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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

5 Ranked Colleges
91 Degrees Awarded
$9,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor's in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Area Studies is the 106th most popular major in the country with 6,820 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, area studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $33,734 and had an average of $23,024 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 139 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $30,433 and $25,759 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 91 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 5 colleges that offer a degree in area studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality area studies programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the area studies program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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 “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k”.

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. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 5 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. Northwestern University is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 13 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Northwestern also made our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern University is $1,866 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive 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.

Read more about Area Studies at Northwestern University

#2

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the #2 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $0-$30k list, UChicago has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Chicago is $2,712 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, 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.

Full UChicago Area Studies Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 18 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC also took the #3 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $5,477 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Area Studies at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #4 spot on the list. University of Illinois at Chicago is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UIC also made our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Chicago is $10,648 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Illinois at Chicago Area Studies Report

#5

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend DePaul University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $0-$30k list, DePaul has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend DePaul is $26,173 for illinois bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Area Studies at DePaul University

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

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees 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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