by our College Data Analytics Team
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2021-2022, 15,615 people earned their degree in area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies, making the major the 30th most popular in the United States. In , area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $31,881 and had an average of $21,702 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Plains States region, there were 1,751 area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,041 and $22,651 respectively.
This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region” ranking looked at 61 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region” list to help you make the college decision.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region”.
Out of the 61 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Oglala Lakota College landed the #1 spot on the list. Oglala Lakota College is a small public school situated in Kyle, South Dakota. It awarded 28 ’s area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies degrees in 2021-2022.
Read full report on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Oglala Lakota College
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Leech Lake Tribal College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region list. This small school is located in Cass Lake, Minnesota, and it awarded 2 ’s area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read more about Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Leech Lake Tribal College
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Little Priest Tribal College. The school came in at #3 for the Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region. Little Priest Tribal College is a public institution located in Winnebago, Nebraska. The school has a small population, and it awarded 1 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Full Little Priest Tribal College Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Report
Out of the 61 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College landed the #4 spot on the list. NHSC is a small school located in New Town, North Dakota that handed out 2 ’s area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read full report on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College
Out of the 61 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Haskell Indian Nations University landed the #5 spot on the list. This small school is located in Lawrence, Kansas, and it awarded 24 ’s area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies degrees in 2021-2022.
Read more about Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Haskell
With a ranking of #6, Nebraska Indian Community College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region list. Nebraska Indian Community College is a public institution located in Macy, Nebraska. The school has a small population, and it awarded 0 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
St Olaf College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Northfield, Minnesota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies degrees to 54 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at St. Olaf
With a ranking of #8, Sisseton Wahpeton College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region list. Sisseton Wahpeton College is a public institution located in Sisseton, South Dakota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 0 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Full Sisseton Wahpeton College Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Report
Carleton College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Carleton College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Northfield, Minnesota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 18 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Carleton
Gustavus Adolphus College ranked #10 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region list. Saint Peter, Minnesota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies degrees to 16 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Gustavus Adolphus Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Report
Grinnell College ranked #11 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region list. Grinnell is a small school located in Grinnell, Iowa that handed out 15 ’s area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read more about Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Grinnell
University of Minnesota - Morris ranked #12 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region list. This small school is located in Morris, Minnesota, and it awarded 10 ’s area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Minnesota - Morris Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Report
Macalester College ranked #13 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region list. Saint Paul, Minnesota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies degrees to 7 students in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. 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.
Read full report on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Macalester
Coe College ranked #14 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region list. Coe is a small school located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa that handed out 5 ’s area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Coe
With a ranking of #15, College of Saint Benedict did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region list. Saint Joseph, Minnesota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies degrees to 1 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.2% 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 more about Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at CSB
Cottey College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #16. Cottey College is located in Nevada, Missouri and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 1 ’s area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies degrees to qualified students.
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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Cottey College
Washington University in St Louis did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #17. WUSTL is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Louis, Missouri. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 80 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.4% 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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read more about Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at WUSTL
Saint Johns University landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Collegeville, Minnesota, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 3 diplomas to qualified ’s area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Saint Johns University
University of Kansas landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Lawrence, Kansas, this large public school awarded 78 diplomas to qualified ’s area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at University of Kansas
University of Minnesota - Duluth did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #20. UMN Duluth is a public institution located in Duluth, Minnesota. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 18 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.4% 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%.
Full University of Minnesota - Duluth Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Report
University of Missouri - Columbia ranked #21 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region list. Located in Columbia, Missouri, this large public school handed out 1,054 degrees to qualified ’s area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Mizzou
With a ranking of #22, Saint Ambrose University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region list. This small school is located in Davenport, Iowa, and it awarded 9 ’s area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at St. Ambrose University
Cornell College landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Mount Vernon, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies degrees to 2 students in 2021-2022.
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%.
Full Cornell College Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Report
Minnesota State University - Mankato came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Minnesota State Mankato is a fairly large school located in Mankato, Minnesota that handed out 22 ’s area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Minnesota State University - Mankato Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Report
Black Hills State University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking. BHSU is located in Spearfish, South Dakota and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 0 ’s area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at BHSU
Read more about our data sources and methodologies