2023 Most Focused Colleges for Area Studies in Illinois
18
Ranked Colleges
148
Degrees Awarded
$31,300
Avg Cost*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 Illinois” 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 Illinois, there were 148 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $32,250 and $19,500 respectively.
This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois” ranking looked at 18 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.
More Ways to Rank Area Studies Schools
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 Illinois” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois”.
Top 18 Most Focused Colleges for Area Studies in Illinois
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Lake Forest College. The school came in at #1 for the Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois. Lake Forest, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s area studies degrees to 6 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Lake Forest Area Studies Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Knox College. The school came in at #2 for the Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois. This small school is located in Galesburg, Illinois, and it awarded 4 ’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%. 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 Knox
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s area studies degrees to 45 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 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 University of Chicago
Out of the 18 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Augustana College landed the #4 spot on the list. Augustana is located in Rock Island, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 3 ’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Read more about Area Studies at Augustana
Out of the 18 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Bradley University landed the #5 spot on the list. Peoria, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s area studies degrees to 5 students 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%. 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 Bradley University
Northeastern Illinois University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 5 diplomas to qualified ’s area studies students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Area Studies at Northeastern Illinois University
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois ranking. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 32 ’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
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 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%.
Read full report on Area Studies at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois ranking. University of Illinois at Chicago is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 17 ’s 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%.
Read full report on Area Studies at UIC
DePaul University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois ranking. DePaul is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 11 ’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 University
North Park University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois ranking. This small school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 1 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. 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 full report on Area Studies at North Park
With a ranking of #11, Northwestern University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois list. Northwestern is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 17 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on Area Studies at Northwestern University
With a ranking of #12, North Central College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois list. North Central College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Naperville, Illinois. It awarded 1 ’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 full report on Area Studies at North Central
Loyola University Chicago came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois ranking. Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 1 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. 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%.
Read full report on Area Studies at Loyola Chicago
Elmhurst University ranked #14 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois list. Elmhurst University is located in Elmhurst, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 0 ’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
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 Elmhurst University
Principia College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois ranking. Principia College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Elsah, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 0 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Principia Area Studies Report
Illinois State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #14. Illinois State University is located in Normal, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 0 ’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
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
With a ranking of #14, Dominican University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois list. River Forest, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s area studies degrees to 0 students in 2020-2021.
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%. 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.
Read full report on Area Studies at Dominican University
Illinois College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #14. Jacksonville, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s area studies degrees to 0 students in 2020-2021.
Read more about Area Studies at Illinois College
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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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