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2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois

17 Ranked Colleges
86 Degrees Awarded
$31,118 Avg Salary
Schools for a Bachelor's Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

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 Illinois, there were 148 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $32,250 and $19,500 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 86 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,117 and $25,584 respectively.

This year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois” ranking looked at 17 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in area studies. That schools that top this list have a program in area studies in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons 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.

Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois bachelor’s degree area studies students.

Top 17 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies in Illinois

1
Lake Forest crest
Lake Forest College
Lake Forest, Illinois

Out of the 17 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Lake Forest College landed the #1 spot on the list. Lake Forest College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lake Forest, Illinois. It awarded 6 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%.

Read more about Area Studies at Lake Forest

2
Knox crest
Knox College
Galesburg, Illinois

Out of the 17 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Knox College landed the #2 spot on the list. Knox is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Galesburg, Illinois. It awarded 4 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

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 undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Knox Area Studies Report

3
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Augustana College
Rock Island, Illinois

Out of the 17 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Augustana College landed the #3 spot on the list. Augustana is a small school located in Rock Island, Illinois that handed out 3 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read full report on Area Studies at Augustana

4
Bradley crest
Bradley University
Peoria, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Bradley University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois list. Bradley University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Peoria, Illinois. It awarded 5 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Read more about Area Studies at Bradley University

5
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University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Chicago. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois. UChicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 15 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%.

Full University of Chicago Area Studies Report

6
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #6, DePaul University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois list. DePaul is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 11 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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%.

Read full report on Area Studies at DePaul

7
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North Park University
Chicago, Illinois

North Park University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #7. North Park is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 1 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% 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%. 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 North Park University

8
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois ranking. This large school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and it awarded 12 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Area Studies at Northwestern

9
North Central crest
North Central College
Naperville, Illinois

North Central College landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois ranking. This small school is located in Naperville, Illinois, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

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%.

Read more about Area Studies at North Central College

10

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #10 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 17 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Area Studies Report

11

University of Illinois at Chicago ranked #11 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois list. UIC is a large public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 10 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Area Studies at University of Illinois at Chicago

12
Loyola Chicago crest
Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #12. Loyola Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 1 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Full Loyola Chicago Area Studies Report

13
Principia crest
Principia College
Elsah, Illinois

Principia College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #13. Principia College is located in Elsah, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 0 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

Read full report on Area Studies at Principia College

13
Illinois College crest
Illinois College
Jacksonville, Illinois

Illinois College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois ranking. This small school is located in Jacksonville, Illinois, and it awarded 0 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Area Studies at Illinois College

13
Illinois State crest
Illinois State University
Normal, Illinois

Illinois State University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois ranking. This large school is located in Normal, Illinois, and it awarded 0 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

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%.

Read full report on Area Studies at Illinois State University

13
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Dominican University
River Forest, Illinois

Dominican University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois ranking. Dominican University is a small school located in River Forest, Illinois that handed out 0 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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%.

Read full report on Area Studies at Dominican U

13
Elmhurst crest
Elmhurst University
Elmhurst, Illinois

Elmhurst University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois ranking. Elmhurst University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Elmhurst, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 0 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.2% 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 Elmhurst Area Studies Report

Notes and References

References

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