2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region
34
Ranked Colleges
261
Degrees Awarded
$31,952
Avg Salary
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region” ranking.
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 the Plains States region, there were 307 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,952 and $25,098 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 261 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $41,046 and $29,021 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region” ranking looked at 34 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.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region” 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region”.
Top 34 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies in the Plains States Region
Out of the 34 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, St Olaf College landed the #1 spot on the list. St. Olaf is located in Northfield, Minnesota and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 28 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.8% 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 St Olaf College Area Studies Report
Out of the 34 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Carleton College landed the #2 spot on the list. Northfield, Minnesota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 15 students in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, 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%.
Full Carleton College Area Studies Report
Out of the 34 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Gustavus Adolphus College landed the #3 spot on the list. Gustavus Adolphus College is a small school located in Saint Peter, Minnesota that handed out 10 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Area Studies at Gustavus Adolphus
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Coe College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region list. Coe College is located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Area Studies at Coe College
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Macalester College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region list. Saint Paul, Minnesota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 7 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.2% 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%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Area Studies at Macalester
Saint Johns University ranked #6 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region list. SJU is a small school located in Collegeville, Minnesota that handed out 4 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Area Studies at Saint Johns University
University of Missouri - Columbia came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Mizzou is a large school located in Columbia, Missouri that handed out 70 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of Missouri - Columbia Area Studies Report
College of Saint Benedict did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #8. CSB is a small school located in Saint Joseph, Minnesota that handed out 3 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, 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 89%.
Read full report on Area Studies at CSB
Washington University in St Louis did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #9. Saint Louis, Missouri is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 28 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% 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 freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 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 Washington University in St Louis
With a ranking of #10, University of Minnesota - Duluth did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region list. Located in Duluth, Minnesota, this medium-sized public school awarded 10 degrees to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Area Studies at UMN Duluth
With a ranking of #11, University of Minnesota - Morris did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region list. This small school is located in Morris, Minnesota, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Area Studies at University of Minnesota - Morris
With a ranking of #12, University of Kansas did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region list. KU is a public institution located in Lawrence, Kansas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 22 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full KU Area Studies Report
Saint Ambrose University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Saint Ambrose University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Davenport, Iowa. It awarded 2 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Area Studies at St. Ambrose University
University of Iowa came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Iowa City, Iowa is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 19 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of Iowa Area Studies Report
With a ranking of #15, Iowa State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region list. Iowa State is a public institution located in Ames, Iowa. The school has a large population, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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 freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Area Studies at Iowa State University
University of Nebraska at Omaha came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking. UNOMAHA is a fairly large school located in Omaha, Nebraska that handed out 5 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Area Studies at UNOMAHA
Saint Louis University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #17. Saint Louis University is a fairly large school located in Saint Louis, Missouri that handed out 4 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 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 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full SLU Area Studies Report
Creighton University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #18. Creighton is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Omaha, Nebraska. It awarded 3 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% 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%.
Read full report on Area Studies at Creighton
Minnesota State University - Moorhead ranked #19 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region list. MSU Moorhead is a public institution located in Moorhead, Minnesota. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.0% 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 Minnesota State University - Moorhead Area Studies Report
University of North Dakota came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking. UND is located in Grand Forks, North Dakota and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
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%.
Read more about Area Studies at UND
Minnesota State University - Mankato ranked #21 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region list. This fairly large school is located in Mankato, Minnesota, and it awarded 1 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%.
Full Minnesota State Mankato Area Studies Report
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this large public school handed out 4 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2020-2021.
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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Area Studies Report
University of Nebraska - Lincoln came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking. University of Nebraska - Lincoln is a public institution located in Lincoln, Nebraska. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Area Studies at UNL
Columbia College came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Columbia, Missouri, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 0 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Area Studies at Columbia College
Cornell College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #24. Cornell College is located in Mount Vernon, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 0 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.3% 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%.
Full Cornell College Area Studies Report
University of Jamestown came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Jamestown, North Dakota, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 0 degrees to qualified bachelors’s area studies students in 2020-2021.
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%.
Read full report on Area Studies at UJ
Saint Cloud State University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Saint Cloud State University is a fairly large public school situated in Saint Cloud, Minnesota. It awarded 0 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Area Studies at Saint Cloud State University
Hamline University ranked #24 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region list. Saint Paul, Minnesota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 0 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Area Studies at Hamline
Luther College came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking. This small school is located in Decorah, Iowa, and it awarded 0 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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 Luther
Bethany Lutheran College landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Bethany Lutheran College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Mankato, Minnesota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 0 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
Read more about Area Studies at BLC
With a ranking of #24, Presentation College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region list. Presentation College is located in Aberdeen, South Dakota and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 0 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
Full Presentation College Area Studies Report
Webster University landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Webster is located in Saint Louis, Missouri and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 0 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Webster University Area Studies Report
Augustana University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking. This small school is located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, 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 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Area Studies at Augustana University
Augsburg University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #24. This small school is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and it awarded 0 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Augsburg Area Studies Report
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Notes and References
References
- 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).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
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