2023 Most Popular Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies in the Great Lakes Region
70
Ranked Colleges
448
Degrees Awarded
$31,832
Avg Salary
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 “Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s” 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 the Great Lakes region, there were 808 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,342 and $21,486 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 448 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,343 and $26,790 respectively.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s” ranking analyzed 70 colleges that offered a degree in area studies. To top this list, a school must have a successful area studies program that graduates more students in the field than other colleges that offer the same major.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
One Size Does Not Fit All
The area studies school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s”.
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.
Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s
The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region bachelor’s degree area studies students.
Top 26 Most Popular Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area Studies in the Great Lakes Region
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Miami University - Oxford. The school came in at #1 for the Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s. This fairly large school is located in Oxford, Ohio, and it awarded 56 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Miami University - Oxford Area Studies Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. The school came in at #2 for the Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s. U-M is a large school located in Ann Arbor, Michigan that handed out 48 bachelors’s area studies degrees 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Area Studies Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Oberlin College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s list. Oberlin College is located in Oberlin, Ohio and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 41 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
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 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Area Studies at Oberlin College
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Notre Dame. The school came in at #4 for the Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s. Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit institution located in Notre Dame, Indiana. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. 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.
Read more about Area Studies at University of Notre Dame
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. The school came in at #5 for the Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, this large public school handed out 21 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s area studies students 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 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Area Studies at UW - Madison
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #6. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 17 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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 UIUC Area Studies Report
University of Chicago ranked #7 on this year’s Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s list. UChicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 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 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Area Studies at UChicago
Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s ranking. Indiana University - Bloomington is a public institution located in Bloomington, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.4% 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%.
Full Indiana University - Bloomington Area Studies Report
Siena Heights University ranked #8 on this year’s Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s list. Siena Heights University is located in Adrian, Michigan and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 14 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
Full Siena Heights University Area Studies Report
With a ranking of #10, Northwestern University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s list. Northwestern University is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 12 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Area Studies at Northwestern University
With a ranking of #11, DePaul University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s list. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Area Studies at DePaul University
With a ranking of #11, Ohio University - Athens Campus did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s list. Ohio University - Athens Campus is a large public school situated in Athens, Ohio. It awarded 11 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Area Studies at OHIO Athens
Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s ranking. West Lafayette, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 10 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 Purdue University - Main Campus Area Studies Report
University of Illinois at Chicago came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s ranking. University of Illinois at Chicago is a large public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 10 bachelors’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%.
Read full report on Area Studies at University of Illinois at Chicago
University of Michigan - Dearborn landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s ranking. UM Dearborn is a medium-sized school located in Dearborn, Michigan that handed out 10 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Area Studies at UM Dearborn
With a ranking of #13, The College of Wooster did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s list. Wooster, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 10 students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Wooster College Area Studies Report
With a ranking of #17, Wayne State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s list. Wayne State is a public institution located in Detroit, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Area Studies at Wayne State University
With a ranking of #18, Wittenberg University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s list. Wittenberg University is located in Springfield, Ohio and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 8 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
Read full report on Area Studies at Wittenberg
University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s ranking. UW - Eau Claire is a public institution located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Area Studies at University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire
Kalamazoo College came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s ranking. Kalamazoo, Michigan is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s area studies degrees to 8 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Kalamazoo College Area Studies Report
Lake Forest College ranked #21 on this year’s Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s list. Lake Forest College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lake Forest, Illinois. It awarded 6 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Lake Forest College Area Studies Report
Bowling Green State University - Main Campus landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s ranking. This fairly large school is located in Bowling Green, Ohio, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Full BGSU Area Studies Report
University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s ranking. UW Oshkosh is located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 6 bachelors’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
Read more about Area Studies at University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh
With a ranking of #21, Earlham College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s list. Earlham is a private not-for-profit institution located in Richmond, Indiana. The school has a small population, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. 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 Earlham
Valparaiso University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s ranking. Valpo is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Valparaiso, Indiana. It awarded 5 bachelors’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Area Studies at Valpo