 32 ’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%. 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 Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Illinois at Chicago ranked #8 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois list. UIC is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 23 ’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 full report on Area Studies at UIC
DePaul University ranked #9 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s area studies degrees to 10 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full DePaul Area Studies Report
With a ranking of #10, North Park University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois list. This small school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 0 ’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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%.
Read more about Area Studies at North Park University
Northwestern University ranked #11 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois list. Northwestern is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 12 ’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 99%. 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. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.1% 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%.
Full Northwestern University Area Studies Report
North Central College landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois ranking. Located in Naperville, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 2 degrees to qualified ’s area studies students 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%.
Full North Central Area Studies Report
Loyola University Chicago came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s area studies degrees to 1 students in 2021-2022.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Area Studies at Loyola Chicago
Elmhurst University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois ranking. This small school is located in Elmhurst, Illinois, and it awarded 0 ’s area studies degrees 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%.
Full Elmhurst University Area Studies Report
Principia College ranked #14 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois list. Elsah, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s area studies degrees to 1 students in 2021-2022.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Full Principia College Area Studies Report
Illinois State University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois ranking. This large school is located in Normal, Illinois, and it awarded 0 ’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Illinois State University Area Studies Report
Dominican University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois ranking. Dominican University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in River Forest, Illinois. It awarded 0 ’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
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. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Dominican U Area Studies Report
Illinois College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #14. Illinois College is a small school located in Jacksonville, Illinois that handed out 1 ’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% 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%.
Full Illinois College 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
