2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in District of Columbia For Those Making $0-$30k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in District of Columbia For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

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 District of Columbia, there were 221 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $46,900 and $40,178 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 72 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $44,446 and $25,767 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in District of Columbia For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 3 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in area studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great area studies programs and cost less that 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Area Studies Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in District of Columbia For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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 by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

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

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in District of Columbia For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 3 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $0-$30k) in District of Columbia

#1

Georgetown University

Washington, District of Columbia

#1 in overall quality

$5,248 Average Net Price

$46,087 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Georgetown University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in District of Columbia For Those Making $0-$30k list. Georgetown University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Washington, District of Columbia. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 25 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our district of columbia bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $0-$30k list, Georgetown has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in District of Columbia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Georgetown University is $5,248 for District of Columbia Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 Georgetown University

#2

George Washington University

Washington, District of Columbia

#2 in overall quality

$17,614 Average Net Price

$38,289 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend George Washington University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in District of Columbia For Those Making $0-$30k. George Washington University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Washington, District of Columbia. It awarded 29 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

GWU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in District of Columbia” list. The yearly cost to attend George Washington University is $17,614 for district of columbia bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.2% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Area Studies at George Washington University

#3

American University

Washington, District of Columbia

#3 in overall quality

$28,432 Average Net Price

$39,648 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend American University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in District of Columbia For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Washington, District of Columbia, and it awarded 18 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at The American University, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in District of Columbia” ranking. It costs about $28,432 for District of Columbia Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend The American University.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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 American University

• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $0-$30k) in the Middle Atlantic Region
• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $0-$30k)

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.

Credits

• Credit for the banner image above goes to Karl Udo Gerth.

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