2022 Best Vallue Area Studies Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making Over $110k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Vallue Area Studies Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making Over $110k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 6,820 people earned their degree in area studies, making the major the 106th most popular in the United States. 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 Vallue Area Studies Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making Over $110k” ranking looked at 4 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Vallue Area Studies Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making Over $110k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

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Best Vallue Area Studies Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making Over $110k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Vallue Area Studies Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making Over $110k.

Top 4 Best Value Colleges for Area Studies (Income Over $110k) in the Southwest Region

#1

The University of Texas at Austin

Austin, Texas

#1 in overall quality

$18,023 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 Vallue Area Studies Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making Over $110k. UT Austin is a large public school situated in Austin, Texas. It awarded 93 ’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Austin also made our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $18,023 for Southwest Region Area Studies students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend The University of Texas at Austin.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.

Full The University of Texas at Austin Area Studies Report

#2

Arizona State University - Tempe

Tempe, Arizona

#2 in overall quality

$11,706 Average Net Price

$46,397 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Vallue Area Studies Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making Over $110k that were part of this year’s ranking, Arizona State University - Tempe landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Tempe, Arizona, this large public school awarded 26 diplomas to qualified ’s area studies students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region area studies students whose families make more than $110k list, ASU - Tempe has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend ASU - Tempe is $11,706 for southwest region area studies students whose families make more than $110k.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Arizona State University - Tempe Area Studies Report

#3

University of Arizona

Tucson, Arizona

#3 in overall quality

$15,016 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 #3 on our 2022 Best Vallue Area Studies Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making Over $110k list. University of Arizona is a public institution located in Tucson, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 61 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Arizona also made our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $15,016 for Southwest Region Area Studies students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend University of Arizona.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Full University of Arizona Area Studies Report

#4

University of New Mexico - Main Campus

Albuquerque, New Mexico

#4 in overall quality

$14,446 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 Vallue Area Studies Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making Over $110k list. University of New Mexico - Main Campus is a large school located in Albuquerque, New Mexico that handed out 32 ’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

UNM also made our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $14,446 for southwest region area studies students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend University of New Mexico - Main Campus.

Full University of New Mexico - Main Campus Area Studies Report

• Best Value Colleges for Area Studies (Income Over $110k)

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.

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