College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Illinois

18 Ranked Colleges
148 Degrees Awarded
$31,300 Avg Cost*
Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Illinois

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Illinois” ranking.

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.

For this year’s “Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Illinois” ranking, we looked at 18 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.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Area Studies Schools

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Area Studies Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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 Illinois”.

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. 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 Illinois

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois area studies students.

1
UChicago crest
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Illinois list. University of Chicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 45 ’s area studies degrees 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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.

Read more about Area Studies at UChicago

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Illinois list. UIUC is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 32 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Area Studies at UIUC

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Chicago. The school came in at #3 for the Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Illinois. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 17 ’s area studies 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 more about Area Studies at UIC

4
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #4 for the Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Illinois. This large school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and it awarded 17 ’s area studies degrees 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%. 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. 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

5
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend DePaul University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Illinois list. DePaul University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 11 ’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

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 DePaul

6
Lake Forest crest
Lake Forest College
Lake Forest, Illinois

Lake Forest College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #6. Lake Forest College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lake Forest, Illinois. It awarded 6 ’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%.

Full Lake Forest College Area Studies Report

7

Northeastern Illinois University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Illinois ranking. Northeastern Illinois University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5 ’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

Read more about Area Studies at Northeastern Illinois University

7
Bradley crest
Bradley University
Peoria, Illinois

With a ranking of #7, Bradley University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Illinois 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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Bradley University Area Studies Report

9
Knox crest
Knox College
Galesburg, Illinois

Knox College landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Illinois ranking. Knox is located in Galesburg, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4 ’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

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%. 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.

Full Knox Area Studies Report

10
Augustana crest
Augustana College
Rock Island, Illinois

With a ranking of #10, Augustana College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Illinois list. Located in Rock Island, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 3 degrees to qualified ’s area studies students 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 3.5% 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%.

Full Augustana Area Studies Report

11
North Central crest
North Central College
Naperville, Illinois

North Central College ranked #11 on this year’s Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Illinois list. Naperville, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s area studies degrees to 1 students 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

11
Loyola Chicago crest
Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Illinois ranking. Loyola Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a fairly large 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 2.7%, which is much lower than the national 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 Loyola University Chicago

11
North Park crest
North Park University
Chicago, Illinois

North Park University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Illinois ranking. North Park University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1 ’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

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. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% 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 North Park Area Studies Report

14
Elmhurst crest
Elmhurst University
Elmhurst, Illinois

With a ranking of #14, Elmhurst University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Illinois list. Elmhurst University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Elmhurst, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 0 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Area Studies at Elmhurst University

14

With a ranking of #14, Illinois State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Illinois list. Illinois State 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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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 Illinois State

14
Dominican U crest
Dominican University
River Forest, Illinois

With a ranking of #14, Dominican University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Illinois list. This small school is located in River Forest, Illinois, and it awarded 0 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

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. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% 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%.

Read full report on Area Studies at Dominican U

14
Principia crest
Principia College
Elsah, Illinois

Principia College ranked #14 on this year’s Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Illinois list. Elsah, 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.

Full Principia Area Studies Report

14
Illinois College crest
Illinois College
Jacksonville, Illinois

Illinois College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #14. Illinois College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Jacksonville, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 0 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Area Studies at Illinois College

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

Credits

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options