by our College Data Analytics Team
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Most Well Attended Education Major in the Plains States Region” ranking - to help you make that decision.
With 327,871 degrees handed out in 2020-2021, education is the 4th most popular major in the United States. In 2019-2020, education graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $46,202 and had an average of $24,437 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Plains States region, there were 32,968 education graduates with average earnings and debt of $43,320 and $27,260 respectively.
For this year’s “Most Well Attended Education Major in the Plains States Region” ranking, we looked at 238 colleges that offer a degree in education. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular education programs in the United States.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Well Attended Education Major in the Plains States Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Education Major in the Plains States Region”.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Walden University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in the Plains States Region list. This large school is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and it awarded 1,924 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Out of the 238 schools in the Most Well Attended Education Major in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Capella University landed the #2 spot on the list. Minneapolis, Minnesota is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out ’s education degrees to 1,463 students in 2020-2021.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Concordia University, Nebraska. The school came in at #3 for the Most Well Attended Education Major in the Plains States Region. Concordia University, Nebraska is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Seward, Nebraska. It awarded 1,009 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Fort Hays State University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in the Plains States Region list. Fort Hays State University is a fairly large public school situated in Hays, Kansas. It awarded 915 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in the Plains States Region list. This large school is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and it awarded 975 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
With a ranking of #6, Northwest Missouri State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in the Plains States Region list. This medium-sized school is located in Maryville, Missouri, and it awarded 850 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Education at Northwest Missouri State University
Kansas State University ranked #7 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major in the Plains States Region list. Kansas State University is a large public school situated in Manhattan, Kansas. It awarded 849 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
With a ranking of #8, Emporia State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in the Plains States Region list. Emporia State University is located in Emporia, Kansas and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 752 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Northern Iowa came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Education Major in the Plains States Region ranking. UNI is a medium-sized public school situated in Cedar Falls, Iowa. It awarded 674 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #10, Missouri State University - Springfield did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in the Plains States Region list. Missouri State is a large school located in Springfield, Missouri that handed out 796 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Education at Missouri State University - Springfield
University of Missouri - Columbia ranked #11 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major in the Plains States Region list. University of Missouri - Columbia is a large school located in Columbia, Missouri that handed out 714 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Education Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota is located in Winona, Minnesota and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 618 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #13, University of Nebraska - Lincoln did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in the Plains States Region list. UNL is a large public school situated in Lincoln, Nebraska. It awarded 547 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Read full report on Education at University of Nebraska - Lincoln
University of Missouri - St Louis came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Education Major in the Plains States Region ranking. University of Missouri - St Louis is a public institution located in Saint Louis, Missouri. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 549 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #15, University of Nebraska at Omaha did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in the Plains States Region list. This fairly large school is located in Omaha, Nebraska, and it awarded 487 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Education at University of Nebraska at Omaha
University of Central Missouri came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Education Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Warrensburg, Missouri, this fairly large public school awarded 591 degrees to qualified ’s education students in 2020-2021.
University of Kansas came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Education Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Lawrence, Kansas, this large public school handed out 528 diplomas to qualified ’s education students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Wichita State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #18. WSU is a fairly large public school situated in Wichita, Kansas. It awarded 489 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #19, University of Nebraska at Kearney did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in the Plains States Region list. Kearney, Nebraska is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s education degrees to 448 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Iowa State University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Education Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Ames, Iowa, this large public school handed out 447 degrees to qualified ’s education students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
Southeast Missouri State University landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, this medium-sized public school handed out 491 diplomas to qualified ’s education students in 2020-2021.
Read more about Education at Southeast Missouri State University
Lindenwood University landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in the Plains States Region ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Saint Charles, Missouri, and it awarded 476 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
William Woods University ranked #23 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major in the Plains States Region list. William Woods is located in Fulton, Missouri and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 387 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Pittsburg State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #24. Located in Pittsburg, Kansas, this medium-sized public school handed out 431 degrees to qualified ’s education students in 2020-2021.
Minnesota State University - Moorhead did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #25. Minnesota State University - Moorhead is a medium-sized public school situated in Moorhead, Minnesota. It awarded 416 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Education at Minnesota State University - Moorhead
Not only did these schools make the top 36 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
