2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region
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.
There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 12 schools in the Great Lakes 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.
This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. 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.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Top 10 Best Area Studies Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Siena Heights University the best value school in the Great Lakes Region for area studies students. Located in the distant town of Adrian, Siena Heights University is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Siena Heights University are $28,502 a year.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. UW - Madison is a very large public school located in the large city of Madison.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW - Madison are $38,608 a year.
In addition to its great value ranking, UW - Madison is in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.
Full Area Studies at University of Wisconsin - Madison Report
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The excellent programs at Miami University - Oxford helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best area studies schools in the Great Lakes Region . Miami University - Oxford is a fairly large public school located in the town of Oxford.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Miami University - Oxford are $36,288 per year. While working on their degree, area studies majors at Miami University - Oxford accumulate an average of around $23,218 in student debt.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Miami University - Oxford also is in the top 20% of our Best Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. UIUC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Champaign.
UIUC undergraduate students pay an average of $37,632 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that area studies majors at UIUC take out is $19,500.
UIUC excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Chicago. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the large city of Chicago, UIC is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UIC are $30,370 a year.
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University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for area studies students. It came in at #6 on the list. UWM is a very large public school located in the large city of Milwaukee.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UWM are $21,475 a year. On average, area studies graduates from UWM take out $24,492 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Indiana University - Bloomington ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the small city of Bloomington, IU Bloomington is a public school with a fairly large student population.
IU Bloomington undergraduate students pay an average of $38,352 in tuition and fees each year.
In addition to its great value ranking, IU Bloomington is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.
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University of Michigan - Ann Arbor 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. U-M is a very large public school located in the medium-sized city of Ann Arbor.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at U-M are $55,097 a year. Area Studies majors at U-M take out an average of $17,256 in student loans while working on their egree.
U-M excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.
Full Area Studies at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Report
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DePaul University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for area studies students. It came in at #9 on the list. DePaul is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at DePaul are $42,012 a year.
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Ohio State University - Main Campus ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Ohio State is a fairly large public school located in the city of Columbus.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Ohio State are $35,019 a year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Ohio State also is in the top 15% of our Best Area Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking.
Full Area Studies at Ohio State University - Main Campus Report
Request InformationBest Area Studies Colleges by State
Explore the best area studies colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Michigan | 124 |
| Ohio | 182 |
| Illinois | 148 |
| Indiana | 101 |
| Wisconsin | 66 |
More Area Studies Rankings in the Great Lakes Region
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 Majors Related to Area Studies
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Ethnic Studies | 9,231 |
| Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies (Other) | 46 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 12 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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