2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k
10
Ranked Colleges
808
Degrees Awarded
$11,800
Avg Net Price*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
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 Great Lakes region, there were 808 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,342 and $21,486 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 10 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.
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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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 Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” 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. 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 Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k
The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region area studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
Top 10 Best Value Colleges for Area Studies (Income $30-$48k) in the Great Lakes Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, this large public school handed out 68 diplomas to qualified ’s area studies students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our great lakes region area studies students whose families make $30-$48k list, U-M has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend U-M is $5,670 for great lakes region area studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Area Studies at U-M
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Chicago. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k. University of Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 45 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UChicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $4,777 for Great Lakes Region Area Studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Chicago.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Area Studies at University of Chicago
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. UW - Madison is located in Madison, Wisconsin and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 157 ’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our great lakes region area studies students whose families make $30-$48k list, UW - Madison has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Madison is $4,788 for Great Lakes Region Area Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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 95%.
Read full report on Area Studies at UW - Madison
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 #4 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 32 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $8,036 for great lakes region area studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Area Studies at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #5 spot on the list. IU Bloomington is a large school located in Bloomington, Indiana that handed out 44 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at IU Bloomington, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend IU Bloomington is $7,061 for great lakes region area studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full IU Bloomington Area Studies Report
Oberlin College landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This small school is located in Oberlin, Ohio, and it awarded 41 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Oberlin did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $13,745 for Great Lakes Region Area Studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Oberlin College.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% 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 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Full Oberlin Area Studies Report
With a ranking of #7, Miami University - Oxford did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This fairly large school is located in Oxford, Ohio, and it awarded 56 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our great lakes region area studies students whose families make $30-$48k list, Miami University - Oxford has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Miami University - Oxford is $16,062 for Great Lakes Region Area Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.0% 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 Miami University - Oxford
University of Illinois at Chicago came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s area studies degrees to 17 students in 2020-2021.
UIC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Chicago is $11,351 for great lakes region area studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Area Studies at UIC
With a ranking of #9, Siena Heights University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This small school is located in Adrian, Michigan, and it awarded 14 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our great lakes region area studies students whose families make $30-$48k list, Siena Heights University has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Siena Heights University is $19,719 for Great Lakes Region Area Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
Full Siena Heights University Area Studies Report
DePaul University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 11 diplomas to qualified ’s area studies students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our great lakes region area studies students whose families make $30-$48k list, DePaul has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $27,252 for great lakes region area studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend DePaul.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Area Studies at DePaul University
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