by our College Data Analytics Team
This year's Best Liberal Arts General Studies Colleges for Non-Traditional Students in the Plains States Region ranking looked at 21 colleges that offer a bachelor's in liberal arts. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great liberal arts general studies programs and a strong support system for non-traditional students.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as affordability, and overall quality of the liberal arts general studies program 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 Best Liberal Arts Schools for Non-Traditional Students list to help you make the college decision.
In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. 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.
Check out the liberal arts programs at these schools if you want to see which ones are the best for non-traditional students.
Fort Hays State University has taken the #1 spot in this year's liberal arts general studies ranking for non-traditional students. FHSU is a large public school located in the remote town of Hays.
About 1.8% of FHSU students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. 6,600 students at FHSU are exclusively online. About 8,687 of the students at FHSU are attending part time.
Columbia College landed the #2 spot in our 2021 best liberal arts general studies schools for non-traditional students. Columbia College Missouri is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Columbia.
About 1.8% of Columbia College Missouri students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. 4,157 of Columbia College Missouri students are exclusively distance learners. There are roughly 4,001 part time students in attendance at Columbia College Missouri.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Columbia College
University of Iowa comes in at #3 in this year's ranking. Located in the city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public school with a fairly large student population. In addition to being on our best for non-traditional students list, Iowa has also earned the #1 rank in our Best Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies in the Plains States Region ranking.
The student loan default rate at Iowa is lower than is typical, just 1.2% of students default in three years. There are approximately 12,975 students at Iowa that take at least one class online. 5,055 of Iowa students are attending part time.
Full Liberal Arts General Studies at University of Iowa Report
The #4 spot in this year's ranking belongs to University of Nebraska at Omaha. UNOMAHA is a large public school located in the large city of Omaha.
The student loan default rate at UNOMAHA is lower than is typical, just 0.3% of students default in three years. There are approximately 8,191 students at UNOMAHA that take at least one class online. About 4,328 of the students at UNOMAHA are attending part time.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at University of Nebraska at Omaha
University of Missouri - Kansas City comes in at #5 in this year's ranking. Located in the large city of Kansas City, UMKC is a public college with a fairly large student population. As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMKC, the school also landed the #7 rank in our Best Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies in the Plains States Region ranking.
The student loan default rate at UMKC is lower than is typical, just 0.9% of students default in three years. There are approximately 5,518 students at UMKC that take at least one class online. There are roughly 6,941 part time students in attendance at UMKC.
Full Liberal Arts General Studies at University of Missouri - Kansas City Report
The #6 spot in this year's ranking belongs to Grand View University. Grand View University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Des Moines.
The student loan default rate at Grand View University is lower than is typical, just 2.3% of students default in three years. There are approximately 478 students at Grand View University that take at least one class online. 259 of Grand View University students are attending part time.
William Jewell College landed the #7 spot in our 2021 best liberal arts general studies schools for non-traditional students. William Jewell is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Liberty. William Jewell also made our Best Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies in the Plains States Region list, coming in at #2.
About 0.0% of William Jewell students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. There are approximately 314 students at William Jewell that take at least one class online. 12 of William Jewell students are attending part time.
South Dakota State University landed the #8 spot in our 2021 best liberal arts general studies schools for non-traditional students. South Dakota State is a fairly large public school located in the town of Brookings. South Dakota State also made our Best Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies in the Plains States Region list, coming in at #9.
The student loan default rate at South Dakota State is lower than is typical, just 0.7% of students default in three years. There are approximately 3,503 students at South Dakota State that take at least one class online. There are roughly 3,375 part time students in attendance at South Dakota State.
The #9 spot in this year's ranking belongs to University of North Dakota. UND is a fairly large public school located in the city of Grand Forks. UND not only placed well in our non-traditional rankings. It is also #8 on our Best Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies in the Plains States Region list.
About 0.8% of UND students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. Approximately 5,465 students take at least one class online at UND. 4,977 students are part time.
Simpson College landed the #10 spot in our 2021 best liberal arts general studies schools for non-traditional students. Located in the fringe town of Indianola, Simpson College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. As a testament to the quality of education offered at Simpson College, the school also landed the #6 rank in our Best Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies in the Plains States Region ranking.
The student loan default rate at Simpson College is lower than is typical, just 0.8% of students default in three years. There are approximately 259 students at Simpson College that take at least one class online. There are roughly 141 part time students in attendance at Simpson College.
Learn about other programs related to Liberal Arts General Studies that might interest you.
Maximize your transfer credits and complete your bachelor's degree faster with this flexible online bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.
Explore the best for non-traditional students liberal arts general studies schools for a specific state in the Plains States region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Missouri | 1,287 |
| Minnesota | 78 |
| Iowa | 476 |
| Kansas | 596 |
| Nebraska | 443 |
| North Dakota | 175 |
| South Dakota | 121 |
Liberal Arts General Studies is one of 0 different types of Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities programs to choose from.
Footnotes
*Avg Cost is for the top 21 schools only.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.
