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2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools in Maryland For Those Making $0-$30k

4 Ranked Colleges
151 Degrees Awarded
$10,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Area Studies Schools in Maryland 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. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Area Studies Schools in Maryland For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.

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 Maryland, there were 151 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,500 and $22,237 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Area Studies Schools in Maryland For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 4 colleges that offered a degree 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.

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

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Area Studies Schools in Maryland For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Area Studies Schools in Maryland For Those Making $0-$30k

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

Top 4 Best Value Colleges for Area Studies (Income $0-$30k) in Maryland

#1

University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, Maryland

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Maryland - College Park. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools in Maryland For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in College Park, Maryland, this large public school handed out 50 degrees to qualified ’s area studies students in 2019-2020.

UMCP not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Area Studies Schools in Maryland” list. It costs about $8,054 for Maryland Area Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Maryland - College Park.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 full report on Area Studies at University of Maryland - College Park

#2

Towson University

Towson, Maryland

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools in Maryland For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Towson University landed the #2 spot on the list. Towson University is a large school located in Towson, Maryland that handed out 12 ’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our maryland area studies students whose families make $0-$30k list, Towson has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Area Studies Schools in Maryland” ranking. It costs about $9,206 for Maryland Area Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Towson.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Full Towson Area Studies Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Maryland - Baltimore County. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools in Maryland For Those Making $0-$30k. This fairly large school is located in Baltimore, Maryland, and it awarded 19 ’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

UMBC also made our “Best Area Studies Schools in Maryland” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $10,820 for Maryland Area Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Maryland - Baltimore County.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Maryland - Baltimore County Area Studies Report

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools in Maryland For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Maryland Global Campus landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Adelphi, Maryland, this large public school handed out 38 diplomas to qualified ’s area studies students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMGC, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Area Studies Schools in Maryland” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UMGC is $14,288 for maryland area studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Area Studies at University of Maryland Global Campus

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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