2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Area Studies
4
Ranked Colleges
193
Degrees Awarded
$27,000
Avg Cost*
With all of the options veterans have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Area Studies” ranking as one item you can use to help make this 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 Rocky Mountains region, there were 193 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $29,111 and $14,001 respectively.
This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Area Studies” ranking looked at 4 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in area studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great area studies programs and a strong support system for veterans and active service members.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the area studies program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran population. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
More Ways to Rank Area Studies Schools
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Area Studies” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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 by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Area Studies
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Area Studies”.
Top 4 Best Area Studies Colleges for Veterans in the Rocky Mountains Region
Out of the 4 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Area Studies that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Utah landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Salt Lake City, Utah, this large public school awarded 26 degrees to qualified ’s area studies students in 2020-2021.
U of U also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Of the 33,081 students enrolled at University of Utah, 1 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $0. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds 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 89%, 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%.
Read More…
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Colorado Boulder. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Area Studies list. CU - Boulder is located in Boulder, Colorado and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 17 ’s area studies degrees to qualified students.
CU - Boulder also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Among the 37,437 students enrolled at University of Colorado Boulder, 1,379 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 968 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $12,889. To help with additional expenses, 46 students received funds 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 85%, 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%.
Full University of Colorado Boulder Veteran Student Life Report
Out of the 4 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Area Studies that were part of this year’s ranking, Utah State University landed the #3 spot on the list. USU is a public institution located in Logan, Utah. The school has a large population, and it awarded 34 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at USU, 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, Utah State University supports 27,691 students, and 3 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $285. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Utah State University 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 Utah State University Veteran Student Life Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Brigham Young University - Provo. The school came in at #4 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Area Studies. Located in Provo, Utah, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 69 diplomas to qualified ’s area studies students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at BYU, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 368 of the 36,461 students enrolled at Brigham Young University - Provo were GI Bill® students, of which 220 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,856. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate 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 BYU Veteran Student Life Report
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Notes and References
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
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