2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Illinois
18
Ranked Colleges
148
Degrees Awarded
$31,300
Avg Cost*
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Illinois” ranking.
In 2020-2021, 6,966 people earned their degree in area studies, making the major the 115th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, area studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $33,127 and had an average of $20,927 in loans still to pay off.
Across Illinois, there were 148 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $32,250 and $19,500 respectively.
For this year’s “Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Illinois” ranking, we looked at 18 colleges that offer a degree in area studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular area studies programs in the United States.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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 “Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Illinois”.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Illinois
The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois area studies students.
Top 18 Most Popular Colleges for Area Studies in Illinois
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Illinois list. University of Chicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 45 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read more about Area Studies at UChicago
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Illinois list. UIUC is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 32 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%. 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 UIUC
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Chicago. The school came in at #3 for the Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Illinois. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 17 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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 UIC
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #4 for the Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Illinois. This large school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and it awarded 17 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
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 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Area Studies at Northwestern University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend DePaul University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Illinois list. DePaul University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 11 ’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Area Studies at DePaul
Lake Forest College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #6. Lake Forest College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lake Forest, Illinois. It awarded 6 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Lake Forest College Area Studies Report
Northeastern Illinois University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Illinois ranking. Northeastern Illinois University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5 ’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
Read more about Area Studies at Northeastern Illinois University
With a ranking of #7, Bradley University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Illinois list. Peoria, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s area studies degrees to 5 students in 2020-2021.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Bradley University Area Studies Report
Knox College landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Illinois ranking. Knox is located in Galesburg, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4 ’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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 Knox Area Studies Report
With a ranking of #10, Augustana College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Illinois list. Located in Rock Island, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 3 degrees to qualified ’s area studies students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.5% 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 Augustana Area Studies Report
North Central College ranked #11 on this year’s Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Illinois list. Naperville, 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 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Area Studies at North Central
Loyola University Chicago came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Illinois ranking. Loyola Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1 ’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Area Studies at Loyola University Chicago
North Park University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Illinois ranking. North Park University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1 ’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% 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 North Park Area Studies Report
With a ranking of #14, Elmhurst University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Illinois list. Elmhurst University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Elmhurst, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 0 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Area Studies at Elmhurst University
With a ranking of #14, Illinois State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Illinois list. Illinois State is located in Normal, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 0 ’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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 full report on Area Studies at Illinois State
With a ranking of #14, Dominican University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Illinois list. This small school is located in River Forest, Illinois, and it awarded 0 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
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. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% 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 full report on Area Studies at Dominican U
Principia College ranked #14 on this year’s Most Well Attended 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 0 students in 2020-2021.
Full Principia Area Studies Report
Illinois College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #14. Illinois College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Jacksonville, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 0 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Area Studies at Illinois College
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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.
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