2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Area Studies
10
Ranked Colleges
808
Degrees Awarded
$37,600
Avg Cost*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for veterans. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Area Studies” 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 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 Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Area Studies” ranking looked at 10 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in area studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent area studies programs, but they also offer a lot of support to veterans and active service members.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the area studies program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran satisfaction. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
More Ways to Rank Area Studies Schools
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Area Studies” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Area Studies
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Area Studies”.
Top 10 Best Area Studies Colleges for Veterans in the Great Lakes Region
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. The school came in at #1 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Area Studies. Located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, this large public school handed out 68 degrees to qualified ’s area studies students in 2020-2021.
U-M also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Our most recent data shows that 570 of the 47,907 students enrolled at U-M were GI Bill® students, of which 325 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $27,058. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, 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 [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
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Out of the 10 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Area Studies that were part of this year’s ranking, Miami University - Oxford landed the #2 spot on the list. 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.
Miami University - Oxford did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.According to our most recent data, Miami University - Oxford supports 18,880 students, and 405 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 259 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,877. On top of their other funding sources, 6 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. The school came in at #3 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Area Studies. UW - Madison is a large public school situated in Madison, Wisconsin. It awarded 157 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Madison, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, UW - Madison supports 44,640 students, and 4 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 0 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
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 [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at University of Wisconsin - Madison]](/colleges/university-of-wisconsin-madison/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #4 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Area Studies. UIUC is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 32 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIUC, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 52,679 students enrolled at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 10 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign offers credit for military training for eligible students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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%.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Indiana University - Bloomington. The school came in at #5 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Area Studies. IU Bloomington is a public institution located in Bloomington, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 44 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
IU Bloomington also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Our most recent data shows that 1 of the 43,064 students enrolled at IU Bloomington were GI Bill® students, of which 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. IU Bloomington does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Indiana University - Bloomington]](/colleges/indiana-university-bloomington/student-life/veterans/)
University of Chicago came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Area Studies ranking. UChicago 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.
UChicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 17,834 students enrolled at UChicago, 241 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 113 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $18,948. On top of their other funding sources, 58 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full UChicago Veteran Student Life Report
University of Illinois at Chicago ranked #7 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Area Studies list. University of Illinois at Chicago is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 17 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
UIC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.According to our most recent data, UIC supports 33,518 students, and 1 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $23,878. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. UIC does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Illinois at Chicago Veteran Student Life Report
DePaul University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Area Studies ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s area studies degrees to 11 students in 2020-2021.
DePaul also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 21,922 students enrolled at DePaul University, 528 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 367 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $14,957. In addition to receiving other benefits, 101 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. DePaul University offers credit for military training for eligible students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at DePaul University]](/colleges/depaul-university/student-life/veterans/)
With a ranking of #9, Siena Heights University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Area Studies list. Siena Heights University is a small school located in Adrian, Michigan that handed out 14 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our great lakes region vets studying area studies list, Siena Heights University has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Siena Heights University supports 2,036 students, and 74 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 38 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,992. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Siena Heights University]](/colleges/siena-heights-university/student-life/veterans/)
Oberlin College ranked #10 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Area Studies list. Oberlin, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s area studies degrees to 41 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our great lakes region vets studying area studies list, Oberlin has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 2,658 students enrolled at Oberlin, 28 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 21 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $23,015. To help with additional expenses, 17 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Oberlin]](/colleges/oberlin-college/student-life/veterans/)
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