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2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in California

62 Ranked Colleges
880 Degrees Awarded
$35,500 Avg Cost*
Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in California

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in California” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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 California, there were 880 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $29,544 and $17,829 respectively.

This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in California” ranking analyzed 62 colleges that offered a degree in area studies. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in area studies.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in California” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in California

The colleges and universities below are the best for california area studies students.

Top 25 Most Focused Colleges for Area Studies in California

1
Scripps crest
Scripps College
Claremont, California

Out of the 62 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Scripps College landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Claremont, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 17 degrees to qualified ’s area studies students in 2020-2021.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 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 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Area Studies at Scripps College

2
Coastline Community College crest
Coastline Community College
Fountain Valley, California

Out of the 62 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Coastline Community College landed the #2 spot on the list. Fountain Valley, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s area studies degrees to 107 students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Area Studies at Coastline Community College

3
Oxy crest
Occidental College
Los Angeles, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Occidental College. The school came in at #3 for the Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in California. Oxy is a small school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 9 ’s area studies degrees 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 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Area Studies at Oxy

4
Pitzer crest
Pitzer College
Claremont, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Pitzer College. The school came in at #4 for the Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in California. Pitzer is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Claremont, California. It awarded 3 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

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 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 more about Area Studies at Pitzer

5
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Holy Names University
Oakland, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Holy Names University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in California list. Holy Names University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Oakland, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 3 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full Holy Names University Area Studies Report

6
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

With a ranking of #6, Stanford University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in California list. This fairly large school is located in Stanford, California, and it awarded 43 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, 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 86%.

Full Stanford Area Studies Report

7
USFCA crest
University of San Francisco
San Francisco, California

University of San Francisco did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in California ranking, coming in at #7. University of San Francisco is a fairly large school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 31 ’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%.

Read more about Area Studies at University of San Francisco

8
Pomona crest
Pomona College
Claremont, California

Pomona College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in California ranking. Pomona is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Claremont, California. It awarded 3 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

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. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Area Studies at Pomona College

9

University of California - Berkeley landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in California ranking. University of California - Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 105 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Area Studies at UC Berkeley

10

With a ranking of #10, University of California - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in California list. UCLA is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 103 ’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, 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 more about Area Studies at University of California - Los Angeles

11

With a ranking of #11, California State University - Fullerton did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in California list. This large school is located in Fullerton, California, and it awarded 59 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. 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 California State University - Fullerton

12
Citrus College crest
Citrus College
Glendora, California

Citrus College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in California ranking, coming in at #12. Citrus College is a medium-sized public school situated in Glendora, California. It awarded 23 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Area Studies at Citrus College

13

University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in California ranking. University of California - Santa Barbara is located in Santa Barbara, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 38 ’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, 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 91%.

Full University of California - Santa Barbara Area Studies Report

14
Claremont McKenna crest
Claremont McKenna College
Claremont, California

With a ranking of #14, Claremont McKenna College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in California list. Claremont McKenna College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Claremont, California. It awarded 2 ’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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. 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.

Read more about Area Studies at Claremont McKenna College

15

With a ranking of #15, California State University - Long Beach did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in California list. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school awarded 48 diplomas to qualified ’s area studies students 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Read more about Area Studies at California State University - Long Beach

16
Pepperdine crest
Pepperdine University
Malibu, California

Pepperdine University landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in California ranking. Malibu, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s area studies degrees to 11 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, 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 85%.

Read full report on Area Studies at Pepperdine University

17
Berkeley City College crest
Berkeley City College
Berkeley, California

Berkeley City College ranked #17 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in California list. Berkeley City College is located in Berkeley, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 3 ’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

Read more about Area Studies at Berkeley City College

18

University of California - Davis came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in California ranking. UC Davis is a large public school situated in Davis, California. It awarded 35 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.

Full UC Davis Area Studies Report

19

University of California - Riverside came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in California ranking. University of California - Riverside is a large public school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 21 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, 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 91%.

Read more about Area Studies at University of California - Riverside

20

University of California - Irvine landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in California ranking. UC Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 35 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% 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%.

Read more about Area Studies at UC Irvine

21

With a ranking of #21, California State University - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in California list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 19 ’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%.

Full Cal State LA Area Studies Report

22

California State University - Chico landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in California ranking. Chico, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s area studies degrees to 11 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Chico State Area Studies Report

23
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in California ranking. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s area studies degrees to 37 students 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. 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.

Read more about Area Studies at University of Southern California

24
SAC crest
Santa Ana College
Santa Ana, California

Santa Ana College ranked #24 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in California list. This large school is located in Santa Ana, California, and it awarded 11 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Area Studies at Santa Ana College

25
Azusa Pacific crest
Azusa Pacific University
Azusa, California

Azusa Pacific University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in California ranking, coming in at #25. Azusa Pacific is a medium-sized school located in Azusa, California that handed out 5 ’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%. 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.

Read more about Area Studies at Azusa Pacific University

Notes and References

References

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