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2022 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for General Studies (Income $48-$75k) in the Plains States Region

23 Ranked Colleges
2,044 Degrees Awarded
Best Value General Studies Schools for an Associate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value General Studies Schools for an Associate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

With 133,583 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, general studies is the 5th most popular major in the United States.

Across the Plains States region, there were 3,869 general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the associate degree level specifically, there were 2,044 general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,069 and $19,434 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value General Studies Schools for an Associate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, we looked at 23 colleges that offer a degree in general studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great general studies 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 general studies program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank General Studies Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value General Studies Schools for an Associate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k” 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value General Studies Schools for an Associate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k

The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region associate degree general studies students whose families make $48-$75k.

Top 23 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for General Studies (Income $48-$75k) in the Plains States Region

#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Des Moines Area Community College. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value General Studies Schools for an Associate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k. DMACC is a public institution located in Ankeny, Iowa. The school has a large population, and it awarded 119 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region associate degree general studies students whose families make $48-$75k list, DMACC has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for DMACC is $10,468 for Plains States Region Associate Degree General Studies students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on General Studies at DMACC

#2

Marshalltown Community College

Marshalltown, Iowa
#7 in overall quality

Out of the 23 schools in the Best Value General Studies Schools for an Associate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Marshalltown Community College landed the #2 spot on the list. Marshalltown Community College is a small public school situated in Marshalltown, Iowa. It awarded 6 associates’s general studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Marshalltown Community College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Marshalltown Community College is $7,888 for Plains States Region Associate Degree General Studies students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on General Studies at Marshalltown Community College

#10 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northeast Iowa Community College. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value General Studies Schools for an Associate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Northeast Iowa Community College is a small public school situated in Calmar, Iowa. It awarded 11 associates’s general studies degrees in 2019-2020.

NICC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $11,309 for Plains States Region Associate Degree General Studies students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Northeast Iowa Community College.

Read more about General Studies at Northeast Iowa Community College

#4

Crowder College

Neosho, Missouri
#17 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Crowder College. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value General Studies Schools for an Associate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k. Crowder College is a small school located in Neosho, Missouri that handed out 294 associates’s general studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Crowder College also took the #17 spot in our “Best General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Crowder College is $6,078 for Plains States Region Associate Degree General Studies students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full Crowder College General Studies Report

#6 in overall quality

Out of the 23 schools in the Best Value General Studies Schools for an Associate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Iowa Central Community College landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Fort Dodge, Iowa, this small public school awarded 19 degrees to qualified associates’s general studies students in 2019-2020.

Iowa Central Community College also took the #6 spot in our “Best General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Iowa Central Community College is $11,400 for Plains States Region Associate Degree General Studies students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about General Studies at Iowa Central Community College

#6

Barton County Community College

Great Bend, Kansas
#8 in overall quality

Barton County Community College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Studies Schools for an Associate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Barton Community College is a small school located in Great Bend, Kansas that handed out 66 associates’s general studies degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region associate degree general studies students whose families make $48-$75k list, Barton Community College has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Barton Community College is $8,973 for Plains States Region Associate Degree General Studies students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on General Studies at Barton County Community College

#7

Ozarks Technical Community College

Springfield, Missouri
#9 in overall quality

Ozarks Technical Community College landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Studies Schools for an Associate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Ozarks Technical Community College is located in Springfield, Missouri and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 11 associates’s general studies degrees to qualified students.

OTC also took the #9 spot in our “Best General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $10,105 for Plains States Region Associate Degree General Studies students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Ozarks Technical Community College.

Full Ozarks Technical Community College General Studies Report

#8

Labette Community College

Parsons, Kansas
#18 in overall quality

Labette Community College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Studies Schools for an Associate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #8. Labette Community College is a small school located in Parsons, Kansas that handed out 40 associates’s general studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Labette Community College also took the #18 spot in our “Best General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Labette Community College is $7,737 for Plains States Region Associate Degree General Studies students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full Labette Community College General Studies Report

#9

Iowa Western Community College

Council Bluffs, Iowa
#5 in overall quality

Iowa Western Community College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Studies Schools for an Associate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #9. Iowa Western Community College is a medium-sized public school situated in Council Bluffs, Iowa. It awarded 51 associates’s general studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Iowa Western Community College, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $12,033 for plains states region associate degree general studies students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Iowa Western Community College.

Read full report on General Studies at Iowa Western Community College

#13 in overall quality

Western Iowa Tech Community College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Studies Schools for an Associate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #10. Sioux City, Iowa is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associates’s general studies degrees to 7 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Western Iowa Tech Community College, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $7,939 for plains states region associate degree general studies students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Western Iowa Tech Community College.

