2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Maryland For Those Getting Aid

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Maryland For Those Getting Aid” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

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 Maryland, there were 151 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,500 and $22,237 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 117 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,371 and $23,982 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Maryland For Those Getting Aid” 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.

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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Area Studies Schools

The area studies school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Maryland For Those Getting Aid”.

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 for a Bachelor’s in Maryland For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for maryland bachelor’s degree area studies students with aid.

Top 4 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies in Maryland (With Aid)

#1

University of Maryland Global Campus

Adelphi, Maryland

#2 in overall quality

$14,288 Average Net Price

$55,964 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Maryland Global Campus. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Maryland For Those Getting Aid list. UMGC is a large school located in Adelphi, Maryland that handed out 38 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

UMGC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Maryland” list. It costs about $14,288 for Maryland Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students with aid per year to attend University of Maryland Global Campus.

Full UMGC Area Studies Report

#2

University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, Maryland

#1 in overall quality

$19,045 Average Net Price

$41,565 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Maryland - College Park. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Maryland For Those Getting Aid list. UMCP is located in College Park, Maryland and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 25 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

UMCP also took the #1 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Maryland” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UMCP is $19,045 for maryland bachelor’s degree area studies students with aid.

The school has an impressive 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 95%.

Read more about Area Studies at UMCP

#3

Towson University

Towson, Maryland

#3 in overall quality

$18,233 Average Net Price

$46,790 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Towson University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Maryland For Those Getting Aid list. Towson is a large school located in Towson, Maryland that handed out 12 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Towson, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Maryland” ranking. It costs about $18,233 for maryland bachelor’s degree area studies students with aid per year to attend Towson University.

The low student loan default rate of 3.8% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read more about Area Studies at Towson

#4

University of Maryland - Baltimore County

Baltimore, Maryland

#4 in overall quality

$19,082 Average Net Price

$28,236 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Maryland - Baltimore County. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Maryland For Those Getting Aid. UMBC is a public institution located in Baltimore, Maryland. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 18 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our maryland bachelor’s degree area studies students with aid list, UMBC has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Maryland” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Maryland - Baltimore County is $19,082 for maryland bachelor’s degree area studies students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Area Studies at University of Maryland - Baltimore County

• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies in the Middle Atlantic Region (With Aid)
• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies (With Aid)

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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