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2023 Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in the Great Lakes Region

10 Ranked Colleges
448 Degrees Awarded
$31,832 Avg Salary
Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Area Studies for a Bachelor's

Veterans have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Area Studies for a Bachelor’s” 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 the Great Lakes region, there were 808 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,342 and $21,486 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 448 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,343 and $26,790 respectively.

For this year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Area Studies for a Bachelor’s” ranking, we looked at 10 colleges that offer a degree in area studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great area studies programs and a strong support system for veterans and active service members.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the area studies program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran satisfaction. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Area Studies Schools

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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 “Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Area Studies for a Bachelor’s” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools 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.

Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Area Studies for a Bachelor’s

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region bachelor’s degree vets studying area studies.

Top 10 Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in the Great Lakes Region

1

Out of the 10 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Area Studies for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #1 spot on the list. U-M is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 48 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

U-M not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list.Of the 47,907 students enrolled at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, 570 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 325 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $27,058. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

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2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Miami University - Oxford. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Area Studies for a Bachelor’s list. Miami University - Oxford is a fairly large school located in Oxford, Ohio that handed out 56 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

Miami University - Oxford also made our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #3.Among the 18,880 students enrolled at Miami University - Oxford, 405 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 259 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,877. On top of their other funding sources, 6 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Miami University - Oxford does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Miami University - Oxford Veteran Student Life Report

3

Out of the 10 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Area Studies for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #3 spot on the list. Madison, Wisconsin is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 21 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Madison, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 4 of the 44,640 students enrolled at University of Wisconsin - Madison were GI Bill® students, of which 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

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

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4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Area Studies for a Bachelor’s list. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 17 students in 2020-2021.

UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list.Of the 52,679 students enrolled at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 10 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, 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 94%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at UIUC]](/colleges/university-of-illinois-at-urbana-champaign/student-life/veterans/)

5
UChicago crest
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Area Studies for a Bachelor’s list. UChicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UChicago also made our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #6.According to our most recent data, UChicago supports 17,834 students, and 241 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 113 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $18,948. In addition to receiving other benefits, 58 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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.

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6

With a ranking of #6, Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Area Studies for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Bloomington, Indiana, this large public school awarded 14 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at IU Bloomington, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.According to our most recent data, IU Bloomington supports 43,064 students, and 1 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 0 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $0. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

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 [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read More…

7

University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Area Studies for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #7. University of Illinois at Chicago is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UIC also took the #8 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.Of the 33,518 students enrolled at University of Illinois at Chicago, 1 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $23,878. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of Illinois at Chicago does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

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

[Read full report on veteran student life at UIC]](/colleges/university-of-illinois-at-chicago/student-life/veterans/)

8
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Area Studies for a Bachelor’s ranking. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

DePaul also took the #9 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.Among the 21,922 students enrolled at DePaul University, 528 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 367 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $14,957. In addition to receiving other benefits, 101 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. DePaul University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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…

9
Siena Heights University crest
Siena Heights University
Adrian, Michigan

Siena Heights University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Area Studies for a Bachelor’s ranking. Siena Heights University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Adrian, Michigan. It awarded 14 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree vets studying area studies list, Siena Heights University has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.Among the 2,036 students enrolled at Siena Heights University, 74 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 38 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,992. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Siena Heights University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Siena Heights University]](/colleges/siena-heights-university/student-life/veterans/)

10
Oberlin crest
Oberlin College
Oberlin, Ohio

Oberlin College ranked #10 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Area Studies for a Bachelor’s list. Oberlin College is a small school located in Oberlin, Ohio that handed out 41 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

Oberlin did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list.Our most recent data shows that 28 of the 2,658 students enrolled at Oberlin were GI Bill® students, of which 21 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $23,015. During this same period, 17 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

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

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