by our College Data Analytics Team
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Area Studies Major” ranking - to help you make that decision.
Area Studies is the 115th most popular major in the country with 6,257 degrees awarded in 2021-2022. In , area studies graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $33,127 and had an average of $22,500 in loans still to pay off.
At the associate degree level specifically, there were 181 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,431 and $15,731 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Area Studies Major” ranking looked at 31 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in area studies. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their area studies program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Area Studies Major” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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. 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.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Area Studies Major”.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Coastline Community College. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Area Studies Major list. Coastline Community College is a public institution located in Fountain Valley, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 97 associates’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Read full report on Area Studies at Coastline Community College
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Citrus College. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Area Studies Major. This medium-sized school is located in Glendora, California, and it awarded 0 associates’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 31 schools in the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Area Studies Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Berkeley City College landed the #3 spot on the list. Berkeley City College is a medium-sized school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 5 associates’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
Out of the 31 schools in the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Area Studies Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Santa Ana College landed the #4 spot on the list. Santa Ana College is a large public school situated in Santa Ana, California. It awarded 8 associates’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
Out of the 31 schools in the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Area Studies Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Santa Rosa Junior College landed the #5 spot on the list. Santa Rosa Junior College is located in Santa Rosa, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 6 associates’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Foothill College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Area Studies Major ranking, coming in at #6. Foothill College is a fairly large school located in Los Altos Hills, California that handed out 3 associates’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
San Jose City College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Area Studies Major ranking, coming in at #7. San Jose City College is a medium-sized public school situated in San Jose, California. It awarded 1 associates’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Sacramento City College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Area Studies Major ranking, coming in at #8. This fairly large school is located in Sacramento, California, and it awarded 11 associates’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #9, Laney College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Area Studies Major list. Laney College is a medium-sized public school situated in Oakland, California. It awarded 1 associates’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
With a ranking of #10, Arkansas Tech University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Area Studies Major list. This medium-sized school is located in Russellville, Arkansas, and it awarded 0 associates’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Area Studies at Arkansas Tech University
Orange Coast College ranked #11 on this year’s Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Area Studies Major list. Orange Coast College is located in Costa Mesa, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 10 associates’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #12, Riverside City College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Area Studies Major list. Located in Riverside, California, this fairly large public school awarded 9 diplomas to qualified associates’s area studies students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Monterey Peninsula College landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Area Studies Major ranking. Monterey Peninsula College is a medium-sized school located in Monterey, California that handed out 0 associates’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
With a ranking of #14, College of the Desert did quite well on the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Area Studies Major list. Located in Palm Desert, California, this fairly large public school awarded 0 diplomas to qualified associates’s area studies students in 2021-2022.
With a ranking of #15, Lansing Community College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Area Studies Major list. Lansing, Michigan is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associates’s area studies degrees to 0 students in 2021-2022.
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%.
Moreno Valley College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Area Studies Major ranking, coming in at #16. Moreno Valley College is a medium-sized school located in Moreno Valley, California that handed out 1 associates’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.7% 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%.
Chabot College landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Area Studies Major ranking. Chabot College is located in Hayward, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 0 associates’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
Los Angeles Pierce College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Area Studies Major ranking, coming in at #18. Los Angeles Pierce College is located in Woodland Hills, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 0 associates’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
American River College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Area Studies Major ranking. American River is located in Sacramento, California and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 2 associates’s area studies degrees to qualified 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%.
With a ranking of #20, Irvine Valley College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Area Studies Major list. Located in Irvine, California, this fairly large public school awarded 3 diplomas to qualified associates’s area studies students in 2021-2022.
Saddleback College ranked #21 on this year’s Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Area Studies Major list. Located in Mission Viejo, California, this fairly large public school awarded 3 diplomas to qualified associates’s area studies students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #22, Central New Mexico Community College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Area Studies Major list. CNM is a fairly large school located in Albuquerque, New Mexico that handed out 1 associates’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Area Studies at Central New Mexico Community College
With a ranking of #23, Bucks County Community College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Area Studies Major list. Bucks County Community College is a public institution located in Newtown, Pennsylvania. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 0 associates’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Canada College landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Area Studies Major ranking. Canada College is a medium-sized school located in Redwood City, California that handed out 0 associates’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
Cabrillo College came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Area Studies Major ranking. Located in Aptos, California, this medium-sized public school handed out 0 degrees to qualified associates’s area studies students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
American Samoa Community College landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Area Studies Major ranking. Pago Pago, American Samoa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associates’s area studies degrees to 2 students in 2021-2022.
College of Southern Nevada did quite well in the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Area Studies Major ranking, coming in at #23. College of Southern Nevada is a public institution located in Las Vegas, Nevada. The school has a large population, and it awarded 0 associates’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #23, Folsom Lake College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Area Studies Major list. Located in Folsom, California, this medium-sized public school handed out 0 diplomas to qualified associates’s area studies students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #23, Adrian College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Area Studies Major list. Adrian College is located in Adrian, Michigan and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 2 associates’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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%.
Great Bay Community College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Area Studies Major ranking, coming in at #23. Great Bay Community College is a small school located in Portsmouth, New Hampshire that handed out 0 associates’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Fullerton College landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Area Studies Major ranking. This fairly large school is located in Fullerton, California, and it awarded 0 associates’s area studies degrees in 2021-2022.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies