Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

6 Ranked Colleges
139 Degrees Awarded
$21,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Area Studies Schools in Illinois 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 was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Area Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Area Studies is the 106th most popular major in the country with 6,820 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. 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 Illinois, there were 139 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $30,433 and $25,759 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Area Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 6 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Illinois For Those Getting Aid” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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.

Best Value Area Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois area studies students with aid.

Top 6 Best Value Colleges for Area Studies in Illinois (With Aid)

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 33 ’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois area studies students with aid list, UIUC has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Area Studies Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $15,880 for illinois area studies students with aid per year to attend UIUC.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UIUC Area Studies Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Chicago. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 23 ’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

UIC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Area Studies Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for UIC is $13,312 for Illinois Area Studies students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UIC Area Studies Report

#3

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. Northwestern is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13 ’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

Northwestern not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Area Studies Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern University is $24,664 for illinois area studies students with aid.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Northwestern University Area Studies Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northeastern Illinois University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 1 ’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northeastern Illinois University, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Area Studies Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northeastern Illinois University is $15,843 for illinois area studies students with aid.

Full Northeastern Illinois University Area Studies Report

#5

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Out of the 6 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the #5 spot on the list. University of Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 39 ’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

UChicago also made our “Best Area Studies Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #1. The yearly cost to attend UChicago is $27,315 for illinois area studies students with aid.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Chicago Area Studies Report

#6

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. DePaul is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 11 ’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at DePaul, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Area Studies Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $30,090 for Illinois Area Studies students with aid per year to attend DePaul University.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Area Studies at DePaul

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

Featured Political and Social Sciences Schools

Find Schools Near You