by our College Data Analytics TeamCollege Factual looked at 29 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 2,771 bachelor's degrees in liberal arts general studies to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Your choice of liberal arts general studies for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we include a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a combination of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
Average early-career salary of those graduating with their bachelor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your bachelor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for liberal arts general studies students working on their bachelor's degree.
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 General Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list to help you make the college decision.
To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools 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.
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in liberal arts general studies.
University of Iowa is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in liberal arts general studies. Located in the city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public university with a very large student population.
Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the liberal arts program make around $40,791 for their early career.
More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from University of Iowa
It is difficult to beat University of Kansas if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in liberal arts general studies. Located in the small city of Lawrence, KU is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Bachelor's recipients from the liberal arts general studies program at University of Kansas get $2,333 more than the standard graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from University of Kansas
Every student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in liberal arts general studies needs to look into Columbia College. Located in the midsize city of Columbia, Columbia College Missouri is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.
Liberal Arts General Studies bachelor's degree recipients from Columbia College earn a boost of about $4,939 above the typical income of liberal arts general studies graduates.
More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from Columbia College
Every student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in liberal arts general studies has to check out University of Northern Iowa. UNI is a moderately-sized public university located in the city of Cedar Falls.
After graduating, liberal arts bachelor's recipients typically earn an average of $40,009 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from University of Northern Iowa
Located in the midsize city of Columbia, Mizzou is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the liberal arts program earn about $39,317 in their early career salary.
More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from University of Missouri - Columbia
UND is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Grand Forks.
Bachelor's recipients from the liberal arts general studies degree program at University of North Dakota make $2,754 above the standard college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from University of North Dakota
UNOMAHA is a fairly large public university located in the city of Omaha.
Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the liberal arts program make an average of $40,892 for their early career.
More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from University of Nebraska at Omaha
Located in the city of Kansas City, UMKC is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Soon after graduation, liberal arts bachelor's recipients usually earn about $39,992 in their early careers.
More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from University of Missouri - Kansas City
Located in the remote town of Hays, FHSU is a public university with a large student population.
Those liberal arts general studies students who get their bachelor's degree from Fort Hays State University make $2,601 more than the average liberal arts student.
More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from Fort Hays State University
Iowa State is a very large public university located in the small city of Ames.
After graduation, liberal arts bachelor's recipients usually earn an average of $36,532 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from Iowa State UniversityExplore the best liberal arts general studies schools for a specific state in the Plains States Region .
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Missouri | 228 | 1,287 |
| Minnesota | 215 | 78 |
| Iowa | 197 | 476 |
| Kansas | 184 | 596 |
| Nebraska | 180 | 443 |
| North Dakota | 149 | 175 |
| South Dakota | 148 | 121 |
One of 0 majors within the Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities area of study, Liberal Arts General Studies has other similar majors worth exploring.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| General Studies | 1,420 |
| Liberal Arts | 1,214 |
| Individualized Studies | 118 |
| Humanities | 19 |