Read more about General Studies at Western Iowa Tech Community College

#11

College of Saint Mary

Omaha, Nebraska
#11 in overall quality

College of Saint Mary did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Studies Schools for an Associate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #11. College of Saint Mary is a small school located in Omaha, Nebraska that handed out 1 associates’s general studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Saint Mary did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Saint Mary is $12,206 for plains states region associate degree general studies students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 full report on General Studies at Saint Mary

#12

Independence Community College

Independence, Kansas
#14 in overall quality

Independence Community College ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value General Studies Schools for an Associate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Independence Community College is a small school located in Independence, Kansas that handed out 64 associates’s general studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Independence Community College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $6,451 for plains states region associate degree general studies students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Independence Community College.

Read full report on General Studies at Independence Community College

#13

Northeast Community College

Norfolk, Nebraska
#15 in overall quality

With a ranking of #13, Northeast Community College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Studies Schools for an Associate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Northeast Community College is a public institution located in Norfolk, Nebraska. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 5 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Northeast not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Northeast is $9,455 for Plains States Region Associate Degree General Studies students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full Northeast General Studies Report

#14

East Central College

Union, Missouri
#19 in overall quality

East Central College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Studies Schools for an Associate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #14. East Central College is located in Union, Missouri and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 271 associates’s general studies degrees to qualified students.

East Central College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $9,136 for Plains States Region Associate Degree General Studies students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend East Central College.

Full East Central College General Studies Report

#15

Mineral Area College

Park Hills, Missouri
#16 in overall quality

Mineral Area College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Studies Schools for an Associate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #15. This small school is located in Park Hills, Missouri, and it awarded 7 associates’s general studies degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region associate degree general studies students whose families make $48-$75k list, MAC has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Mineral Area College is $10,252 for plains states region associate degree general studies students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full Mineral Area College General Studies Report

#21 in overall quality

With a ranking of #16, Missouri State University - West Plains did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Studies Schools for an Associate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. This small school is located in West Plains, Missouri, and it awarded 143 associates’s general studies degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region associate degree general studies students whose families make $48-$75k list, Missouri State West Plains has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Missouri State University - West Plains is $9,574 for plains states region associate degree general studies students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about General Studies at Missouri State University - West Plains

#17

North Central Missouri College

Trenton, Missouri
#20 in overall quality

North Central Missouri College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Studies Schools for an Associate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #17. North Central Missouri College is located in Trenton, Missouri and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 6 associates’s general studies degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at NCMC, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $9,245 for Plains States Region Associate Degree General Studies students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend NCMC.

Read full report on General Studies at North Central Missouri College

#18

South Dakota State University

Brookings, South Dakota
#3 in overall quality

South Dakota State University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value General Studies Schools for an Associate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. South Dakota State University is a fairly large school located in Brookings, South Dakota that handed out 58 associates’s general studies degrees in 2019-2020.

South Dakota State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for South Dakota State is $19,326 for Plains States Region Associate Degree General Studies students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.8% 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 General Studies at South Dakota State University

#19

Mayville State University

Mayville, North Dakota
#22 in overall quality

Mayville State University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Studies Schools for an Associate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Mayville State University is a public institution located in Mayville, North Dakota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 4 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Mayville State University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Mayville State University is $13,323 for plains states region associate degree general studies students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about General Studies at Mayville State University

#20

University of South Dakota

Vermillion, South Dakota
#4 in overall quality

University of South Dakota came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Studies Schools for an Associate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Vermillion, South Dakota, and it awarded 25 associates’s general studies degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region associate degree general studies students whose families make $48-$75k list, USD has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $18,850 for Plains States Region Associate Degree General Studies students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of South Dakota.

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 General Studies at University of South Dakota

#21

Hesston College

Hesston, Kansas
#12 in overall quality

Hesston College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Studies Schools for an Associate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #21. Hesston, Kansas is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out associates’s general studies degrees to 3 students in 2019-2020.

Hesston did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Hesston is $19,218 for plains states region associate degree general studies students whose families make $48-$75k.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read full report on General Studies at Hesston

#22

Columbia College

Columbia, Missouri
#2 in overall quality

Columbia College ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value General Studies Schools for an Associate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Columbia College Missouri is a private not-for-profit institution located in Columbia, Missouri. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 572 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Columbia College Missouri also took the #2 spot in our “Best General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $23,784 for plains states region associate degree general studies students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Columbia College.

Full Columbia College General Studies Report

#23 in overall quality

Drury University - College of Continuing Professional Studies landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Studies Schools for an Associate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This small school is located in Springfield, Missouri, and it awarded 19 associates’s general studies degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region associate degree general studies students whose families make $48-$75k list, Drury University - CCPS has also earned the #23 rank in our “Best General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $13,166 for plains states region associate degree general studies students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Drury University - College of Continuing Professional Studies.

Read more about General Studies at Drury University - CCPS

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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.

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