2025 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Plains States Region
115Colleges in the Plains States Region
30,177Liberal Arts Degrees Awarded
$31,562Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a degree in liberal arts general studies, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #1 most popular program in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.
For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 115 schools in the Plains States Region to determine which ones were the best for liberal arts general studies students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 30,177 degrees in liberal arts general studies annually.
Choosing a Great Liberal Arts General Studies School
Your choice of liberal arts general studies school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Liberal Arts General Studies School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.
In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.
Liberal Arts General Studies Rankings by Degree Level
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Plains States Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat.
Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
Best Schools for Liberal Arts General Studies in the Plains States Region
If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the liberal arts degrees they offer, see the list below. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
23 Top Plains States Region Schools in Liberal Arts
University of Iowa is a wonderful choice for students interested in a degree in liberal arts general studies. Located in the city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #80 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Iowa is a great university overall.
There were approximately 191 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Iowa in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the liberal arts general studies major at University of Iowa earn $9,229 above the standard college grad in this field shortly after graduation.
It is difficult to beat University of Kansas if you wish to pursue a degree in liberal arts general studies. Located in the small city of Lawrence, KU is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #192 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means KU is a great university overall.
There were about 260 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at KU in the most recent data year. Liberal Arts General Studies degree recipients from University of Kansas earn a boost of approximately $10,965 over the average income of liberal arts general studies graduates.
Bismarck State College is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in liberal arts general studies. Located in the small city of Bismarck, BSC is a public college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #231 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means BSC is a great college overall.
There were roughly 329 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at BSC in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, liberal arts degree recipients usually earn about $33,358 in their early careers.
University of Northern Iowa is a good choice for students interested in a degree in liberal arts general studies. UNI is a medium-sized public university located in the small city of Cedar Falls. A Best Colleges rank of #270 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UNI is a great university overall.
There were roughly 57 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at UNI in the most recent year we have data available. Liberal Arts General Studies degree recipients from University of Northern Iowa earn a boost of about $8,447 over the typical income of liberal arts general studies majors.
JCCC is a large public college located in the midsize city of Overland Park. A Best Colleges rank of #347 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means JCCC is a great college overall.
There were approximately 1165 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at JCCC in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, liberal arts degree recipients generally earn around $29,855 in the first five years of their career.
Located in the city of Columbia, Columbia College Missouri is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population. This college ranks 12th out of 48 schools for overall quality in the state of Missouri.
There were roughly 636 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Columbia College Missouri in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the liberal arts general studies program at Columbia College make $14,541 more than the standard graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
DMACC is a fairly large public college located in the large suburb of Ankeny. A Best Colleges rank of #408 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means DMACC is a great college overall.
There were about 1002 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at DMACC in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the liberal arts program make about $31,453 for their early career.
Central Lakes College is a small public college located in the remote town of Brainerd. A Best Colleges rank of #402 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Central Lakes College is a great college overall.
There were roughly 301 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Central Lakes College in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, liberal arts degree recipients typically make an average of $26,133 at the beginning of their careers.
Located in the remote town of Fort Dodge, Iowa Central Community College is a public college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #498 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Iowa Central Community College is a great college overall.
There were roughly 412 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Iowa Central Community College in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the liberal arts program report average early career wages of $23,747.
Located in the small city of Bloomington, Normandale Community College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #526 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Normandale Community College is a great college overall.
There were roughly 883 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Normandale Community College in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the liberal arts general studies degree program at Normandale Community College get $2,247 more than the average college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.
Located in the midsize city of Columbia, Mizzou is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #131 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Mizzou is a great university overall.
There were roughly 85 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Mizzou in the most recent year we have data available. Those liberal arts general studies students who get their degree from University of Missouri - Columbia earn $7,755 more than the average liberal arts graduate.
St Cloud Technical and Community College is a small public college located in the city of Saint Cloud. This college ranks 24th out of 52 colleges for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.
There were about 335 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at St Cloud Technical and Community College in the most recent data year. Liberal Arts General Studies degree recipients from St Cloud Technical and Community College receive an earnings boost of about $6,240 over the average income of liberal arts general studies graduates.
Century College is a medium-sized public college located in the suburb of White Bear Lake. A Best Colleges rank of #486 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Century College is a great college overall.
There were approximately 434 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Century College in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the liberal arts general studies program at Century College earn $6,814 above the typical college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
Located in the large city of Omaha, MCC is a public college with a large student population. This college ranks 5th out of 19 colleges for overall quality in the state of Nebraska.
There were roughly 510 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at MCC in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, liberal arts degree recipients usually earn around $33,011 in the first five years of their career.
UND is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Grand Forks. A Best Colleges rank of #335 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UND is a great university overall.
There were approximately 101 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at UND in the most recent year we have data available. Liberal Arts General Studies degree recipients from University of North Dakota earn a boost of about $11,386 over the average income of liberal arts general studies graduates.
Located in the suburb of Inver Grove Heights, IHCC is a public college with a small student population. This college ranks 31st out of 52 colleges for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.
There were about 255 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at IHCC in the most recent year we have data available. Liberal Arts General Studies degree recipients from Inver Hills Community College get an earnings boost of about $10,344 above the average earnings of liberal arts general studies majors.
Located in the suburb of Coon Rapids, Anoka-Ramsey Community College-Coon Rapids Campus is a public college with a medium-sized student population. This college ranks 29th out of 52 colleges for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.
There were roughly 648 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Anoka-Ramsey Community College-Coon Rapids Campus in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the liberal arts program make an average of $32,056 for their early career.
UNOMAHA is a large public university located in the city of Omaha. This university ranks 7th out of 19 colleges for overall quality in the state of Nebraska.
There were approximately 399 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at UNOMAHA in the most recent data year. Those liberal arts general studies students who get their degree from University of Nebraska at Omaha make $9,330 more than the typical liberal arts student.
MCC is a fairly large public college located in the city of Kansas City. This college ranks 15th out of 48 schools for overall quality in the state of Missouri.
There were approximately 2499 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at MCC in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the liberal arts program earn about $28,092 in their early career salary.
Hesston is a small private not-for-profit college located in the rural area of Hesston. This college ranks 8th out of 44 colleges for overall quality in the state of Kansas.
There were approximately 71 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Hesston in the most recent data year.
Located in the suburb of Cottleville, SCC is a public college with a moderately-sized student population. This college ranks 17th out of 48 colleges for overall quality in the state of Missouri.
There were approximately 530 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at SCC in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the liberal arts program earn around $25,968 in their early career salary.
Iowa Western Community College is a moderately-sized public college located in the suburb of Council Bluffs. This college ranks 17th out of 37 schools for overall quality in the state of Iowa.
There were roughly 391 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at Iowa Western Community College in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, liberal arts degree recipients typically make about $28,291 in the first five years of their career.
Located in the city of Duluth, LSC is a public college with a small student population. This college ranks 35th out of 52 colleges for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.
There were approximately 305 liberal arts general studies students who graduated with this degree at LSC in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, liberal arts degree recipients generally make about $33,525 at the beginning of their careers.
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Plains States Region award.
The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
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 the rest 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).
Your choice of liberal arts general studies school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Liberal Arts General Studies School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.
