If you plan on majoring in area studies, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #115 in the country in terms of popularity. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.
For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 9 schools in New York to determine which ones were the best for area studies students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 663 degrees in area studies to qualified students.
Explore societal similarities and differences as seen through cultural, biological, archaeological and linguistic lenses when you earn one of your degrees in anthropology from Southern New Hampshire University.
The area studies program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Area Studies rankings. For our Best Overall Area Studies School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.
You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.
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 the Best Area Studies Schools in New York.
You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.
In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you.
When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.
Explore societal similarities and differences as seen through cultural, biological, archaeological and linguistic lenses when you earn one of your degrees in anthropology from Southern New Hampshire University.
If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the area studies degrees they offer, see the list below.
Columbia University in the City of New York is a good option for students interested in a degree in area studies. Located in the large city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #15 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Columbia is a great university overall.
There were approximately 107 area studies students who graduated with this degree at Columbia in the most recent data year. Those area studies students who get their degree from Columbia University in the City of New York earn $5,438 more than the average area studies student.
Cornell University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in area studies. Cornell is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Ithaca. A Best Colleges rank of #9 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Cornell is a great university overall.
There were roughly 57 area studies students who graduated with this degree at Cornell in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the area studies major at Cornell University get $7,118 above the typical graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.
Explore societal similarities and differences as seen through cultural, biological, archaeological and linguistic lenses when you earn one of your degrees in anthropology from Southern New Hampshire University.
It's difficult to beat Fordham University if you want to pursue a degree in area studies. Located in the city of Bronx, Fordham U is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #67 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Fordham U is a great university overall.
There were approximately 38 area studies students who graduated with this degree at Fordham U in the most recent data year. Those area studies students who get their degree from Fordham University receive $4,098 more than the standard area studies graduate.
Barnard College is a good decision for students pursuing a degree in area studies. Located in the large city of New York, Barnard is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 9th out of 136 schools for overall quality in the state of New York.
There were roughly 28 area studies students who graduated with this degree at Barnard in the most recent data year. After graduation, area studies degree recipients generally earn an average of $34,142 at the beginning of their careers.
Located in the city of New York, NYU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #16 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means NYU is a great university overall.
There were about 118 area studies students who graduated with this degree at NYU in the most recent data year. Area Studies degree recipients from New York University receive an earnings boost of about $14,520 above the average earnings of area studies majors.
The Colleges is a small private not-for-profit college located in the town of Geneva. This college ranks 42nd out of 136 schools for overall quality in the state of New York.
There were roughly 17 area studies students who graduated with this degree at The Colleges in the most recent data year.
Located in the midsize suburb of Vestal, Binghamton University is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 15th out of 136 colleges for overall quality in the state of New York.
There were approximately 25 area studies students who graduated with this degree at Binghamton University in the most recent year we have data available.
Gain a rich foundation of knowledge ranging from early history to modern times with this online bachelor's degree in history from Southern New Hampshire University.
Located in the medium-sized city of Albany, UAlbany is a public university with a large student population. This university ranks 27th out of 136 colleges for overall quality in the state of New York.
There were approximately 18 area studies students who graduated with this degree at UAlbany in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the area studies program state that they receive average early career income of $32,808.
Located in the fringe town of New Paltz, SUNY New Paltz is a public school with a medium-sized student population. This school ranks 73rd out of 136 colleges for overall quality in the state of New York.
There were roughly 12 area studies students who graduated with this degree at SUNY New Paltz in the most recent year we have data available.
The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
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 the rest 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).
Credit for the banner image above goes to Karl Udo Gerth.
The area studies program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Area Studies rankings. For our Best Overall Area Studies School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.
