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2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k

44 Ranked Colleges
686 Degrees Awarded
$11,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor's in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2019-2020, 31,017 people earned their degree in early childhood education, making the major the 34th most popular in the United States.

Across the Plains States region, there were 1,388 early childhood education graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 686 early childhood education graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,786 and $25,576 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 44 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in early childhood education. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great early childhood education programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the early childhood education program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” 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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Early Childhood Education (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region

#1

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota
#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and it awarded 22 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

UMN Twin Cities not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is $7,266 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Child development students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at UMN Twin Cities

#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Iowa State University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Iowa State is a large public school situated in Ames, Iowa. It awarded 29 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree child development students whose families make $0-$30k list, Iowa State has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Iowa State is $10,054 for plains states region bachelor’s degree child development students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Iowa State University

#3

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Northern Iowa. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UNI is a medium-sized public school situated in Cedar Falls, Iowa. It awarded 36 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

UNI did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UNI is $10,757 for plains states region bachelor’s degree child development students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at UNI

#4

Minot State University

Minot, North Dakota
#12 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Minot State University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k. This small school is located in Minot, North Dakota, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

MSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for MSU is $8,923 for plains states region bachelor’s degree child development students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Minot State University Early Childhood Education Report

#7 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Missouri - Columbia. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Mizzou is a public institution located in Columbia, Missouri. The school has a large population, and it awarded 23 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree child development students whose families make $0-$30k list, Mizzou has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Mizzou is $10,940 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Child development students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Mizzou

#6

College of Saint Mary

Omaha, Nebraska
#21 in overall quality

College of Saint Mary came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Omaha, Nebraska is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s child development degrees to 3 students in 2019-2020.

Saint Mary did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $10,944 for plains states region bachelor’s degree child development students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Saint Mary.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at Saint Mary

#7

Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, Minnesota
#11 in overall quality

Saint Cloud State University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Saint Cloud, Minnesota, this fairly large public school handed out 18 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s child development students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at St. Cloud State University, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for St. Cloud State University is $10,688 for plains states region bachelor’s degree child development students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at St. Cloud State University

#8

University of North Dakota

Grand Forks, North Dakota
#6 in overall quality

University of North Dakota landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UND is a fairly large public school situated in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It awarded 18 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UND, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of North Dakota is $11,092 for plains states region bachelor’s degree child development students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.9% 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%.

Full UND Early Childhood Education Report

#9

Mayville State University

Mayville, North Dakota
#19 in overall quality

Mayville State University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Mayville State University is located in Mayville, North Dakota and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 11 bachelors’s child development degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Mayville State University, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Mayville State University is $7,679 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Child development students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Mayville State University Early Childhood Education Report

#10

Wayne State College

Wayne, Nebraska
#18 in overall quality

With a ranking of #10, Wayne State College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Wayne, Nebraska, this small public school awarded 8 degrees to qualified bachelors’s child development students in 2019-2020.

WSC also made our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #18. It costs about $10,333 for plains states region bachelor’s degree child development students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend WSC.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at Wayne State College

#11

Missouri Western State University

Saint Joseph, Missouri

Missouri Western State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #11. This small school is located in Saint Joseph, Missouri, and it awarded 25 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Missouri Western State University is $8,762 for plains states region bachelor’s degree child development students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Missouri Western State University Early Childhood Education Report

#12

University of Missouri - St Louis

Saint Louis, Missouri

With a ranking of #12, University of Missouri - St Louis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Saint Louis, Missouri, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $7,401 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Child development students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Missouri - St Louis.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at UMSL

#22 in overall quality

Southwest Minnesota State University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This medium-sized school is located in Marshall, Minnesota, and it awarded 45 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

Southwest Minnesota State University also made our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #22. It costs about $10,801 for plains states region bachelor’s degree child development students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Southwest Minnesota State University.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Southwest Minnesota State University

#10 in overall quality

Minnesota State University - Moorhead came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. MSU Moorhead is located in Moorhead, Minnesota and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 23 bachelors’s child development degrees to qualified students.

MSU Moorhead not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Minnesota State University - Moorhead is $12,484 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Child development students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full MSU Moorhead Early Childhood Education Report

#17 in overall quality

Missouri State University - Springfield did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #15. This large school is located in Springfield, Missouri, and it awarded 54 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

Missouri State also made our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #17. The yearly cost to attend Missouri State is $12,527 for plains states region bachelor’s degree child development students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at Missouri State University - Springfield

#16

South Dakota State University

Brookings, South Dakota
#9 in overall quality

South Dakota State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #16. Located in Brookings, South Dakota, this fairly large public school awarded 61 degrees to qualified bachelors’s child development students in 2019-2020.

South Dakota State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for South Dakota State University is $15,285 for plains states region bachelor’s degree child development students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at South Dakota State

#17

Southeast Missouri State University

Cape Girardeau, Missouri

Southeast Missouri State University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Southeast Missouri State University is located in Cape Girardeau, Missouri and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 44 bachelors’s child development degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $9,092 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Child development students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Southeast Missouri State University.

Full Southeast Missouri State University Early Childhood Education Report

#18

Fontbonne University

Saint Louis, Missouri

Fontbonne University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Fontbonne University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Louis, Missouri. It awarded 3 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Fontbonne University is $12,913 for plains states region bachelor’s degree child development students whose families make $0-$30k.

The 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. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Fontbonne University

#19

University of Kansas

Lawrence, Kansas
#8 in overall quality

University of Kansas did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #19. Located in Lawrence, Kansas, this large public school handed out 12 degrees to qualified bachelors’s child development students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at KU, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $14,387 for plains states region bachelor’s degree child development students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Kansas.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at University of Kansas

#20

University of Missouri - Kansas City

Kansas City, Missouri
#23 in overall quality

With a ranking of #20, University of Missouri - Kansas City did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UMKC is a fairly large school located in Kansas City, Missouri that handed out 8 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

UMKC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #23 on our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Missouri - Kansas City is $12,065 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Child development students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at University of Missouri - Kansas City

#21

Wichita State University

Wichita, Kansas

With a ranking of #21, Wichita State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. WSU is a fairly large school located in Wichita, Kansas that handed out 12 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend WSU is $11,642 for plains states region bachelor’s degree child development students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at WSU

#22

Newman University

Wichita, Kansas
#16 in overall quality

Newman University landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Newman University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Wichita, Kansas. It awarded 4 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Newman University, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $17,069 for plains states region bachelor’s degree child development students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Newman University.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Newman University

#23

Metropolitan State University

Saint Paul, Minnesota
#14 in overall quality

Metropolitan State University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Saint Paul, Minnesota is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s child development degrees to 11 students in 2019-2020.

Metro State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Metro State is $14,388 for plains states region bachelor’s degree child development students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at Metropolitan State University

#24

Harris - Stowe State University

Saint Louis, Missouri

Harris - Stowe State University landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Harris - Stowe State University is a small public school situated in Saint Louis, Missouri. It awarded 1 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Harris - Stowe State University is $10,014 for plains states region bachelor’s degree child development students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Harris - Stowe State University Early Childhood Education Report

#25

Lindenwood University

Saint Charles, Missouri

Lindenwood University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Lindenwood University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Charles, Missouri. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 18 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Lindenwood University is $14,388 for plains states region bachelor’s degree child development students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.8% 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 Early Childhood Education at Lindenwood University

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Notes and References

References

  • 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 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Vgrigas.

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