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2023 Best Area Studies Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region

3 Ranked Colleges
971 Degrees Awarded
$35,500 Avg Cost*
Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Area Studies

With all of the options veterans have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Area Studies” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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 Southwest region, there were 971 area studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $28,908 and $20,361 respectively.

This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Area Studies” ranking analyzed 3 colleges that offered a degree 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.

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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Area Studies Schools

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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 Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Area Studies”.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important 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 Southwest Region for Area Studies

The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region vets studying area studies.

Top 3 Best Area Studies Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region

1
University of Arizona crest
University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona

Out of the 3 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Area Studies that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Arizona landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Tucson, Arizona, and it awarded 73 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our southwest region vets studying area studies list, University of Arizona has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 45,601 students enrolled at University of Arizona, 2,131 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1,478 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,880. On top of their other funding sources, 31 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of Arizona offers credit for military training for eligible students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read More…

2

Out of the 3 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Area Studies that were part of this year’s ranking, University of New Mexico - Main Campus landed the #2 spot on the list. University of New Mexico - Main Campus is a public institution located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The school has a large population, and it awarded 39 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UNM, 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, UNM supports 22,311 students, and 1 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 0 are 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 scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

Full University of New Mexico - Main Campus Veteran Student Life Report

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Texas at Austin. The school came in at #3 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Area Studies. This large school is located in Austin, Texas, and it awarded 107 ’s area studies degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UT Austin, 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 7 of the 50,476 students enrolled at UT Austin were GI Bill® students, of which 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $2,893. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.

Full The University of Texas at Austin Veteran Student Life Report

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

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