2023 Best Value Colleges for Area Studies (Income $48-$75k) in Virginia
4
Ranked Colleges
177
Degrees Awarded
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k” 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 Virginia, there were 177 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $28,514 and $21,358 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Area Studies Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, we looked at 4 colleges that offer a degree in area studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent area studies programs, but they also cost less that 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
One Size Does Not Fit All
The area studies school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Area Studies Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k”.
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. 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 in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Area Studies Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k.
Top 4 Best Value Colleges for Area Studies (Income $48-$75k) in Virginia
Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, William & Mary landed the #1 spot on the list. William & Mary is a public institution located in Williamsburg, Virginia. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 63 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at William & Mary, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Area Studies Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $10,995 for Virginia Area Studies students whose families make $48-$75k 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 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 William & Mary Area Studies Report
Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Richmond landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in University of Richmond, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 19 degrees to qualified ’s area studies students in 2020-2021.
URichmond did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Area Studies Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend URichmond is $16,063 for Virginia Area Studies students whose families make $48-$75k.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 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 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
Read more about Area Studies at URichmond
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Virginia - Main Campus. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k. This large school is located in Charlottesville, Virginia, and it awarded 11 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Virginia, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Area Studies Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $16,019 for Virginia Area Studies students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Virginia - Main Campus.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of Virginia - Main Campus Area Studies Report
Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Virginia Commonwealth University landed the #4 spot on the list. Virginia Commonwealth University is a public institution located in Richmond, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 60 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at VCU, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Area Studies Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend VCU is $18,553 for Virginia Area Studies students whose families make $48-$75k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Area Studies at VCU
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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
- *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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