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2024 Best Value Area Studies Schools in New York

11 Ranked Colleges
685 Degrees Awarded
$25,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Area Studies Schools in New York

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 in New York” ranking - to help you make that decision.

Area Studies is the 115th most popular major in the country with 6,966 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. 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 New York, there were 685 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,568 and $21,710 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Area Studies Schools in New York” ranking looked at 11 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.

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.

More Ways to Rank Area Studies Schools

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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 New York” 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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Area Studies Schools in New York

The colleges and universities below are the best for new york area studies students.

Top 11 Best Value Colleges for Area Studies in New York

1
UAlbany crest
University at Albany
Albany, New York

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University at Albany. It ranked #1 on our 2024 Best Value Area Studies Schools in New York list. University at Albany is a fairly large school located in Albany, New York that handed out 26 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

UAlbany also made our “Best Area Studies Schools in New York” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend UAlbany is $18,355 for New York Area Studies students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UAlbany Area Studies Report

2
Houghton crest
Houghton College
Houghton, New York

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Houghton College. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools in New York. This small school is located in Houghton, New York, and it awarded 12 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

Houghton also made our “Best Area Studies Schools in New York” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend Houghton is $23,764 for New York Area Studies students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Area Studies at Houghton

3
Brooklyn College crest
Brooklyn College
Brooklyn, New York

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools in New York that were part of this year’s ranking, Brooklyn College landed the #3 spot on the list. Brooklyn College is a fairly large school located in Brooklyn, New York that handed out 3 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

Brooklyn College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Area Studies Schools in New York” list. The yearly cost to attend Brooklyn College is $3,067 for new york area studies students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Area Studies at Brooklyn College

4
CCNY crest
The City College of New York
New York, New York

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Area Studies Schools in New York that were part of this year’s ranking, The City College of New York landed the #4 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 5 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our new york area studies students list, CCNY has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Area Studies Schools in New York” ranking. The yearly cost to attend CCNY is $2,805 for new york area studies students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full CCNY Area Studies Report

5
NYU crest
New York University
New York, New York

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend New York University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Area Studies Schools in New York. Located in New York, New York, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 118 degrees to qualified ’s area studies students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at NYU, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Area Studies Schools in New York” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for New York University is $38,569 for New York Area Studies students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, 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 94%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Area Studies at NYU

6
Syracuse crest
Syracuse University
Syracuse, New York

Syracuse University did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Area Studies Schools in New York ranking, coming in at #6. Syracuse is located in Syracuse, New York and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 9 ’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Syracuse, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Area Studies Schools in New York” ranking. It costs about $34,683 for New York Area Studies students per year to attend Syracuse.

The low undergrad 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Area Studies at Syracuse University

7
Cornell crest
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York

Cornell University did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Area Studies Schools in New York ranking, coming in at #7. This large school is located in Ithaca, New York, and it awarded 49 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

Cornell also took the #3 spot in our “Best Area Studies Schools in New York” ranking. It costs about $37,042 for New York Area Studies students per year to attend Cornell University.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Area Studies at Cornell

8

Columbia University in the City of New York came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area Studies Schools in New York ranking. Columbia is located in New York, New York and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 121 ’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

Columbia not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Area Studies Schools in New York” list. It costs about $22,823 for New York Area Studies students per year to attend Columbia.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 99%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on Area Studies at Columbia

9
Fordham U crest
Fordham University
Bronx, New York

Fordham University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools in New York list. Bronx, New York is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s area studies degrees to 59 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our new york area studies students list, Fordham U has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Area Studies Schools in New York” ranking. It costs about $38,147 for new york area studies students per year to attend Fordham U.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Area Studies at Fordham University

10
Colgate crest
Colgate University
Hamilton, New York

Colgate University did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Area Studies Schools in New York ranking, coming in at #10. Colgate University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Hamilton, New York. It awarded 22 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

Colgate not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Area Studies Schools in New York” list. It costs about $27,775 for new york area studies students per year to attend Colgate University.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, 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 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Area Studies at Colgate University

11
Barnard crest
Barnard College
New York, New York

With a ranking of #11, Barnard College did quite well on the 2024 Best Value Area Studies Schools in New York list. Barnard College is located in New York, New York and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 36 ’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

Barnard also made our “Best Area Studies Schools in New York” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend Barnard College is $33,122 for New York Area Studies students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Area Studies at Barnard College

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