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Best Value Area Studies Schools in Illinois

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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.

2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools in Illinois

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

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.

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

UIUC also took the #3 spot in our Best Area Studies Schools in Illinois rankings.

Read full report on Area Studies at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

$15,603 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Chicago. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools in Illinois list. Located in the city of Chicago, UIC is a public college with a very large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UIC are $15,603 per year.

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

#3

DePaul University

Chicago, IL
$42,012 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend DePaul University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Area Studies Schools in Illinois list. DePaul is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.

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

Full Area Studies at DePaul University Report

#4

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL
$60,963 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at University of Chicago helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best area studies schools in Illinois. Located in the city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.

UChicago undergraduate students pay an average of $60,963 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

UChicago did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our Best Area Studies Schools in Illinois list.

Full Area Studies at University of Chicago Report

Best Value Area Studies Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Value Area Studies Schools 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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