2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools in Virginia
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Area Studies School for You
Area Studies is the #104 most popular major in Virginia with 177 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
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 Virginia ranking. Our analysis looked at 4 schools in Virginia 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.
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. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Best Virginia Schools for Affordable Quality in Area Studies
Our analysis found William & Mary to be the best value school for area studies students who want to pursue a degree in Virginia. William & Mary is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Williamsburg.
William & Mary undergraduate students pay an average of $23,812 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Area Studies majors at William & Mary take out an average of $13,750 in student loans while working on their egree.
William & Mary did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our Best Area Studies Schools in Virginia list.
Full Area Studies at William & Mary Report
Request Information
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Virginia Commonwealth University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Area Studies Schools in Virginia list. VCU is a fairly large public school located in the city of Richmond.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at VCU are $15,028 per year. The average amount in student loans that area studies majors at VCU take out is $24,250.
Full Area Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University Report
Request Information
The excellent programs at University of Virginia - Main Campus helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best area studies schools in Virginia. University of Virginia is a fairly large public school located in the small suburb of Charlottesville.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at University of Virginia are $19,785 per year. After completing their degree, area studies graduates from University of Virginia carry an average student debtload of $24,968.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, University of Virginia is ranked #1 for overall quality for area studies in Virginia.
Request Information
A rank of #4 on this year’s list means University of Richmond is a great value for area studies students. URichmond is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of University of Richmond.
URichmond undergraduate students pay an average of $58,570 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Area Studies majors at URichmond take out an average of $22,465 in student loans while working on their egree.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, URichmond also did well on our Best Area Studies Schools in Virginia list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Full Area Studies at University of Richmond Report
Request InformationBest Value Area Studies Colleges in the Southeast Region
Explore all the Best Value Area Studies Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Georgia | 100 |
| North Carolina | 332 |
| Florida | 110 |
| Tennessee | 43 |
| Kentucky | 49 |
| South Carolina | 84 |
| Louisiana | 26 |
| Arkansas | 14 |
| Alabama | 20 |
| Mississippi | 12 |
| West Virginia | 2 |
More Area Studies Rankings in Virginia
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.
Area Studies Related Majors for Area Studies
One of 2 majors within the area of study, area studies has other similar majors worth exploring.
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 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.