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2023 Best Vallue Area Studies Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making Over $110k

7 Ranked Colleges
307 Degrees Awarded
$27,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Vallue Area Studies Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making Over $110k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Vallue Area Studies Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making Over $110k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

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 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 Vallue Area Studies Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making Over $110k” ranking looked at 7 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in area studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality area studies programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the area studies program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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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 Plains States Region For Those Making Over $110k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our 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.

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

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

Top 7 Best Value Colleges for Area Studies (Income Over $110k) in the Plains States Region

1

Out of the 7 schools in the Best Vallue Area Studies Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making Over $110k that were part of this year’s ranking, Iowa State University landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Ames, Iowa, and it awarded 16 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our plains states region area studies students whose families make more than $110k list, Iowa State has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $16,002 for Plains States Region Area Studies students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend Iowa State University.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%.

Full Iowa State Area Studies Report

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Missouri - Columbia. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Vallue Area Studies Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making Over $110k list. Mizzou is a public institution located in Columbia, Missouri. The school has a large population, and it awarded 70 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our plains states region area studies students whose families make more than $110k list, Mizzou has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $16,559 for plains states region area studies students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend Mizzou.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Full University of Missouri - Columbia Area Studies Report

3

Out of the 7 schools in the Best Vallue Area Studies Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making Over $110k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Minnesota - Duluth landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Duluth, Minnesota, this medium-sized public school awarded 10 degrees to qualified ’s area studies students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our plains states region area studies students whose families make more than $110k list, UMN Duluth has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UMN Duluth is $18,505 for plains states region area studies students whose families make more than $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%.

Read full report on Area Studies at University of Minnesota - Duluth

4
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Iowa. The school came in at #4 for the Best Vallue Area Studies Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making Over $110k. University of Iowa is a public institution located in Iowa City, Iowa. The school has a large population, and it awarded 30 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Iowa not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Iowa is $19,401 for plains states region area studies students whose families make more than $110k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Area Studies at University of Iowa

5

Out of the 7 schools in the Best Vallue Area Studies Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making Over $110k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #5 spot on the list. UMN Twin Cities is a large school located in Minneapolis, Minnesota that handed out 12 ’s area studies degrees 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. The estimated yearly cost for UMN Twin Cities is $17,878 for plains states region area studies students whose families make more than $110k.

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%.

Full UMN Twin Cities Area Studies Report

6
St. Olaf crest
St Olaf College
Northfield, Minnesota

With a ranking of #6, St Olaf College did quite well on the 2023 Best Vallue Area Studies Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making Over $110k list. St Olaf College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Northfield, Minnesota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 28 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

St. Olaf also took the #2 spot in our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for St. Olaf is $24,052 for Plains States Region Area Studies students whose families make more than $110k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full St Olaf College Area Studies Report

7
Carleton crest
Carleton College
Northfield, Minnesota

Carleton College landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Vallue Area Studies Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making Over $110k ranking. Carleton College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Northfield, Minnesota. It awarded 15 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

Carleton not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Carleton College is $28,928 for Plains States Region Area Studies students whose families make more than $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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, 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 Carleton College

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