2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k
10
Ranked Colleges
808
Degrees Awarded
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking - to help you make that decision.
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 $48-$75k” 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.
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.
More Ways to Rank Area Studies Schools
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k
The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region area studies students whose families make $48-$75k.
Top 10 Best Value Colleges for Area Studies (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a large school located in Ann Arbor, Michigan that handed out 68 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
U-M also made our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for U-M is $10,481 for Great Lakes Region Area Studies students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Area Studies at U-M
Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the #2 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 45 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
UChicago also made our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend UChicago is $8,375 for Great Lakes Region Area Studies students whose families make $48-$75k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read more about Area Studies at UChicago
Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #3 spot on the list. University of Wisconsin - Madison is a large school located in Madison, Wisconsin that handed out 157 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our great lakes region area studies students whose families make $48-$75k list, UW - Madison has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison is $10,364 for Great Lakes Region Area Studies students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Area Studies at University of Wisconsin - Madison
Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #4 spot on the list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 32 ’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $11,505 for Great Lakes Region Area Studies students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UIUC.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, 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 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Area Studies at UIUC
Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k 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 estimated yearly cost for IU Bloomington is $12,369 for great lakes region area studies students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, 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 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full IU Bloomington Area Studies Report
University of Illinois at Chicago ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of Illinois at Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 17 ’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
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 $14,105 for Great Lakes Region Area Studies students whose families make $48-$75k.
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 full report on Area Studies at UIC
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 $48-$75k list. Miami University - Oxford is a public institution located in Oxford, Ohio. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 56 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our great lakes region area studies students whose families make $48-$75k list, Miami University - Oxford has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Miami University - Oxford is $23,513 for great lakes region area studies students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Miami University - Oxford Area Studies Report
Oberlin College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #8. Oberlin is a private not-for-profit institution located in Oberlin, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 41 ’s 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. The estimated yearly cost for Oberlin is $21,401 for Great Lakes Region Area Studies students whose families make $48-$75k.
The impressive undergraduate 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. 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%.
Full Oberlin College Area Studies Report
Siena Heights University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #9. This small school is located in Adrian, Michigan, and it awarded 14 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Siena Heights University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $21,296 for great lakes region area studies students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Siena Heights University.
Read full report on Area Studies at Siena Heights University
DePaul University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 11 degrees to qualified ’s area studies students in 2020-2021.
DePaul also made our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #9. It costs about $28,577 for Great Lakes Region Area Studies students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend DePaul.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Area Studies at DePaul University
college factual
