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

11 Ranked Colleges
156 Degrees Awarded
$28,514 Avg Salary
Schools for a Bachelor's Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Virginia

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 “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Virginia” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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 Virginia, there were 177 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $28,514 and $21,358 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 156 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,553 and $27,844 respectively.

This year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Virginia” ranking analyzed 11 colleges that offered a degree 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.

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When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Virginia” list to help you make the college decision.

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.

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

The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Virginia”.

Top 11 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies in Virginia

1
William & Mary crest
William & Mary
Williamsburg, Virginia

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend William & Mary. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Virginia. William & Mary is located in Williamsburg, Virginia and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 51 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

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%.

Read more about Area Studies at William & Mary

2
URichmond crest
University of Richmond
University of Richmond, Virginia

Out of the 11 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Richmond landed the #2 spot on the list. URichmond is a small private not-for-profit school situated in University of Richmond, Virginia. It awarded 19 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

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. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, 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 93%.

Full URichmond Area Studies Report

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Virginia Commonwealth University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Virginia list. Virginia Commonwealth University is located in Richmond, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 60 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Virginia Commonwealth University Area Studies Report

4
Randolph - Macon crest
Randolph - Macon College
Ashland, Virginia

Out of the 11 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, Randolph - Macon College landed the #4 spot on the list. Randolph - Macon is a small school located in Ashland, Virginia that handed out 3 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Area Studies at Randolph - Macon

5
Emory & Henry College crest
Emory and Henry College
Emory, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Emory and Henry College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Virginia list. Located in Emory, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 2 degrees to qualified bachelors’s area studies students 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.

Read more about Area Studies at Emory & Henry College

6
Washington and Lee crest
Washington and Lee University
Lexington, Virginia

Washington and Lee University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Virginia ranking. Washington and Lee University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lexington, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s 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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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 more about Area Studies at Washington and Lee

7
Old Dominion crest
Old Dominion University
Norfolk, Virginia

Old Dominion University ranked #7 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Virginia list. Norfolk, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 7 students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Area Studies at Old Dominion University

8
GMU crest
George Mason University
Fairfax, Virginia

George Mason University ranked #8 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Virginia list. Located in Fairfax, Virginia, this large public school handed out 7 degrees to qualified bachelors’s area studies students 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read full report on Area Studies at GMU

9
University of Virginia crest
University of Virginia - Main Campus
Charlottesville, Virginia

University of Virginia - Main Campus ranked #9 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Virginia list. This large school is located in Charlottesville, Virginia, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Area Studies at University of Virginia

10
Mary Baldwin crest
Mary Baldwin University
Staunton, Virginia

Mary Baldwin University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Virginia ranking. Mary Baldwin University is located in Staunton, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 0 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

Read more about Area Studies at Mary Baldwin University

10
Shenandoah crest
Shenandoah University
Winchester, Virginia

Shenandoah University ranked #10 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Virginia list. Shenandoah is a small school located in Winchester, Virginia that handed out 0 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%. 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 full report on Area Studies at Shenandoah University

Notes and References

References

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