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2023 Most Popular Colleges for Area Studies in Washington

11 Ranked Colleges
236 Degrees Awarded
$35,400 Avg Cost*
Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Washington

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Washington” ranking - to help you make that decision.

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 Washington, there were 236 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,738 and $18,027 respectively.

For this year’s “Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Washington” ranking, we looked at 11 colleges that offer a degree in area studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular area studies programs in the United States.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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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 Washington”.

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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Washington

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Washington”.

1

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. The school came in at #1 for the Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Washington. UW Seattle is located in Seattle, Washington and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 192 ’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UW Seattle Area Studies Report

2
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Western Washington University
Bellingham, Washington

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Western Washington University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Washington list. Western Washington University is a fairly large public school situated in Bellingham, Washington. It awarded 12 ’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 more about Area Studies at Western Washington University

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Washington - Bothell Campus. The school came in at #3 for the Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Washington. University of Washington - Bothell Campus is located in Bothell, Washington and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 10 ’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UW Bothell Area Studies Report

4
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Seattle Pacific University
Seattle, Washington

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Seattle Pacific University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Washington list. Located in Seattle, Washington, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 8 diplomas to qualified ’s area studies students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Area Studies at SPU

5
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Pacific Lutheran University
Tacoma, Washington

Out of the 11 schools in the Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Washington that were part of this year’s ranking, Pacific Lutheran University landed the #5 spot on the list. Pacific Lutheran University is a small school located in Tacoma, Washington that handed out 5 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full PLU Area Studies Report

6
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Central Washington University
Ellensburg, Washington

Central Washington University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Washington ranking, coming in at #6. Located in Ellensburg, Washington, this fairly large public school handed out 4 diplomas to qualified ’s area studies students in 2020-2021.

Full CWU Area Studies Report

7

University of Washington - Tacoma Campus landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Washington ranking. University of Washington - Tacoma Campus is a public institution located in Tacoma, Washington. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 2 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% 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%.

Read full report on Area Studies at University of Washington - Tacoma Campus

7
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Seattle University
Seattle, Washington

With a ranking of #7, Seattle University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Washington list. Seattle U is a private not-for-profit institution located in Seattle, Washington. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 2 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national 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 Seattle University

9
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Gonzaga University
Spokane, Washington

Gonzaga University ranked #9 on this year’s Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Washington list. Gonzaga University is located in Spokane, Washington and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1 ’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Gonzaga University Area Studies Report

10
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Washington State University
Pullman, Washington

Washington State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Washington ranking, coming in at #10. Washington State University is a large public school situated in Pullman, Washington. It awarded 0 ’s area studies 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%.

Read full report on Area Studies at Wazzu

10
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Whitman College
Walla Walla, Washington

Whitman College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Washington ranking. This small school is located in Walla Walla, Washington, and it awarded 0 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 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 Whitman College

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