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Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region

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2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

26 Colleges
$35,716 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$31,715 Avg Salary

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. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. This report analyzed 26 schools in the Far Western US Region to see which ones offered the best value programs for area studies students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

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.

2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Area Studies Colleges.

Top 10 Best Area Studies Schools

#1

San Diego State University

San Diego, CA
$20,016 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named San Diego State University the best value school in the Far Western US Region for area studies students. Located in the city of San Diego, SDSU is a public college with a very 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

$18,726 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means California State University - Long Beach is a great value for area studies students. CSULB is a very 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. The average amount in student loans that area studies majors at CSULB take out is $13,367.

Read full report on Area Studies at California State University - Long Beach

#3

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA
$19,184 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Francisco State University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Located in the large city of San Francisco, SFSU is a public college with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at SFSU are $19,184 a year.

Full Area Studies at San Francisco State University Report

$18,856 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means California State University - Fullerton is a great value for area studies students. Cal State Fullerton is a very large public school located in the suburb of Fullerton.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cal State Fullerton are $18,856 per year. While working on their degree, area studies majors at Cal State Fullerton accumulate an average of around $19,429 in student debt.

Read More…

$19,744 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend California State University - Chico. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Chico State is a large public school located in the city of Chico.

Chico State undergraduate students pay an average of $19,744 in tuition and fees each year. On average, area studies graduates from Chico State take out $15,500 in student loans while working on their degree.

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University of California - Berkeley ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region list. UC Berkeley is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Berkeley.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UC Berkeley are $43,980 a year. The average amount in student loans that area studies majors at UC Berkeley take out is $17,000.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, UC Berkeley is ranked #3 for overall quality for area studies in the Far Western US Region .

Read full report on Area Studies at University of California - Berkeley

University of Washington - Seattle Campus ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Located in the large city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public school with a fairly large student population.

UW Seattle undergraduate students pay an average of $39,906 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, area studies graduates from UW Seattle carry an average student debtload of $17,251.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UW Seattle also is in the top 10% of our Best Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking.

Read full report on Area Studies at University of Washington - Seattle Campus

#8

Stanford University

Stanford, CA

Stanford University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for area studies students. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the large suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Stanford are $56,169 per year.

Stanford not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #1 on our Best Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region list.

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University of Washington - Bothell Campus ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region list. UW Bothell is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Bothell.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UW Bothell are $39,780 per year. After completing their degree, area studies graduates from UW Bothell carry an average student debtload of $17,251.

UW Bothell excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Area Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region list.

Read full report on Area Studies at University of Washington - Bothell Campus

#10

Western Washington University

Bellingham, WA
$25,930 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #10, Western Washington University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for area studies students. WWU is a large public school located in the city of Bellingham.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WWU are $25,930 per year. On average, area studies graduates from WWU take out $20,355 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read More…

Best Area Studies Colleges by State

Explore the best area studies schools for a specific state in the Far Western US region.

State Degrees Awarded
California 879
Washington 236
Oregon 56
Nevada 4
Hawaii 57
Alaska 1

More Area Studies Rankings in the Far Western US Region

Area Studies is one of 2 different types of programs to choose from.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Ethnic Studies 9,231
Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies (Other) 46

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 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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