2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies in Iowa (With Aid)

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Getting Aid” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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 Iowa, there were 62 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $23,250 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 46 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,922 and $25,876 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 2 colleges that offer a degree in area studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent area studies programs, but they also cost less that 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Iowa For Those Getting Aid”.

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.

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

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

Top 2 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies in Iowa (With Aid)

#1

Iowa State University

Ames, Iowa

#2 in overall quality

$15,496 Average Net Price

$31,670 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Iowa State University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Ames, Iowa, this large public school awarded 14 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2019-2020.

Iowa State also took the #2 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Iowa State University is $15,496 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 3.3% 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 89%.

Read more about Area Studies at Iowa State

#2

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa

#1 in overall quality

$19,145 Average Net Price

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Iowa. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Getting Aid. This large school is located in Iowa City, Iowa, and it awarded 22 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Iowa also made our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $19,145 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students with aid per year to attend University of Iowa.

With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Area Studies at University of Iowa

• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies in the Plains States 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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