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

5 Ranked Colleges
90 Degrees Awarded
$21,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Area Studies Schools in Minnesota For Those Getting Aid

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Area Studies Schools in Minnesota For Those Getting Aid” ranking - to help you make that 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 Minnesota, there were 90 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $25,800 and $20,950 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Area Studies Schools in Minnesota For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 5 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.

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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Area Studies Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Area Studies Schools in Minnesota For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Area Studies Schools in Minnesota For Those Getting Aid

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

Top 5 Best Value Colleges for Area Studies in Minnesota (With Aid)

#1

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools in Minnesota For Those Getting Aid. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this large public school awarded 8 degrees to qualified ’s area studies students in 2019-2020.

UMN Twin Cities also made our “Best Area Studies Schools in Minnesota” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is $17,740 for minnesota area studies students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 2.2% 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 93%.

Full University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Area Studies Report

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools in Minnesota For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Minnesota - Duluth landed the #2 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Duluth, Minnesota, and it awarded 4 ’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMN Duluth, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Area Studies Schools in Minnesota” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Minnesota - Duluth is $17,067 for minnesota area studies students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 3.1% 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%.

Read more about Area Studies at UMN Duluth

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools in Minnesota For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Minnesota State University - Mankato landed the #3 spot on the list. Mankato, Minnesota is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s area studies degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our minnesota area studies students with aid list, Minnesota State Mankato has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Area Studies Schools in Minnesota” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Minnesota State Mankato is $16,221 for minnesota area studies students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 4.4% 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 Minnesota State Mankato Area Studies Report

#4

St Olaf College

Northfield, Minnesota

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend St Olaf College. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools in Minnesota For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Northfield, Minnesota, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 25 degrees to qualified ’s area studies students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our minnesota area studies students with aid list, St. Olaf has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Area Studies Schools in Minnesota” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for St. Olaf is $23,543 for Minnesota Area Studies students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, 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 91%.

Read full report on Area Studies at St. Olaf

#5

Carleton College

Northfield, Minnesota

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Carleton College. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools in Minnesota For Those Getting Aid. Carleton College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Northfield, Minnesota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 21 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Carleton did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Area Studies Schools in Minnesota” list. The estimated yearly cost for Carleton is $31,133 for Minnesota Area Studies students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%.

Read more about Area Studies at Carleton

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.

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