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2023 Most Popular Colleges for Early Childhood Education in the Plains States Region

90 Ranked Colleges
1,437 Degrees Awarded
$23,000 Avg Cost*
Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Plains States Region

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Plains States Region” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2020-2021, 32,920 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 1,437 early childhood education graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Plains States Region” ranking analyzed 90 colleges that offered a degree in early childhood education. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular early childhood education programs in the United States.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Plains States Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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.

Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Plains States Region

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Plains States Region”.

1
Walden University crest
Walden University
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Out of the 90 schools in the Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Walden University landed the #1 spot on the list. Walden University is a large school located in Minneapolis, Minnesota that handed out 316 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Walden University

2
Capella University crest
Capella University
Minneapolis, Minnesota

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Capella University. The school came in at #2 for the Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Plains States Region. This large school is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and it awarded 63 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at Capella University

3
South Dakota State crest
South Dakota State University
Brookings, South Dakota

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend South Dakota State University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Plains States Region list. South Dakota State University is a fairly large public school situated in Brookings, South Dakota. It awarded 58 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at South Dakota State

4
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Northwestern College
Orange City, Iowa

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Plains States Region list. Northwestern College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Orange City, Iowa. It awarded 51 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Northwestern College

5
Southeast Missouri State University crest
Southeast Missouri State University
Cape Girardeau, Missouri

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southeast Missouri State University. The school came in at #5 for the Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Plains States Region. Southeast Missouri State University is a public institution located in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 48 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at Southeast Missouri State University

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Missouri State University - Springfield. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Plains States Region list. Missouri State is a large public school situated in Springfield, Missouri. It awarded 48 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Missouri State Early Childhood Education Report

7

Concordia University, Saint Paul ranked #7 on this year’s Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Plains States Region list. Saint Paul, Minnesota is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s child development degrees to 46 students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Concordia University, Saint Paul Early Childhood Education Report

8

Northwest Missouri State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #8. Located in Maryville, Missouri, this medium-sized public school handed out 35 degrees to qualified ’s child development students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at Northwest

9

With a ranking of #9, University of Northern Iowa did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Plains States Region list. Cedar Falls, Iowa is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s child development degrees to 33 students in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.8% 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 University of Northern Iowa

9

With a ranking of #9, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Plains States Region list. This large school is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and it awarded 33 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at UMN Twin Cities

11

Southwest Minnesota State University ranked #11 on this year’s Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Plains States Region list. Southwest Minnesota State University is a medium-sized school located in Marshall, Minnesota that handed out 30 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

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

12

Minnesota State University - Moorhead landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Minnesota State University - Moorhead is a public institution located in Moorhead, Minnesota. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 29 ’s 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 more about Early Childhood Education at Minnesota State University - Moorhead

13

Rasmussen University - Minnesota landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Rasmussen University - Minnesota is a private for-profit institution located in St. Cloud, Minnesota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 111 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Rasmussen University - Minnesota

14

Central Methodist University - College of Graduate & Extended Studies landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Plains States Region ranking. CMU CGES is located in Fayette, Missouri and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 27 ’s child development degrees to qualified students.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Central Methodist University - College of Graduate & Extended Studies

15

Iowa State University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Iowa State University is located in Ames, Iowa and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 24 ’s child development degrees to qualified students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Iowa State Early Childhood Education Report

16

Northeast Community College ranked #16 on this year’s Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Plains States Region list. Located in Norfolk, Nebraska, this medium-sized public school handed out 23 degrees to qualified ’s child development students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 5.0% 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 Early Childhood Education at Northeast Community College

16
MLC crest
Martin Luther College
New Ulm, Minnesota

Martin Luther College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Plains States Region ranking. New Ulm, Minnesota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s child development degrees to 23 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Martin Luther College

18
KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas

University of Kansas ranked #18 on this year’s Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Plains States Region list. KU is located in Lawrence, Kansas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 21 ’s child development degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national 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 KU

19

Concordia University, Nebraska ranked #19 on this year’s Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Plains States Region list. This small school is located in Seward, Nebraska, and it awarded 18 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Concordia University, Nebraska Early Childhood Education Report

20
UND crest
University of North Dakota
Grand Forks, North Dakota

With a ranking of #20, University of North Dakota did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Plains States Region list. Located in Grand Forks, North Dakota, this fairly large public school handed out 16 degrees to qualified ’s child development students in 2020-2021.

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%.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at University of North Dakota

21

Alexandria Technical & Community College landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Alexandria, Minnesota, this small public school handed out 16 degrees to qualified ’s child development students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at ATCC

22

University of Missouri - Columbia landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Plains States Region ranking. University of Missouri - Columbia is a large public school situated in Columbia, Missouri. It awarded 14 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.

Full Mizzou Early Childhood Education Report

22
Missouri Western crest
Missouri Western State University
Saint Joseph, Missouri

Missouri Western State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #22. Missouri Western is a small school located in Saint Joseph, Missouri that handed out 14 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Missouri Western State University Early Childhood Education Report

24
Park University crest
Park University
Parkville, Missouri

Park University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #24. Located in Parkville, Missouri, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 13 diplomas to qualified ’s child development students in 2020-2021.

Full Park University Early Childhood Education Report

24
Metro State crest
Metropolitan State University
Saint Paul, Minnesota

Metropolitan State University landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Plains States Region ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and it awarded 13 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.2% 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 Metropolitan State University

24
MSU crest
Minot State University
Minot, North Dakota

Minot State University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Child development Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Minot State University is a public institution located in Minot, North Dakota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 13 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at MSU

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