2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k
11
Ranked Colleges
983
Degrees Awarded
$7,700
Avg Net Price*
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.
In 2020-2021, 6,966 people earned their degree in area studies, making the major the 115th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, area studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $33,127 and had an average of $20,927 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Southeast region, there were 983 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $29,290 and $20,478 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 11 colleges that offer 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
More Ways to Rank Area Studies Schools
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 the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college 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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for southeast region area studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
Top 11 Best Value Colleges for Area Studies (Income $0-$30k) in the Southeast Region
Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Duke University landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Durham, North Carolina, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 55 diplomas to qualified ’s area studies students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southeast region area studies students whose families make $0-$30k list, Duke has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Duke University is $371 for southeast region area studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.3% 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 undergraduate 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.
Full Duke University Area Studies Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public institution located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 221 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UNC Chapel Hill also made our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for UNC Chapel Hill is $3,753 for Southeast Region Area Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Area Studies at UNC Chapel Hill
Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, William & Mary landed the #3 spot on the list. William & Mary is located in Williamsburg, Virginia and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 63 ’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
William & Mary not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Southeast Region” list. It costs about $5,972 for Southeast Region Area Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend William & Mary.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full William & Mary Area Studies Report
Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Emory University landed the #4 spot on the list. Atlanta, Georgia is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s area studies degrees to 51 students in 2020-2021.
Emory not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Emory is $8,538 for southeast region area studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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.
Read more about Area Studies at Emory University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Florida. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k. University of Florida is a large school located in Gainesville, Florida that handed out 15 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
UF not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UF is $65 for southeast region area studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Florida Area Studies Report
University of Richmond came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This small school is located in University of Richmond, Virginia, and it awarded 19 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
URichmond not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Richmond is $8,010 for Southeast Region Area Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Area Studies at University of Richmond
With a ranking of #7, Florida State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Tallahassee, Florida, this large public school awarded 15 diplomas to qualified ’s area studies students in 2020-2021.
Florida State also made our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend Florida State University is $4,950 for southeast region 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 95%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Florida State Area Studies Report
University of Virginia - Main Campus landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Virginia is a public institution located in Charlottesville, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 11 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Virginia also made our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #6. The estimated yearly cost for University of Virginia is $12,476 for Southeast Region 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 97%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Virginia - Main Campus Area Studies Report
University of North Carolina at Charlotte landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Charlotte, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s area studies degrees to 19 students in 2020-2021.
UNC Charlotte also took the #11 spot in our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UNC Charlotte is $12,751 for Southeast Region 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 85%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Area Studies at University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Virginia Commonwealth University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #10. VCU is a large public school situated in Richmond, Virginia. It awarded 60 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
VCU also made our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #8. The estimated yearly cost for Virginia Commonwealth University is $14,507 for southeast region area studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Area Studies at VCU
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