2022 Best Value Colleges for Area Studies (Income $48-$75k) in the Southwest Region

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

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 the Southwest region, there were 301 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $30,500 and $25,548 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking analyzed 4 colleges that offered a degree in area studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great area studies programs and 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. 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 Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k” list to help you make the college decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 4 Best Value Colleges for Area Studies (Income $48-$75k) in the Southwest Region

#1

The University of Texas at Austin

Austin, Texas

#1 in overall quality

$15,757 Average Net Price

$49,643 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Texas at Austin. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k. UT Austin is a public institution located in Austin, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 93 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Austin also made our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas at Austin is $15,757 for southwest region area studies students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UT Austin Area Studies Report

#2

University of Arizona

Tucson, Arizona

#3 in overall quality

$15,399 Average Net Price

$44,160 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Arizona. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. This large school is located in Tucson, Arizona, and it awarded 61 ’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Arizona also took the #3 spot in our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Arizona is $15,399 for southwest region area studies students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Area Studies at University of Arizona

#3

Arizona State University - Tempe

Tempe, Arizona

#2 in overall quality

$14,033 Average Net Price

$46,397 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Arizona State University - Tempe. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Arizona State University - Tempe is a large school located in Tempe, Arizona that handed out 26 ’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

ASU - Tempe also took the #2 spot in our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Arizona State University - Tempe is $14,033 for Southwest 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 86%.

Read full report on Area Studies at Arizona State University - Tempe

#4

University of New Mexico - Main Campus

Albuquerque, New Mexico

#4 in overall quality

$16,557 Average Net Price

$41,938 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of New Mexico - Main Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. UNM is a large school located in Albuquerque, New Mexico that handed out 32 ’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

UNM did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of New Mexico - Main Campus is $16,557 for southwest region area studies students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Area Studies at UNM

• Best Value Colleges for Area Studies (Income $48-$75k)

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.

Featured Political and Social Sciences Schools

Request Info

Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs ... Learn More >