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2023 Most Focused Colleges for Area Studies in North Carolina

7 Ranked Colleges
332 Degrees Awarded
$29,700 Avg Cost*
Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in North Carolina

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in North Carolina” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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 North Carolina, there were 332 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,832 and $14,009 respectively.

For this year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in North Carolina” ranking, we looked at 7 colleges that offer 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.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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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 Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in North Carolina” list to help you make the college decision.

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 North Carolina

The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in North Carolina”.

Top 7 Most Focused Colleges for Area Studies in North Carolina

1
Davidson crest
Davidson College
Davidson, North Carolina

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Davidson College. The school came in at #1 for the Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in North Carolina. Davidson is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Davidson, North Carolina. It awarded 15 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Area Studies at Davidson College

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in North Carolina list. This large school is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and it awarded 221 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, 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 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Area Studies Report

3
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, North Carolina

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Duke University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in North Carolina list. Duke University is a fairly large school located in Durham, North Carolina that handed out 55 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.3% 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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Duke Area Studies Report

4
Wake Forest University crest
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, North Carolina

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Wake Forest University. The school came in at #4 for the Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in North Carolina. Wake Forest University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It awarded 14 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.

Read full report on Area Studies at Wake Forest University

5

Out of the 7 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in North Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, University of North Carolina at Charlotte landed the #5 spot on the list. University of North Carolina at Charlotte is located in Charlotte, North Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 19 ’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Area Studies at UNC Charlotte

6
Lenoir - Rhyne University crest
Lenoir - Rhyne University
Hickory, North Carolina

Lenoir - Rhyne University ranked #6 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in North Carolina list. Lenoir - Rhyne University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Hickory, North Carolina. The school has a small population, and it awarded 1 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Area Studies at Lenoir - Rhyne University

7
Appalachian State crest
Appalachian State University
Boone, North Carolina

Appalachian State University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area Studies Major in North Carolina ranking. Appalachian State is located in Boone, North Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 7 ’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

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

Notes and References

References

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