2023 Best Value Colleges for Area Studies (Income $75-$110k) in the Plains States Region
7
Ranked Colleges
307
Degrees Awarded
$20,100
Avg Net Price*
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking.
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 $75-$110k” ranking analyzed 7 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.
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 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 $75-$110k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. 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 $75-$110k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k.
Top 7 Best Value Colleges for Area Studies (Income $75-$110k) in the Plains States Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Missouri - Columbia. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. University of Missouri - Columbia is a public institution located in Columbia, Missouri. The school has a large population, and it awarded 70 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Mizzou also made our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for Mizzou is $19,956 for Plains States Region Area Studies students whose families make $75-$110k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. 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%.
Full University of Missouri - Columbia Area Studies Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Iowa State University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k. Iowa State is located in Ames, Iowa and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 16 ’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
Iowa State also took the #6 spot in our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $17,806 for plains states region area studies students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Iowa State.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Area Studies at Iowa State
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Minnesota - Duluth. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. University of Minnesota - Duluth is a medium-sized public school situated in Duluth, Minnesota. It awarded 10 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
UMN Duluth also took the #4 spot in our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Minnesota - Duluth is $19,107 for plains states region area studies students whose families make $75-$110k.
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%.
Full University of Minnesota - Duluth Area Studies Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Carleton College. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k. This small school is located in Northfield, Minnesota, and it awarded 15 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Carleton did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Carleton is $22,868 for plains states region area studies students whose families make $75-$110k.
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 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Area Studies at Carleton
Out of the 7 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, St Olaf College landed the #5 spot on the list. St. Olaf is located in Northfield, Minnesota and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 28 ’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our plains states region area studies students whose families make $75-$110k list, St. Olaf has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for St. Olaf is $21,334 for plains states region area studies students whose families make $75-$110k.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.8% 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%.
Read full report on Area Studies at St. Olaf
University of Iowa did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #6. This large school is located in Iowa City, Iowa, and it awarded 30 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Iowa, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $20,719 for Plains States Region Area Studies students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Iowa.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, 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 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Iowa Area Studies Report
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this large public school handed out 12 diplomas to qualified ’s area studies students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMN Twin Cities, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $18,938 for plains states region area studies students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend UMN Twin Cities.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Read full report on Area Studies at UMN Twin Cities
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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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