2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking.
In 2019-2020, 365,980 liberal arts students received their degree, making the major the 2nd most popular in the country.
Across the Plains States region, there were 26,613 liberal arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,368 liberal arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,786 and $25,576 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 16 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in liberal arts. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great liberal arts programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the liberal arts program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid.
Top 16 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts in the Plains States Region (With Aid)
Out of the 16 schools in the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Missouri - St Louis landed the #1 spot on the list. UMSL is a public institution located in Saint Louis, Missouri. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 97 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree liberal studies students with aid list, UMSL has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Missouri - St Louis is $9,435 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students with aid.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Fort Hays State University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. FHSU is a fairly large school located in Hays, Kansas that handed out 249 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
FHSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $12,053 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students with aid per year to attend FHSU.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Iowa State University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid. Iowa State is located in Ames, Iowa and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 80 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Iowa State, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Iowa State is $15,496 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students with aid.
The low student loan default rate of 3.3% 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 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Iowa. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. University of Iowa is a public institution located in Iowa City, Iowa. The school has a large population, and it awarded 190 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Iowa, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $19,145 for plains states region bachelor’s degree liberal studies students with aid per year to attend Iowa.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Out of the 16 schools in the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Missouri Southern State University landed the #5 spot on the list. Joplin, Missouri is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to 79 students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Missouri Southern, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Missouri Southern is $9,625 for plains states region bachelor’s degree liberal studies students with aid.
With a ranking of #6, Pittsburg State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Pittsburg, Kansas, this medium-sized public school handed out 53 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal studies students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Pitt State, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Pitt State is $14,436 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students with aid.
University of Missouri - Kansas City came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. UMKC is a public institution located in Kansas City, Missouri. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 151 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree liberal studies students with aid list, UMKC has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UMKC is $14,643 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students with aid.
Read more about Liberal Arts at University of Missouri - Kansas City
University of Northern Iowa landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. UNI is a medium-sized school located in Cedar Falls, Iowa that handed out 76 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
UNI also made our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend University of Northern Iowa is $15,620 for plains states region bachelor’s degree liberal studies students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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%.
Emporia State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #9. Emporia, Kansas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to 10 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree liberal studies students with aid list, ESU has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Emporia State University is $14,822 for plains states region bachelor’s degree liberal studies students with aid.
University of Kansas came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Lawrence, Kansas, this large public school handed out 104 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal studies students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree liberal studies students with aid list, KU has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $18,918 for plains states region bachelor’s degree liberal studies students with aid per year to attend KU.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
William Jewell College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. William Jewell is located in Liberty, Missouri and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 23 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree liberal studies students with aid list, William Jewell has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $27,316 for plains states region bachelor’s degree liberal studies students with aid per year to attend William Jewell College.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Lincoln University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. Jefferson City, Missouri is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to 12 students in 2019-2020.
LU Missouri also took the #16 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $7,830 for plains states region bachelor’s degree liberal studies students with aid per year to attend LU Missouri.
Missouri State University - Springfield did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #13. Missouri State is a public institution located in Springfield, Missouri. The school has a large population, and it awarded 90 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Missouri State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $16,725 for plains states region bachelor’s degree liberal studies students with aid per year to attend Missouri State University - Springfield.
University of Mary ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. UMary is located in Bismarck, North Dakota and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree liberal studies students with aid list, UMary has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $17,410 for plains states region bachelor’s degree liberal studies students with aid per year to attend University of Mary.
The low student loan default rate of 4.7% 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%.
Metropolitan State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #15. This medium-sized school is located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
Metro State also made our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #14. The estimated yearly cost for Metropolitan State University is $15,225 for plains states region bachelor’s degree liberal studies students with aid.
Grand View University landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Grand View University is located in Des Moines, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 22 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Grand View University, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Grand View University is $19,826 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students with aid.
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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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