2026 Best Value South Asian Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region
[South Asian Studies](/majors/ethnic-cultural-gender-studies/area-studies/south-asian-studies/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 3 schools to find the best return on investment for south asian studies students.
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2026 Best Value South Asian Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in south asian studies, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value South Asian Studies Schools
For return on investment in south asian studies, no school beat University Of Michigan Ann Arbor this year. University Of Michigan Ann Arbor is a very large public school located in the city of Ann Arbor. In-state tuition and fees average $18,848, with out-of-state students paying around $63,081. Students borrow a median of $16,984 to complete the south asian studies program here. South Asian Studies graduates of University Of Michigan Ann Arbor earn a median of $66,254 early in their careers. Set against $16,984 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 16% of applicants are accepted.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Indiana University Bloomington earned it the #2 place for south asian studies. Set in the city of Bloomington, Indiana University Bloomington is a very large public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $12,144, compared with $41,891 for out-of-state students. South Asian Studies graduates carry a median of $21,710 in student loans. South Asian Studies graduates of Indiana University Bloomington earn a median of $52,123 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Indiana University Bloomington admits about 78% of applicants.
A rank of #3 makes University Of Wisconsin Madison one of the best values for south asian studies. Set in the city of Madison, University Of Wisconsin Madison is a very large public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $11,603, while out-of-state students pay about $42,103. Students borrow a median of $20,850 to complete the south asian studies program here. South Asian Studies graduates of University Of Wisconsin Madison earn a median of $59,877 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $20,850 median debt. The acceptance rate is 45%.
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Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 3 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.
- 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
