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2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k

35 Ranked Colleges
3,129 Degrees Awarded
$35,144 Avg Salary
Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor's in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k

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 “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 559,661 liberal arts general studies students received their degree, making the major the 1st most popular in the country. In 2017-2018, liberal arts general studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $26,786 and had an average of $16,538 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Plains States region, there were 31,703 liberal arts general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $28,800 and $15,275 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 3,129 liberal arts general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,786 and $25,576 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, we looked at 35 colleges that offer a degree in liberal arts general studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great liberal arts general studies programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the liberal arts general studies program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Liberal Arts 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 Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k

The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies (Income $48-$75k) in the Plains States Region

Out of the 35 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Missouri - Columbia landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Columbia, Missouri, and it awarded 100 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Mizzou not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Mizzou is $13,145 for plains states region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. 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%.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at University of Missouri - Columbia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Nebraska at Omaha. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of Nebraska at Omaha is a fairly large school located in Omaha, Nebraska that handed out 318 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

UNOMAHA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Nebraska at Omaha is $13,833 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at University of Nebraska at Omaha

#3

College of Saint Mary

Omaha, Nebraska

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend College of Saint Mary. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Saint Mary is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Omaha, Nebraska. It awarded 13 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k list, Saint Mary has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend College of Saint Mary is $12,206 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low student loan default rate of 3.9% 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 Liberal Arts General Studies at Saint Mary

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Iowa State University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Iowa State is a public institution located in Ames, Iowa. The school has a large population, and it awarded 80 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Iowa State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Iowa State University is $14,161 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Full Iowa State University Liberal Arts General Studies Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Fort Hays State University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k. FHSU is a fairly large public school situated in Hays, Kansas. It awarded 249 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

FHSU also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #10. The estimated yearly cost for Fort Hays State University is $12,549 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Fort Hays State University

#6

University of North Dakota

Grand Forks, North Dakota

University of North Dakota landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. University of North Dakota is a public institution located in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 110 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UND, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UND is $15,109 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at University of North Dakota

#7

University of Missouri - St Louis

Saint Louis, Missouri

University of Missouri - St Louis landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. 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.

UMSL also took the #21 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $7,894 for plains states region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Missouri - St Louis.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at University of Missouri - St Louis

#8

Fontbonne University

Saint Louis, Missouri

Fontbonne University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Fontbonne University is a small school located in Saint Louis, Missouri that handed out 15 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Fontbonne University also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #11. It costs about $18,096 for plains states region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Fontbonne University.

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%. The 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.

Full Fontbonne University Liberal Arts General Studies Report

#9

Southeast Missouri State University

Cape Girardeau, Missouri

Southeast Missouri State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #9. Located in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, this fairly large public school handed out 172 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.

Southeast Missouri State University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Southeast Missouri State University is $12,882 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full Southeast Missouri State University Liberal Arts General Studies Report

#10

Minot State University

Minot, North Dakota

With a ranking of #10, Minot State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. MSU is located in Minot, North Dakota and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 26 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $11,401 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Minot State University.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at MSU

With a ranking of #11, Missouri Southern State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Joplin, Missouri, this medium-sized public school awarded 79 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Missouri Southern is $10,124 for plains states region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Missouri Southern

#12

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa

University of Iowa did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #12. University of Iowa is located in Iowa City, Iowa and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 190 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.

Iowa did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $18,272 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Iowa.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at University of Iowa

#13

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa

University of Northern Iowa did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #13. UNI is located in Cedar Falls, Iowa and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 76 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k list, UNI has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Northern Iowa is $15,729 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UNI Liberal Arts General Studies Report

#14

University of Missouri - Kansas City

Kansas City, Missouri

University of Missouri - Kansas City did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #14. University of Missouri - Kansas City is located in Kansas City, Missouri and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 151 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k list, UMKC has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UMKC is $14,571 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at UMKC

#15

Wichita State University

Wichita, Kansas

With a ranking of #15, Wichita State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. WSU is a public institution located in Wichita, Kansas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 89 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

WSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Wichita State University is $14,386 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Wichita State University

#16

Pittsburg State University

Pittsburg, Kansas

With a ranking of #16, Pittsburg State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Pittsburg State University is a medium-sized school located in Pittsburg, Kansas that handed out 53 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k list, Pitt State has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Pittsburg State University is $15,056 for plains states region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Pitt State

#17

University of Central Missouri

Warrensburg, Missouri

With a ranking of #17, University of Central Missouri did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of Central Missouri is a medium-sized school located in Warrensburg, Missouri that handed out 86 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Central Missouri is $13,977 for plains states region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full University of Central Missouri Liberal Arts General Studies Report

#18

University of Kansas

Lawrence, Kansas

University of Kansas ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. KU is located in Lawrence, Kansas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 109 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at KU, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend KU is $17,132 for plains states region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at KU

#19

Kansas State University

Manhattan, Kansas

With a ranking of #19, Kansas State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Manhattan, Kansas, this large public school handed out 4 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.

K -State also took the #13 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $16,889 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend K -State.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Kansas State University

#20

Emporia State University

Emporia, Kansas

Emporia State University landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Emporia State University is a medium-sized school located in Emporia, Kansas that handed out 39 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at ESU, the school also landed the #23 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Emporia State University is $14,465 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Emporia State University

University of Nebraska at Kearney ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of Nebraska at Kearney is a medium-sized school located in Kearney, Nebraska that handed out 41 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

UNK did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Nebraska at Kearney is $15,343 for plains states region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.3% 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%.

Full UNK Liberal Arts General Studies Report

#22

Saint Louis University

Saint Louis, Missouri

Saint Louis University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Saint Louis, Missouri is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 16 students in 2019-2020.

SLU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $23,734 for plains states region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend SLU.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 2.9% 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%. The 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.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at SLU

#23

William Jewell College

Liberty, Missouri

With a ranking of #23, William Jewell College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. William Jewell is located in Liberty, Missouri and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 23 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.

William Jewell did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $25,211 for plains states region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend William Jewell.

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%. The 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.

Full William Jewell Liberal Arts General Studies Report

#24

Mayville State University

Mayville, North Dakota

Mayville State University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Mayville State University is located in Mayville, North Dakota and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 15 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend Mayville State University is $13,323 for plains states region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Mayville State University

Missouri State University - Springfield ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Missouri State University - Springfield is a large public school situated in Springfield, Missouri. It awarded 90 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $16,204 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Missouri State University - Springfield.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Missouri State

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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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