2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies in the Far Western US Region
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 for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region” ranking - to help you make that decision.
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 the Far Western US region, there were 1,412 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,483 and $21,165 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 984 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,083 and $22,209 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region” ranking, we looked at 29 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.
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.
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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 the Far Western US Region”.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies in the Far Western US Region
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Long Beach. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region. California State University - Long Beach is a public institution located in Long Beach, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 65 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
CSULB also made our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #11. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Long Beach is $9,622 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full California State University - Long Beach Area Studies Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend San Francisco State University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region. San Francisco, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 4 students in 2019-2020.
SFSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $15,113 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students per year to attend San Francisco State University.
Out of the 29 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fullerton landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Fullerton, California, and it awarded 68 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
Cal State Fullerton not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $7,991 for far western us region bachelor’s degree area studies students per year to attend Cal State Fullerton.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 29 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Northridge landed the #4 spot on the list. California State University - Northridge is a public institution located in Northridge, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSUN, the school also landed the #25 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend CSUN is $8,414 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students.
The low student loan default rate of 2.0% 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 California State University - Northridge
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Chico. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. Located in Chico, California, this fairly large public school handed out 17 degrees to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2019-2020.
Chico State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #22 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Chico is $15,017 for far western us region bachelor’s degree area studies students.
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%.
Western Washington University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in Bellingham, Washington, this fairly large public school awarded 18 degrees to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2019-2020.
WWU also took the #19 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $16,529 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students per year to attend Western Washington University.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
California State University - Sacramento landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. California State University - Sacramento is a public institution located in Sacramento, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Sac State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #23 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $9,979 for far western us region bachelor’s degree area studies students per year to attend California State University - Sacramento.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #8, San Diego State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. San Diego State University is a large public school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 12 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
SDSU also made our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #21. The estimated yearly cost for SDSU is $14,788 for far western us region bachelor’s degree area studies students.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Area Studies at San Diego State University
Oregon State University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in Corvallis, Oregon, this large public school awarded 8 degrees to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2019-2020.
Oregon State also took the #9 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Oregon State is $20,016 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, 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 85%.
With a ranking of #10, California State University - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. California State University - Los Angeles is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Cal State LA is $2,768 for far western us region bachelor’s degree area studies students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Area Studies at California State University - Los Angeles
Washington State University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. Pullman, Washington is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Washington State University is $16,358 for far western us region bachelor’s degree area studies students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #12, University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a large school located in Seattle, Washington that handed out 193 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
UW Seattle not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $13,297 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students per year to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, 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 93%.
University of Hawaii at Manoa ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. University of Hawaii at Manoa is a fairly large public school situated in Honolulu, Hawaii. It awarded 19 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree area studies students list, UH Manoa has also earned the #24 rank in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Hawaii at Manoa is $15,030 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Oregon ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. UO is a large public school situated in Eugene, Oregon. It awarded 17 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
UO did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Oregon is $16,461 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students.
The low student loan default rate of 4.2% 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%.
University of California - Los Angeles landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 99 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
UCLA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UCLA is $14,279 for far western us region bachelor’s degree area studies students.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read full report on Area Studies at University of California - Los Angeles
University of California - Irvine came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. This large school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 19 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
UC Irvine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Irvine is $14,783 for far western us region bachelor’s degree area studies students.
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 student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Area Studies at University of California - Irvine
University of California - San Diego came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. University of California - San Diego is located in La Jolla, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 22 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
UCSD also made our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #8. It costs about $14,232 for far western us region bachelor’s degree area studies students per year to attend University of California - San Diego.
The low student loan default rate of 1.5% 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 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Area Studies at University of California - San Diego
University of California - Riverside landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. UCR is a large public school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 20 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree area studies students list, UCR has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCR is $12,871 for far western us region bachelor’s degree area studies students.
The low student loan default rate of 2.1% 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%. 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 University of California - Riverside
University of California - Santa Barbara ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this large public school handed out 27 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2019-2020.
UCSB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Santa Barbara is $15,884 for far western us region bachelor’s degree area studies students.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of California - Berkeley came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. University of California - Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 103 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $15,329 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students per year to attend UC Berkeley.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read full report on Area Studies at University of California - Berkeley
University of California - Davis came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. University of California - Davis is a large school located in Davis, California that handed out 28 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Davis, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Davis is $14,669 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students.
The low student loan default rate of 1.9% 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%.
University of California - Santa Cruz landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. This fairly large school is located in Santa Cruz, California, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
UC Santa Cruz not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $18,186 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students per year to attend University of California - Santa Cruz.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Area Studies at University of California - Santa Cruz
University of Portland did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #23. Portland, Oregon is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 6 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree area studies students list, University of Portland has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Portland is $36,464 for far western us region bachelor’s degree area studies students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, 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 86%.
Loyola Marymount University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 6 students in 2019-2020.
Loyola Marymount not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Loyola Marymount University is $42,861 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low student loan default rate of 1.6% 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%.
University of San Francisco landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. USFCA is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 16 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at USFCA, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $36,424 for far western us region bachelor’s degree area studies students per year to attend University of San Francisco.
The low student loan default rate of 2.5% 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%.
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Best Area Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region
Area Studies students in the Far Western US Region
Most Focused Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Area Studies in the Far Western US Region
Area Studies students in the Far Western US Region
Most Popular Bachelor's Degree Online Area Studies Schools
Area Studies students in the Far Western US Region
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $0-$30k) in the Far Western US Region
Area Studies students with family income less than $30k in the Far Western US Region
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $48-$75k) in the Far Western US Region
Area Studies students with family income $48-$75k in the Far Western US Region
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income Over $110k) in the Far Western US Region
Area Studies students with family income exceeding $110k in the Far Western US Region
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Area Studies students in the Far Western US Region
Most Popular Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Area Studies in the Far Western US Region
Area Studies students in the Far Western US Region
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Area Studies students getting aid in the Far Western US Region
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $30-$48k) in the Far Western US Region
Area Studies students with family income $30-$48k in the Far Western US Region
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $75-$110k) in the Far Western US Region
Area Studies students with family income $75-$110k in the Far Western US Region
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Area Studies in the Far Western US Region
Area Studies students in the Far Western US Region
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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