2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 Southwest 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 Southwest region, there were 301 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $30,500 and $25,548 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 193 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,896 and $23,899 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region” ranking analyzed 4 colleges that offered a degree in area studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great area studies programs and 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Southwest 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 Southwest Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region.

Top 4 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies in the Southwest Region

#1

Arizona State University - Tempe

Tempe, Arizona

#2 in overall quality

$11,706 Average Net Price

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Arizona State University - Tempe landed the #1 spot on the list. Arizona State University - Tempe is a large school located in Tempe, Arizona that handed out 11 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

ASU - Tempe also made our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend ASU - Tempe is $11,706 for southwest region bachelor’s degree area studies students.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Area Studies at Arizona State University - Tempe

#2

University of New Mexico - Main Campus

Albuquerque, New Mexico

#4 in overall quality

$14,446 Average Net Price

$23,803 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of New Mexico - Main Campus. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region. University of New Mexico - Main Campus is a public institution located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. 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 UNM, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $14,446 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students per year to attend UNM.

Read full report on Area Studies at University of New Mexico - Main Campus

#3

The University of Texas at Austin

Austin, Texas

#1 in overall quality

$18,023 Average Net Price

$30,771 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Texas at Austin. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region. This large school is located in Austin, Texas, and it awarded 63 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Austin did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UT Austin is $18,023 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Area Studies students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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 UT Austin Area Studies Report

#4

University of Arizona

Tucson, Arizona

#3 in overall quality

$15,016 Average Net Price

$31,495 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Arizona. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Area Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region list. University of Arizona is a large school located in Tucson, Arizona that handed out 42 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Arizona, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Area Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $15,016 for southwest region bachelor’s degree area studies students per year to attend University of Arizona.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Area Studies at University of Arizona

• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies

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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