2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $48-$75k) in Massachusetts
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 Massachusetts For Those Making $48-$75k” 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 Massachusetts, there were 469 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,600 and $18,123 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 364 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $42,887 and $24,387 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, we looked at 13 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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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 for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $48-$75k” list to help you make the college decision.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $48-$75k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $48-$75k.
Top 13 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $48-$75k) in Massachusetts
Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Harvard University landed the #1 spot on the list. Harvard is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Harvard also made our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $3,411 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Harvard University.
The low student loan default rate of 1.1% 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%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Williams College. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $48-$75k. This small school is located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
Williams did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list. The yearly cost to attend Williams College is $7,134 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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 low 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%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Amherst College. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $48-$75k. Amherst is a small school located in Amherst, Massachusetts that handed out 28 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
Amherst did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list. The estimated yearly cost for Amherst is $8,219 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $48-$75k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Wellesley College landed the #4 spot on the list. Wellesley College is a small school located in Wellesley, Massachusetts that handed out 41 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Wellesley, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. It costs about $14,229 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Wellesley.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Smith College landed the #5 spot on the list. This small school is located in Northampton, Massachusetts, and it awarded 40 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
Smith also made our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list, coming in at #7. The estimated yearly cost for Smith is $16,394 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $48-$75k.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Tufts University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $48-$75k list. Tufts University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Medford, Massachusetts. It awarded 30 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
Tufts did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list. The yearly cost to attend Tufts University is $13,525 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $48-$75k.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Boston University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Boston U is a private not-for-profit institution located in Boston, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Boston U not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list. The yearly cost to attend Boston University is $20,231 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
With a ranking of #8, Mount Holyoke College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $48-$75k list. Mount Holyoke College is a small school located in South Hadley, Massachusetts that handed out 16 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
Mt. Holyoke also took the #10 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Mount Holyoke College is $17,860 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $48-$75k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
University of Massachusetts Amherst ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of Massachusetts Amherst is a large school located in Amherst, Massachusetts that handed out 6 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
UMass Amherst did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list. The estimated yearly cost for UMass Amherst is $18,104 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Area Studies at University of Massachusetts Amherst
With a ranking of #10, Brandeis University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $48-$75k list. Brandeis University is a medium-sized school located in Waltham, Massachusetts that handed out 70 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
Brandeis not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list. The yearly cost to attend Brandeis is $20,122 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 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 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
University of Massachusetts - Boston ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of Massachusetts - Boston is a fairly large public school situated in Boston, Massachusetts. It awarded 14 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
UMass Boston not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list. The estimated yearly cost for UMass Boston is $18,521 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $48-$75k.
Wheaton College Massachusetts ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $48-$75k list. Wheaton College Massachusetts is located in Norton, Massachusetts and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 9 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
Wheaton College Massachusetts not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list. The yearly cost to attend Wheaton College Massachusetts is $22,571 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Area Studies at Wheaton College Massachusetts
Simmons University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Boston, Massachusetts, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Simmons, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. It costs about $26,214 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree area studies students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Simmons.
The low 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 impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
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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.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Karl Udo Gerth.
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