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

5 Ranked Colleges
151 Degrees Awarded
$11,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor's in Virginia 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. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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 Virginia, there were 177 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $29,775 and $21,966 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 151 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 5 colleges that offered 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.

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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k”.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to 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 Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for virginia 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 Virginia

#1

William & Mary

Williamsburg, Virginia

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, William & Mary landed the #1 spot on the list. William & Mary is a medium-sized school located in Williamsburg, Virginia that handed out 38 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at William & Mary, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for William & Mary is $4,711 for virginia bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full William & Mary Area Studies Report

#2

University of Richmond

University of Richmond, Virginia

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Richmond. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k. University of Richmond is a small private not-for-profit school situated in University of Richmond, Virginia. It awarded 33 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at URichmond, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend URichmond is $9,112 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.2% 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%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read full report on Area Studies at URichmond

#3

University of Virginia - Main Campus

Charlottesville, Virginia

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Virginia - Main Campus landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Charlottesville, Virginia, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Virginia also took the #3 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Virginia is $8,882 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.6% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.

Full University of Virginia - Main Campus Area Studies Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Virginia Commonwealth University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k. Richmond, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 57 students in 2019-2020.

VCU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $16,768 for virginia bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Virginia Commonwealth University.

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%.

Full VCU Area Studies Report

#5

George Mason University

Fairfax, Virginia

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend George Mason University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k. George Mason University is located in Fairfax, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at GMU, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $16,204 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend George Mason University.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, 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 86%.

Read more about Area Studies at George Mason 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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