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2023 Best Value Colleges for Area Studies (Income $48-$75k) in the Plains States Region

7 Ranked Colleges
307 Degrees Awarded
Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Area Studies is the 115th most popular major in the country with 6,966 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. 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 Plains States region, there were 307 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,952 and $25,098 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking analyzed 7 colleges that offered 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

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

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

Top 7 Best Value Colleges for Area Studies (Income $48-$75k) in the Plains States Region

1

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Minnesota - Duluth. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k. This medium-sized school is located in Duluth, Minnesota, and it awarded 10 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

UMN Duluth also made our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #4. The estimated yearly cost for University of Minnesota - Duluth is $13,364 for plains states region 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 UMN Duluth

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Missouri - Columbia. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Mizzou is a large school located in Columbia, Missouri that handed out 70 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

Mizzou did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Mizzou is $13,715 for plains states region area studies students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Area Studies at University of Missouri - Columbia

3
Carleton crest
Carleton College
Northfield, Minnesota

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Carleton College. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k. This small school is located in Northfield, Minnesota, and it awarded 15 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

Carleton also took the #1 spot in our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $15,991 for plains states region area studies students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Carleton College.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, 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 94%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full Carleton Area Studies Report

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a public institution located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school has a large population, and it awarded 12 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our plains states region area studies students whose families make $48-$75k list, UMN Twin Cities has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $12,911 for Plains States Region Area Studies students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, 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 UMN Twin Cities

5
St. Olaf crest
St Olaf College
Northfield, Minnesota

Out of the 7 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, St Olaf College landed the #5 spot on the list. St Olaf College is a small school located in Northfield, Minnesota that handed out 28 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our plains states region area studies students whose families make $48-$75k list, St. Olaf has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $15,453 for plains states region area studies students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend St Olaf College.

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 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Area Studies at St. Olaf

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Iowa State University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. This large school is located in Ames, Iowa, and it awarded 16 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

Iowa State also took the #6 spot in our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Iowa State University is $14,641 for plains states region area studies students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Full Iowa State University Area Studies Report

7
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa

University of Iowa landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Iowa is a large school located in Iowa City, Iowa that handed out 30 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our plains states region area studies students whose families make $48-$75k list, Iowa has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Iowa is $18,026 for Plains States 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 88%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Iowa Area Studies Report

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