2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region
73
Ranked Colleges
808
Degrees Awarded
$33,500
Avg Cost*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
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 the Great Lakes region, there were 808 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,342 and $21,486 respectively.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking analyzed 73 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.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region
The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region area studies students.
Top 25 Most Popular Colleges for Area Studies in the Great Lakes Region
Out of the 73 schools in the Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, this large public school handed out 68 degrees to qualified ’s area studies students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Read full report on Area Studies at U-M
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Miami University - Oxford. The school came in at #2 for the Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region. Miami University - Oxford is located in Oxford, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 56 ’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Miami University - Oxford Area Studies Report
Out of the 73 schools in the Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the #3 spot on the list. University of Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 45 ’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 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. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Area Studies at University of Chicago
Out of the 73 schools in the Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #4 spot on the list. Indiana University - Bloomington is a large public school situated in Bloomington, Indiana. It awarded 44 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, 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%.
Read full report on Area Studies at Indiana University - Bloomington
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Oberlin College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Oberlin College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Oberlin, Ohio. It awarded 41 ’s area studies degrees 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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% 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 Oberlin Area Studies Report
University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. University of Wisconsin - Madison is a large school located in Madison, Wisconsin that handed out 157 ’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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Area Studies at University of Wisconsin - Madison
With a ranking of #7, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s area studies degrees to 32 students 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Area Studies at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Ohio University - Athens Campus came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Ohio University - Athens Campus is a large public school situated in Athens, Ohio. It awarded 57 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Area Studies at Ohio University - Athens Campus
University of Notre Dame did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #9. Notre Dame is located in Notre Dame, Indiana and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 26 ’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Full University of Notre Dame Area Studies Report
With a ranking of #10, Bowling Green State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Bowling Green State University - Main Campus is a fairly large public school situated in Bowling Green, Ohio. It awarded 18 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Area Studies at BGSU
University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #11. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large public school handed out 17 diplomas to qualified ’s area studies students 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 UIC
Purdue University - Main Campus came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Purdue University - Main Campus is located in West Lafayette, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 15 ’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
Read more about Area Studies at Purdue University - Main Campus
Siena Heights University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Siena Heights University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Adrian, Michigan. The school has a small population, and it awarded 14 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Area Studies at Siena Heights University
Northwestern University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Evanston, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 17 degrees to qualified ’s area studies students in 2020-2021.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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.
Full Northwestern University Area Studies Report
DePaul University ranked #15 on this year’s Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region list. DePaul University 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%.
Full DePaul University Area Studies Report
The College of Wooster did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #16. Wooster, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s area studies degrees to 10 students in 2020-2021.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
Read full report on Area Studies at Wooster College
University of Michigan - Dearborn ranked #16 on this year’s Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Michigan - Dearborn is a medium-sized school located in Dearborn, Michigan that handed out 10 ’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 full report on Area Studies at UM Dearborn
With a ranking of #18, Wayne State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This large school is located in Detroit, Michigan, and it awarded 9 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Wayne State Area Studies Report
With a ranking of #19, Kalamazoo College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This small school is located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and it awarded 8 ’s area studies degrees 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%.
Read more about Area Studies at Kalamazoo College
Wittenberg University landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This small school is located in Springfield, Ohio, and it awarded 8 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Wittenberg University Area Studies Report
University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #19. Located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, this fairly large public school handed out 12 diplomas to qualified ’s area studies students in 2020-2021.
Full UW - Eau Claire Area Studies Report
With a ranking of #22, Valparaiso University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Valpo is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Valparaiso, Indiana. It awarded 7 ’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 Valparaiso University
Earlham College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #23. Earlham is a private not-for-profit institution located in Richmond, Indiana. The school has a small population, and it awarded 6 ’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 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.
Full Earlham Area Studies Report
Lake Forest College ranked #23 on this year’s Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Lake Forest, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 6 degrees to qualified ’s area studies 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
University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #23. Located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, this fairly large public school handed out 6 degrees to qualified ’s area studies students in 2020-2021.
Read more about Area Studies at UW Oshkosh
college factual
