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2023 Most Popular Colleges for Area Studies in Virginia

11 Ranked Colleges
177 Degrees Awarded
$33,900 Avg Cost*
Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Virginia

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Virginia” 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 Virginia, there were 177 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $28,514 and $21,358 respectively.

For this year’s “Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Virginia” ranking, we looked at 11 colleges that offer 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.

For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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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 Virginia” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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. 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 Virginia

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

1
William & Mary crest
William & Mary
Williamsburg, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend William & Mary. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Virginia list. William & Mary is a public institution located in Williamsburg, Virginia. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 63 ’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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Area Studies at William & Mary

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Virginia Commonwealth University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Virginia list. VCU is located in Richmond, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 60 ’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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 Virginia Commonwealth University

3
URichmond crest
University of Richmond
University of Richmond, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Richmond. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Virginia list. University of Richmond is a private not-for-profit institution located in University of Richmond, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 19 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 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 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full URichmond Area Studies Report

4
University of Virginia crest
University of Virginia - Main Campus
Charlottesville, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Virginia - Main Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Virginia list. This large school is located in Charlottesville, Virginia, and it awarded 11 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, 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 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Area Studies at University of Virginia - Main Campus

5
GMU crest
George Mason University
Fairfax, Virginia

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend George Mason University. The school came in at #5 for the Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Virginia. GMU is located in Fairfax, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 10 ’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read full report on Area Studies at GMU

6
Old Dominion crest
Old Dominion University
Norfolk, Virginia

Old Dominion University ranked #6 on this year’s Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Virginia list. This large school is located in Norfolk, Virginia, and it awarded 7 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Old Dominion University Area Studies Report

7
Randolph - Macon crest
Randolph - Macon College
Ashland, Virginia

With a ranking of #7, Randolph - Macon College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Virginia list. Randolph - Macon is a small school located in Ashland, Virginia that handed out 3 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, 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 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Area Studies at Randolph - Macon

8

Emory and Henry College landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Virginia ranking. Emory and Henry College is located in Emory, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2 ’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.

Full Emory & Henry College Area Studies Report

8

Washington and Lee University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Virginia ranking. Washington and Lee is a small school located in Lexington, Virginia that handed out 2 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

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. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Area Studies at Washington and Lee University

10
Shenandoah crest
Shenandoah University
Winchester, Virginia

With a ranking of #10, Shenandoah University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Virginia list. Shenandoah University is located in Winchester, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 0 ’s area studies degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Area Studies at Shenandoah

10
Mary Baldwin crest
Mary Baldwin University
Staunton, Virginia

With a ranking of #10, Mary Baldwin University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Area Studies Major in Virginia list. Staunton, Virginia 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 Mary Baldwin Area Studies Report

Notes and References

References

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