2026 Most Popular Area Studies Schools
There are 512 colleges that offer a degree in Area Studies. Ranked by yearly graduations, here are the most popular below:
Finding the Best Area Studies School for You
Today’s Area Studies students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendance, there are many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Most Popular Area Studies Schools ranking. This report analyzed 512 schools in the United States to see which Area Studies programs were the most popular. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from each school’s program.
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2026 Most Popular Area Studies Schools in the United States
The following schools top our list of the Most Popular Area Studies Schools.
Top 25 Most Popular Area Studies Schools
Our 2026 rankings named The Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary the most popular school in the U.S. for Area Studies majors. Located in Fort Worth, TX, this is a private nonprofit institution. This school awarded 637 degrees in Area Studies in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669. Read full report on Area Studies at The Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
University of Washington-Seattle Campus landed the #2 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Area Studies Schools ranking. University of Washington-Seattle Campus is a public school located in Seattle, WA. During the most recent year for which we have data, 176 people earned their degree in Area Studies from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $53,990. Read full report on Area Studies at University of Washington-Seattle Campus
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill comes in at #3 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Area Studies majors. Located in Chapel Hill, NC, this is a public institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 173 people earned their degree in Area Studies from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $51,058. Read full report on Area Studies at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus comes in at #4 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Area Studies majors. Located in Pittsburgh, PA, this is a public institution. This school awarded 141 degrees in Area Studies in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $49,721. Read full report on Area Studies at University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus
University of Wisconsin-Madison landed the #5 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Area Studies Schools ranking. Located in Madison, WI, this is a public institution. This school awarded 134 degrees in Area Studies in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $53,379. Read More…
Georgetown University landed the #6 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Area Studies Schools ranking. Located in Washington, DC, this is a private nonprofit institution. This school awarded 125 degrees in Area Studies in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $76,027. Read More…
Columbia University in the City of New York landed the #7 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Area Studies Schools ranking. Located in New York, NY, this is a private nonprofit institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 114 people earned their degree in Area Studies from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $75,228. Read More…
New York University comes in at #8 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Area Studies majors. New York University is a private nonprofit school located in New York, NY. This school awarded 110 degrees in Area Studies in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $59,956. Full Area Studies at New York University Report
Coastline Community College comes in at #9 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Area Studies majors. Coastline Community College is a public school located in Fountain Valley, CA. During the most recent year for which we have data, 106 people earned their degree in Area Studies from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $50,288. Read full report on Area Studies at Coastline Community College
Harvard University comes in at #10 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Area Studies majors. Harvard University is a private nonprofit school located in Cambridge, MA. This school awarded 100 degrees in Area Studies in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $92,518. Read More…
Brown University comes in at #11 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Area Studies majors. Brown University is a private nonprofit school located in Providence, RI. During the most recent year for which we have data, 98 people earned their degree in Area Studies from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $59,042. Full Area Studies at Brown University Report
The University of Texas at Austin comes in at #12 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Area Studies majors. The University of Texas at Austin is a public school located in Austin, TX. This school awarded 85 degrees in Area Studies in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $51,060. Read More…
Wesleyan University landed the #13 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Area Studies Schools ranking. Wesleyan University is a private nonprofit school located in Middletown, CT. During the most recent year for which we have data, 84 people earned their degree in Area Studies from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $41,304. Read full report on Area Studies at Wesleyan University
Yale University landed the #14 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Area Studies Schools ranking. Located in New Haven, CT, this is a private nonprofit institution. This school awarded 81 degrees in Area Studies in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $64,379. Read More…
University of California-Berkeley landed the #15 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Area Studies Schools ranking. University of California-Berkeley is a public school located in Berkeley, CA. This school awarded 72 degrees in Area Studies in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $57,445. Full Area Studies at University of California-Berkeley Report
Duke University comes in at #16 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Area Studies majors. Located in Durham, NC, this is a private nonprofit institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 64 people earned their degree in Area Studies from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $74,497. Read More…
Florida International University landed the #17 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Area Studies Schools ranking. Located in Miami, FL, this is a public institution. This school awarded 63 degrees in Area Studies in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,919. Full Area Studies at Florida International University Report
University of Arizona landed the #18 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Area Studies Schools ranking. Located in Tucson, AZ, this is a public institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 61 people earned their degree in Area Studies from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $44,998. Read full report on Area Studies at University of Arizona
University of California-Los Angeles landed the #19 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Area Studies Schools ranking. University of California-Los Angeles is a public school located in Los Angeles, CA. This school awarded 58 degrees in Area Studies in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $41,763. Read full report on Area Studies at University of California-Los Angeles
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor landed the #20 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Area Studies Schools ranking. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor is a public school located in Ann Arbor, MI. During the most recent year for which we have data, 56 people earned their degree in Area Studies from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $64,597. Full Area Studies at University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Report
William & Mary comes in at #21 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Area Studies majors. William & Mary is a public school located in Williamsburg, VA. This school awarded 56 degrees in Area Studies in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $49,873. Read full report on Area Studies at William & Mary
University of Missouri-Columbia landed the #22 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Area Studies Schools ranking. Located in Columbia, MO, this is a public institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 55 people earned their degree in Area Studies from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $48,326. Full Area Studies at University of Missouri-Columbia Report
Brigham Young University comes in at #23 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Area Studies majors. Brigham Young University is a private nonprofit school located in Provo, UT. This school awarded 53 degrees in Area Studies in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $50,157. Full Area Studies at Brigham Young University Report
Stanford University comes in at #24 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Area Studies majors. Located in Stanford, CA, this is a private nonprofit institution. This school awarded 53 degrees in Area Studies in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $89,527. Read full report on Area Studies at Stanford University
Bowdoin College comes in at #25 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Area Studies majors. Located in Brunswick, ME, this is a private nonprofit institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 50 people earned their degree in Area Studies from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $50,632. Read More…
Rest of the Top Most Popular Area Studies Schools
Additional Noteworthy Schools
Here are some additional great schools for this major that just missed the list above.
Area Studies by Region
View the Most Popular Area Studies Schools ranking for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| New England |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Great Lakes |
| Plains States |
| Southeast |
| Southwest |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Far Western US |
More Area Studies Rankings
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the Most Popular Area Studies Schools ranking, along with other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
Majors Related to Area Studies
Area Studies Concentrations
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| American U.S. Studies | 1,156 |
| Asian Studies | 705 |
| U.S. & Canadian Studies | 680 |
| Other Area Studies | 630 |
| East Asian Studies | 581 |
| Latin American Studies | 498 |
| Middle Eastern Studies | 317 |
| African Studies | 209 |
| French Studies | 143 |
| Russian Studies | 124 |
| European Studies | 111 |
| German Studies | 97 |
| Caribbean Studies | 88 |
| Eastern European Studies | 87 |
| Italian Studies | 71 |
| Chinese Studies | 64 |
| Japanese Studies | 64 |
| Western European Studies | 60 |
| Spanish & Iberian Studies | 46 |
| South Asian Studies | 38 |
| Pacific Studies | 25 |
| Scandinavian Studies | 24 |
| Slavic Studies | 13 |
| Southeast Asian Studies | 11 |
| Korean Studies | 10 |
| Central Asian Studies | 10 |
| Appalachian Studies | 6 |
| Irish Studies | 5 |
| Caribbean Studies | 1 |
| Commonwealth Studies | 1 |
Most Popular Related Majors
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Ethnic Studies | 9,122 |
| Other Culture & Gender Studies | 47 |
References
*The average salary above is for the top 25 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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