2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies in the Middle Atlantic Region
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 the Middle Atlantic Region” 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 the Middle Atlantic region, there were 1,588 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,617 and $28,196 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 930 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,278 and $24,587 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking analyzed 37 colleges that offered a degree in area studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality area studies programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the area studies program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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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 for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies in the Middle Atlantic Region
Out of the 37 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Maryland Global Campus landed the #1 spot on the list. Adelphi, Maryland is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 38 students in 2019-2020.
UMGC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UMGC is $14,288 for Middle Atlantic Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students.
Out of the 37 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Lehman College landed the #2 spot on the list. Lehman is a public institution located in Bronx, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree area studies students list, Lehman has also earned the #22 rank in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. It costs about $1,814 for middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree area studies students per year to attend Lehman College.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend SUNY Plattsburgh. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region. Located in Plattsburgh, New York, this medium-sized public school awarded 5 degrees to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2019-2020.
SUNY Plattsburgh not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. The yearly cost to attend SUNY Plattsburgh is $15,845 for middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree area studies students.
The low student loan default rate of 4.0% 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%.
Out of the 37 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Towson University landed the #4 spot on the list. Towson is a large school located in Towson, Maryland that handed out 12 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
Towson did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Towson is $18,233 for Middle Atlantic Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Out of the 37 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region that were part of this year’s ranking, SUNY Old Westbury landed the #5 spot on the list. SUNY Old Westbury is located in Old Westbury, New York and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 16 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $10,557 for Middle Atlantic Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students per year to attend SUNY Old Westbury.
SUNY New Paltz landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. This medium-sized school is located in New Paltz, New York, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $17,171 for Middle Atlantic Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students per year to attend SUNY New Paltz.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Millersville University of Pennsylvania ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in Millersville, Pennsylvania, this medium-sized public school handed out 13 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Millersville is $23,350 for Middle Atlantic Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students.
Full Millersville University of Pennsylvania Area Studies Report
Stony Brook University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, coming in at #8. This large school is located in Stony Brook, New York, and it awarded 25 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
SUNY Stony Brook did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Stony Brook University is $15,160 for Middle Atlantic Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%.
With a ranking of #9, Ramapo College of New Jersey did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Ramapo College is located in Mahwah, New Jersey and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
Ramapo College also made our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list, coming in at #23. It costs about $21,729 for middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree area studies students per year to attend Ramapo College of New Jersey.
The low student loan default rate of 4.1% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read more about Area Studies at Ramapo College of New Jersey
With a ranking of #10, William Paterson University of New Jersey did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region list. William Paterson University of New Jersey is a public institution located in Wayne, New Jersey. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $19,547 for middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree area studies students per year to attend William Paterson University.
With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
University of Maryland - Baltimore County ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region list. University of Maryland - Baltimore County is a fairly large public school situated in Baltimore, Maryland. It awarded 18 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $19,082 for Middle Atlantic Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students per year to attend University of Maryland - Baltimore County.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Binghamton University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Binghamton University is a fairly large school located in Vestal, New York that handed out 21 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
Binghamton University also took the #19 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Binghamton University is $19,353 for Middle Atlantic Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
With a ranking of #13, Purchase College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region list. This small school is located in Purchase, New York, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Purchase College is $18,326 for middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree area studies students.
University at Albany ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in Albany, New York, this fairly large public school awarded 24 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $18,577 for middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree area studies students per year to attend UAlbany.
With a ranking of #15, University of Maryland - College Park did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region list. This large school is located in College Park, Maryland, and it awarded 25 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMCP, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Maryland - College Park is $19,045 for Middle Atlantic Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, 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%.
Rutgers University - New Brunswick landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Rutgers University - New Brunswick is located in New Brunswick, New Jersey and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 16 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $21,654 for middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree area studies students per year to attend Rutgers New Brunswick.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, 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 93%.
Read full report on Area Studies at Rutgers University - New Brunswick
University of Delaware came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. This large school is located in Newark, Delaware, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UD, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Delaware is $17,220 for middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree area studies 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%.
John Jay College of Criminal Justice did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, coming in at #18. New York, New York is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 11 students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend John Jay College of Criminal Justice is $2,532 for middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree area studies students.
La Salle University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 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.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at La Salle, the school also landed the #25 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. It costs about $24,763 for Middle Atlantic Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students per year to attend La Salle.
Temple University landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this large public school awarded 2 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Temple University is $23,521 for middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree area studies students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Houghton College came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Houghton College is located in Houghton, New York and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for Houghton is $22,233 for middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree area studies students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
With a ranking of #22, American University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region list. The American University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Washington, District of Columbia. It awarded 18 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
The American University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. It costs about $43,451 for middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree area studies students per year to attend The American University.
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 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%.
Pace University - New York did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, coming in at #23. This fairly large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Pace University - New York is $29,707 for Middle Atlantic Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students.
The low student loan default rate of 4.8% 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%.
With a ranking of #24, George Washington University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region list. This large school is located in Washington, District of Columbia, and it awarded 29 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
GWU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. It costs about $33,719 for middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree area studies students per year to attend George Washington University.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Area Studies at George Washington University
Dickinson College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, coming in at #25. Carlisle, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 31 students in 2019-2020.
Dickinson also took the #7 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Dickinson is $29,452 for Middle Atlantic Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies 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.
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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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