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.
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2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools in the United States
The following schools top our list of the Best Value Area Studies Colleges.
Top 15% Best Area Studies Schools
Our analysis found Brigham Young University - Provo to be the best value school for area studies students who want to pursue a degree in the United States. BYU is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Provo.
BYU undergraduate students pay an average of $6,120 in tuition and fees each year. Area Studies majors at BYU take out an average of $10,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
In addition to its great value ranking, BYU is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Area Studies Schools list.
Read full report on Area Studies at Brigham Young University - Provo
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 city of Duluth.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UMN Duluth are $19,148 per year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, UMN Duluth also did well on our Best Area Studies Schools list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Read full report on Area Studies at University of Minnesota - Duluth
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Hunter College is a great value for area studies students. Hunter is a fairly 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.
Out of the 106 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Missouri - Columbia landed the # 4 spot on the list. Mizzou is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Columbia.
Mizzou undergraduate students pay an average of $30,450 in tuition and fees each 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.
In addition to its great value ranking, Mizzou is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Area Studies Schools list.
Read full report on Area Studies at University of Missouri - Columbia
The excellent programs at Siena Heights University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best area studies schools in the United States. Located in the distant town of Adrian, Siena Heights University is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Siena Heights University undergraduate students pay an average of $28,502 in tuition and fees each year.
San Diego State University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value area studies programs. Located in the large city of San Diego, SDSU is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SDSU are $20,016 per year.
Iowa State University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value area studies programs. Iowa State is a very large public school located in the small city of Ames.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Iowa State are $25,446 per year. After completing their degree, area studies graduates from Iowa State carry an average student debtload of $27,000.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Iowa State also is in the top 10% of our Best Area Studies Schools ranking.
California State University - Long Beach came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area Studies Schools ranking. CSULB is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Long Beach.
CSULB undergraduate students pay an average of $18,726 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, area studies graduates from CSULB carry an average student debtload of $13,367.
Read full report on Area Studies at California State University - Long Beach
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 fringe town of Brunswick.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Bowdoin are $58,322 per year. On average, area studies graduates from Bowdoin take out $19,500 in student loans while working on their degree.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Bowdoin is ranked #2 for overall quality for area studies in the United States.
Millersville University of Pennsylvania came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area Studies Schools ranking. Millersville is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Millersville.
Millersville undergraduate students pay an average of $22,226 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, area studies majors at Millersville accumulate an average of around $23,500 in student debt.
Full Area Studies at Millersville University of Pennsylvania Report
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 large city of San Francisco, SFSU is a public college with a very large student population.
SFSU undergraduate students pay an average of $19,184 in tuition and fees each year.
University of Delaware landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value area studies programs. UD is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Newark.
UD undergraduate students pay an average of $36,880 in tuition and fees each year.
UD excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Area Studies Schools list.
The University of Texas at Austin did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for area studies students. It came in at #13 on the list. UT Austin is a very large public school located in the large city of Austin.
UT Austin undergraduate students pay an average of $40,996 in tuition and fees each 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.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UT Austin also is in the top 5% of our Best Area Studies Schools ranking.
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 medium-sized 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.
Full Area Studies at California State University - Chico Report
California State University - Fullerton ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools list. Cal State Fullerton is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Fullerton.
Cal State Fullerton undergraduate students pay an average of $18,856 in tuition and fees each year. Area Studies majors at Cal State Fullerton take out an average of $19,429 in student loans while working on their egree.
Honorable Mentions
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
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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