2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the New England 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 New England Region” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
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 New England region, there were 1,061 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,773 and $17,347 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 881 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $41,041 and $24,492 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the New England Region” ranking, we looked at 23 colleges that offer 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.
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.
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Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the New England Region
The colleges and universities below are the best for new england region bachelor’s degree area studies students.
Top 23 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies in the New England Region
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Keene State College. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the New England Region. Keene State is located in Keene, New Hampshire and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 6 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
Keene State also made our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the New England Region” list, coming in at #19. It costs about $19,394 for new england region bachelor’s degree area studies students per year to attend Keene State.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of New Hampshire - Main Campus. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the New England Region list. Located in Durham, New Hampshire, this fairly large public school awarded 1 degrees to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UNH, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the New England Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UNH is $24,067 for new england region bachelor’s degree area studies students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, 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 86%.
Out of the 23 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the New England Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Massachusetts Amherst landed the #3 spot on the list. University of Massachusetts Amherst is a large public school situated in Amherst, Massachusetts. It awarded 6 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
UMass Amherst also took the #20 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the New England Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Massachusetts Amherst is $22,501 for New England Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 23 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the New England Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Connecticut landed the #4 spot on the list. UCONN is a large school located in Storrs, Connecticut that handed out 12 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
UCONN also took the #17 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the New England Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Connecticut is $22,012 for new england region bachelor’s degree area studies students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Massachusetts - Boston. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the New England Region list. Boston, Massachusetts is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 14 students in 2019-2020.
UMass Boston also made our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the New England Region” list, coming in at #22. It costs about $18,340 for New England Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students per year to attend UMass Boston.
Read full report on Area Studies at University of Massachusetts - Boston
Williams College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the New England Region ranking. Located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 21 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2019-2020.
Williams also took the #9 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the New England Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Williams College is $19,480 for New England Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students.
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 student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, 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%.
Simmons University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the New England Region ranking. Simmons is located in Boston, Massachusetts and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Simmons, the school also landed the #23 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the New England Region” ranking. It costs about $30,008 for new england region bachelor’s degree area studies students per year to attend Simmons.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Bowdoin College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the New England Region ranking, coming in at #8. This small school is located in Brunswick, Maine, and it awarded 58 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
Bowdoin did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the New England Region” list. It costs about $21,910 for New England Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students per year to attend Bowdoin.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Harvard University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the New England Region ranking. This large school is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our new england region bachelor’s degree area studies students list, Harvard has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the New England Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Harvard University is $15,386 for New England Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students.
The low student loan default rate of 1.1% 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%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Wheaton College Massachusetts landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the New England Region ranking. Norton, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 9 students in 2019-2020.
Wheaton College Massachusetts not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the New England Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Wheaton College Massachusetts is $26,809 for New England Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, 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.
Read full report on Area Studies at Wheaton College Massachusetts
Mount Holyoke College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the New England Region ranking, coming in at #11. Mount Holyoke College is a private not-for-profit institution located in South Hadley, Massachusetts. The school has a small population, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Mt. Holyoke, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the New England Region” ranking. It costs about $27,149 for new england region bachelor’s degree area studies students per year to attend Mount Holyoke College.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low student loan default rate of 2.9% 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%.
Brandeis University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the New England Region ranking. Located in Waltham, Massachusetts, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 70 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our new england region bachelor’s degree area studies students list, Brandeis has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the New England Region” ranking. It costs about $31,165 for new england region bachelor’s degree area studies students per year to attend Brandeis.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, 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 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Smith College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the New England Region ranking, coming in at #13. Smith is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Northampton, Massachusetts. It awarded 40 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
Smith also made our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the New England Region” list, coming in at #14. The yearly cost to attend Smith is $28,305 for new england region bachelor’s degree area studies students.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #14, Trinity College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the New England Region list. This small school is located in Hartford, Connecticut, and it awarded 36 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
Trinity Bantams did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the New England Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Trinity College is $34,460 for new england region bachelor’s degree area studies students.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Yale University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the New England Region list. Located in New Haven, Connecticut, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 46 degrees to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2019-2020.
Yale not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the New England Region” list. It costs about $17,549 for new england region bachelor’s degree area studies students per year to attend Yale University.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Middlebury College landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the New England Region ranking. Middlebury is located in Middlebury, Vermont and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 23 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our new england region bachelor’s degree area studies students list, Middlebury has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the New England Region” ranking. It costs about $25,656 for new england region bachelor’s degree area studies students per year to attend Middlebury.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Boston University landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the New England Region ranking. Boston, Massachusetts is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 15 students in 2019-2020.
Boston U also took the #15 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the New England Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Boston University is $30,259 for new england region bachelor’s degree area studies students.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its 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%.
Connecticut College landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the New England Region ranking. Connecticut College is a small school located in New London, Connecticut that handed out 33 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our new england region bachelor’s degree area studies students list, Conn College has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the New England Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Conn College is $32,626 for new england region bachelor’s degree area studies students.
The low student loan default rate of 1.1% 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%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Wellesley College ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the New England Region list. This small school is located in Wellesley, Massachusetts, and it awarded 41 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.
Wellesley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the New England Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Wellesley is $22,087 for New England Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Dartmouth College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the New England Region ranking, coming in at #20. Dartmouth College is located in Hanover, New Hampshire and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 41 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Dartmouth, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the New England Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Dartmouth College is $33,574 for new england region bachelor’s degree area studies students.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 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 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Brown University landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the New England Region ranking. Brown University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Providence, Rhode Island. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 78 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our new england region bachelor’s degree area studies students list, Brown has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the New England Region” ranking. It costs about $29,392 for new england region bachelor’s degree area studies students per year to attend Brown University.
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. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #22, Tufts University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the New England Region list. Medford, Massachusetts is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 30 students in 2019-2020.
Tufts also made our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the New England Region” list, coming in at #10. It costs about $30,744 for New England Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students per year to attend Tufts University.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Amherst College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the New England Region ranking, coming in at #23. Amherst, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 28 students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Amherst, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the New England Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Amherst is $18,524 for new england region bachelor’s degree area studies students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
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Best Area Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the New England Region
Area Studies students in the New England Region
Most Focused Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Area Studies in the New England Region
Area Studies students in the New England Region
Most Popular Bachelor's Degree Online Area Studies Schools
Area Studies students in the New England Region
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $0-$30k) in the New England Region
Area Studies students with family income less than $30k in the New England Region
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $48-$75k) in the New England Region
Area Studies students with family income $48-$75k in the New England Region
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income Over $110k) in the New England Region
Area Studies students with family income exceeding $110k in the New England Region
Highest Paid Bachelor's Degree Area Studies Graduates in the New England Region
Area Studies students in the New England Region
Most Popular Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Area Studies in the New England Region
Area Studies students in the New England Region
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Area Studies in the New England Region (With Aid)
Area Studies students getting aid in the New England Region
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $30-$48k) in the New England Region
Area Studies students with family income $30-$48k in the New England Region
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Area Studies (Income $75-$110k) in the New England Region
Area Studies students with family income $75-$110k in the New England Region
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Area Studies in the New England Region
Area Studies students in the New England 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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