2026 Best Value Area Studies Schools in Vermont

[Area Studies](/majors/ethnic-cultural-gender-studies/area-studies/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
College Factual analyzed 5 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the best value area studies schools.
What’s on this page:
2026 Best Value Area Studies Schools in Vermont
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the area studies degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Area Studies Schools
For return on investment in area studies, no school beat Middlebury College this year. Set in the town of Middlebury, Middlebury College is a mid-sized private not-for-profit institution. Students from in state pay about $67,600 in tuition and fees. Students borrow a median of $11,593 to complete the area studies program here. Early-career area studies graduates make about $40,467. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Middlebury College admits about 11% of applicants.
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Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 5 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.
- 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.