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

6 Ranked Colleges
139 Degrees Awarded
$10,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Area Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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.

This year’s “Best Value Area Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 6 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.

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. 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 in Illinois 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. 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 in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Area Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 6 Best Value Colleges for Area Studies (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

Out of the 6 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Evanston, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 13 diplomas to qualified ’s area studies students in 2019-2020.

Northwestern not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Area Studies Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $1,866 for illinois area studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Northwestern.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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 student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Area Studies at Northwestern University

#2

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Out of the 6 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools 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. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s area studies degrees to 39 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UChicago, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Area Studies Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UChicago is $2,712 for Illinois Area Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Area Studies at UChicago

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 in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 33 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois area studies students whose families make $0-$30k list, UIUC has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Area Studies Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $5,477 for Illinois Area Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low student loan default rate of 2.4% 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 more about Area Studies at UIUC

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Chicago. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. UIC is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 23 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UIC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Area Studies Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Chicago is $10,648 for illinois area studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UIC Area Studies Report

Out of the 6 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northeastern Illinois University landed the #5 spot on the list. Northeastern Illinois University is a medium-sized school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 1 ’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Northeastern Illinois University also took the #6 spot in our “Best Area Studies Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northeastern Illinois University is $14,816 for Illinois Area Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Northeastern Illinois University Area Studies Report

#6

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #6, DePaul University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 11 diplomas to qualified ’s area studies students in 2019-2020.

DePaul not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Area Studies Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $26,173 for Illinois Area Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend DePaul University.

The low student loan default rate of 4.5% 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%.

Full DePaul Area Studies Report

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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