2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Area Studies School for You
Area Studies is the #112 most popular major in the country with 6,966 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Area Studies Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 106 schools in the United States to see which programs offered the best value experiences for area studies students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Top 15% Best Area Studies Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Brigham Young University - Provo the best value school in the United States for area studies students. BYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Provo.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at BYU are $6,120 a year. Area Studies majors at BYU take out an average of $10,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
BYU excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Area Studies Schools list.
Full Area Studies at Brigham Young University - Provo Report
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Minnesota - Duluth. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools list. UMN Duluth is a medium-sized public school located in the small city of Duluth.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UMN Duluth are $19,148 a year.
UMN Duluth excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Area Studies Schools list.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Hunter College is a great value for area studies students. Hunter is a very large public school located in the large city of New York.
Hunter undergraduate students pay an average of $15,332 in tuition and fees each year.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Missouri - Columbia. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools list. Mizzou is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Columbia.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Mizzou are $30,450 per year. Area Studies majors at Mizzou take out an average of $25,250 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $461, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Mizzou also claimed a spot on our Best Area Studies Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
Full Area Studies at University of Missouri - Columbia Report
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Siena Heights University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools list. Located in the distant town of Adrian, Siena Heights University is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Siena Heights University are $28,502 per year.
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With a ranking of #6, San Diego State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for area studies students. Located in the large city of San Diego, SDSU is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at SDSU are $20,016 a year.
Full Area Studies at San Diego State University Report
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Iowa State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area Studies Schools ranking. Iowa State is a very large public school located in the small city of Ames.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Iowa State are $25,446 a year. After completing their degree, area studies graduates from Iowa State carry an average student debtload of $27,000.
Iowa State also claimed a spot on our Best Area Studies Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
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California State University - Long Beach ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools list. CSULB is a fairly large public school located in the city of Long Beach.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at CSULB are $18,726 a year. After completing their degree, area studies graduates from CSULB carry an average student debtload of $13,367.
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Bowdoin College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area Studies Schools ranking. Bowdoin is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Brunswick.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Bowdoin are $58,322 a year. On average, area studies graduates from Bowdoin take out $19,500 in student loans while working on their degree.
Bowdoin did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our Best Area Studies Schools list.
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Millersville University of Pennsylvania landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value area studies programs. Millersville is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Millersville.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Millersville are $22,226 per year. While working on their degree, area studies majors at Millersville accumulate an average of around $23,500 in student debt.
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With a ranking of #11, San Francisco State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for area studies students. Located in the city of San Francisco, SFSU is a public school with a fairly large student population.
SFSU undergraduate students pay an average of $19,184 in tuition and fees each year.
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With a ranking of #12, University of Delaware did quite well on this year’s best value schools for area studies students. UD is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Newark.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UD are $36,880 a year.
In addition to its great value ranking, UD is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Area Studies Schools list.
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The University of Texas at Austin ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools list. UT Austin is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Austin.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UT Austin are $40,996 a year. The average amount in student loans that area studies majors at UT Austin take out is $15,412. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $268.
UT Austin excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Area Studies Schools list.
Read full report on Area Studies at The University of Texas at Austin
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California State University - Fullerton came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area Studies Schools ranking. Cal State Fullerton is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Fullerton.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cal State Fullerton are $18,856 per year. Area Studies majors at Cal State Fullerton take out an average of $19,429 in student loans while working on their egree.
Full Area Studies at California State University - Fullerton Report
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California State University - Chico came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area Studies Schools ranking. Chico State is a large public school located in the city of Chico.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Chico State are $19,744 a year. The average amount in student loans that area studies majors at Chico State take out is $15,500.
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These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Value Area Studies Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | Ramapo College of New Jersey | Mahwah, NJ |
| 17 | University of Wisconsin - Madison | Madison, WI |
| 18 | Miami University - Oxford | Oxford, OH |
| 19 | Brooklyn College | Brooklyn, NY |
| 20 | University of Utah | Salt Lake City, UT |
| 21 | Georgetown University | Washington, DC |
Area Studies by Region
View the Best Value Area Studies Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Area Studies Rankings
Other Related Area Studies Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
Explore societal similarities and differences as seen through cultural, biological, archaeological and linguistic lenses when you earn one of your degrees in anthropology from Southern New Hampshire University.
Majors Related to Area Studies
Area Studies is one of 2 different types of programs to choose from.
Most Popular Related Majors
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Ethnic Studies | 9,231 |
| Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies (Other) | 46 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 26 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 the rest 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).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Karl Udo Gerth.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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