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2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region

22 Ranked Colleges
1,234 Degrees Awarded
$15,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US 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 in the Far Western US Region” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2020-2021, 6,966 people earned their degree in area studies, making the major the 115th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, area studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $33,127 and had an average of $20,927 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Far Western US region, there were 1,234 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,715 and $19,460 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking looked at 22 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.

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 in the Far Western US Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region.

Top 22 Best Value Colleges for Area Studies in the Far Western US Region

1

Out of the 22 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Long Beach landed the #1 spot on the list. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s area studies degrees to 48 students in 2020-2021.

CSULB also took the #9 spot in our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend CSULB is $10,054 for far western us region area studies students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Area Studies at California State University - Long Beach

2
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend San Diego State University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region. San Diego, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s area studies degrees to 13 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our far western us region area studies students list, SDSU has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SDSU is $13,845 for Far Western US Region Area Studies students.

The school has an impressive undergrad 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 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Area Studies at SDSU

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fullerton. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region. Cal State Fullerton is located in Fullerton, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 59 ’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal State Fullerton, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $8,003 for far western us region area studies students per year to attend California State University - Fullerton.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Cal State Fullerton Area Studies Report

4

Out of the 22 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Chico landed the #4 spot on the list. California State University - Chico is a public institution located in Chico, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 11 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our far western us region area studies students list, Chico State has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Chico is $16,218 for far western us region area studies students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Area Studies at California State University - Chico

5
WWU crest
Western Washington University
Bellingham, Washington

Out of the 22 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Washington University landed the #5 spot on the list. Western Washington University is a fairly large public school situated in Bellingham, Washington. It awarded 12 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

WWU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $17,070 for Far Western US Region Area Studies students per year to attend WWU.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Area Studies at WWU

6

California State University - Northridge came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. CSUN is a public institution located in Northridge, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 6 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

CSUN did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for CSUN is $8,523 for far western us region area studies students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Area Studies at California State University - Northridge

7

University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in Seattle, Washington, this large public school awarded 192 degrees to qualified ’s area studies students in 2020-2021.

UW Seattle did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Washington - Seattle Campus is $12,017 for Far Western US Region Area Studies students.

The low undergrad 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Area Studies at University of Washington - Seattle Campus

8

University of Hawaii at Manoa came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. University of Hawaii at Manoa is a fairly large public school situated in Honolulu, Hawaii. It awarded 35 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

UH Manoa also made our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #16. It costs about $14,687 for far western us region area studies students per year to attend UH Manoa.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UH Manoa Area Studies Report

9

California State University - Sacramento ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region list. California State University - Sacramento is a large public school situated in Sacramento, California. It awarded 7 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

Sac State also took the #21 spot in our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Sac State is $11,178 for Far Western US Region Area Studies students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Area Studies at California State University - Sacramento

10
UO crest
University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon

University of Oregon landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. University of Oregon is a public institution located in Eugene, Oregon. The school has a large population, and it awarded 25 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UO also made our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #12. The estimated yearly cost for UO is $18,047 for Far Western US Region Area Studies students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Oregon Area Studies Report

11

With a ranking of #11, University of California - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region list. UCLA is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 103 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

UCLA also made our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $15,023 for Far Western US Region Area Studies students per year to attend UCLA.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The low undergrad 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%.

Full University of California - Los Angeles Area Studies Report

12

University of California - San Diego ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Located in La Jolla, California, this large public school handed out 22 degrees to qualified ’s area studies students in 2020-2021.

UCSD not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $15,240 for Far Western US Region Area Studies students per year to attend University of California - San Diego.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Area Studies at University of California - San Diego

13
USFCA crest
University of San Francisco
San Francisco, California

University of San Francisco did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #13. University of San Francisco is located in San Francisco, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 31 ’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at USFCA, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $40,053 for Far Western US Region Area Studies students per year to attend USFCA.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Area Studies at University of San Francisco

14

University of California - Berkeley came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school awarded 105 degrees to qualified ’s area studies students in 2020-2021.

UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Berkeley is $16,032 for far western us region area studies students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Area Studies at UC Berkeley

15

University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. This large school is located in Santa Barbara, California, and it awarded 38 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

UCSB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $16,252 for Far Western US Region Area Studies students per year to attend UCSB.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.

Full University of California - Santa Barbara Area Studies Report

16

University of California - Davis landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Davis, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s area studies degrees to 35 students in 2020-2021.

UC Davis also made our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #5. The estimated yearly cost for UC Davis is $15,768 for Far Western US Region Area Studies students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Area Studies at UC Davis

17

University of California - Irvine came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. University of California - Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 35 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our far western us region area studies students list, UC Irvine has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Irvine is $12,209 for far western us region area studies students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Area Studies at University of California - Irvine

18
Azusa Pacific crest
Azusa Pacific University
Azusa, California

With a ranking of #18, Azusa Pacific University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Azusa, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s area studies degrees to 5 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our far western us region area studies students list, Azusa Pacific has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $30,744 for Far Western US Region Area Studies students per year to attend Azusa Pacific.

The low undergrad 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%. The undergraduate 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.

Read more about Area Studies at Azusa Pacific University

19

University of California - Riverside ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region list. UCR is a public institution located in Riverside, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 21 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UCR also took the #14 spot in our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $11,822 for Far Western US Region Area Studies students per year to attend UCR.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Area Studies at University of California - Riverside

20

University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #20. Located in Santa Cruz, California, this fairly large public school handed out 5 diplomas to qualified ’s area studies students in 2020-2021.

UC Santa Cruz did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Santa Cruz is $17,930 for far western us region area studies students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Area Studies at UC Santa Cruz

21

With a ranking of #21, University of Washington - Bothell Campus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region list. UW Bothell is located in Bothell, Washington and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 10 ’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

UW Bothell also made our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #22. The yearly cost to attend UW Bothell is $11,562 for far western us region area studies students.

The low undergrad 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full UW Bothell Area Studies Report

22
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

Stanford University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Stanford University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Stanford, California. It awarded 43 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

Stanford did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford is $12,894 for far western us region area studies students.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Area Studies at Stanford

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