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

5 Ranked Colleges
213 Degrees Awarded
$11,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor's in the Rocky Mountains Region 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 the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2019-2020, 6,820 people earned their degree in area studies, making the major the 106th most popular in the United States. 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 the Rocky Mountains region, there were 231 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $27,300 and $16,005 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 213 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,111 and $23,874 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 5 colleges that offered a degree in area studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent area studies programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the area studies program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k

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

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

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Brigham Young University - Provo. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k. BYU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Provo, Utah. The school has a large population, and it awarded 69 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

BYU also made our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for Brigham Young University - Provo is $8,834 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Area Studies at BYU

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Utah State University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Logan, Utah is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 54 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at USU, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. It costs about $10,643 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Utah State University.

Full USU Area Studies Report

#3

University of Utah

Salt Lake City, Utah

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Utah landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Salt Lake City, Utah, and it awarded 25 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $0-$30k list, U of U has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for U of U is $11,511 for rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.6% 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Area Studies at University of Utah

#3 in overall quality

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Colorado Boulder landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in Boulder, Colorado, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $0-$30k list, CU - Boulder has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Colorado Boulder is $13,366 for rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read full report on Area Studies at CU - Boulder

#5

The University of Montana

Missoula, Montana
#5 in overall quality

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Montana landed the #5 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Missoula, Montana, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $0-$30k list, UM has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. It costs about $13,064 for rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UM.

Read more about Area Studies at The University of Montana

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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

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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