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Best Value Area Studies Schools in Illinois

2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools in Illinois

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

4 Colleges
$34,053 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$32,250 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Area Studies School for You

In 2020-2021, 148 degrees and certificates were awarded to area studies students who went to a Illinois college or university. This makes it the #137 most popular major in the state.

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. 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.

The Best Value Area Studies Schools in Illinois ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 4 schools in Illinois 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.

Best Illinois Schools for Affordable Quality in Area Studies

$17,634 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to be the best value school for area studies students who want to pursue a degree in Illinois. UIUC is a very large public school located in the city of Champaign.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UIUC are $17,634 a year. The average amount in student loans that area studies majors at UIUC take out is $19,500.

UIUC also made our Best Area Studies Schools in Illinois list, coming in at #3.

Full Area Studies at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Report

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$15,603 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at University of Illinois at Chicago helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best area studies schools in Illinois. Located in the city of Chicago, UIC is a public school with a fairly large student population.

UIC undergraduate students pay an average of $15,603 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Area Studies at University of Illinois at Chicago

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#3

DePaul University

Chicago, IL
$42,012 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at DePaul University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best area studies schools in Illinois. DePaul is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at DePaul are $42,012 a year.

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#4

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL
$60,963 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the large city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UChicago are $60,963 a year.

UChicago not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #2 on our Best Area Studies Schools in Illinois list.

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Best Value Area Studies Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Value Area Studies Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 124
Ohio 182
Indiana 101
Wisconsin 66

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 4 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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