by our College Data Analytics TeamFor its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 29 schools in the Plains States Region to determine which ones were the best for liberal arts / sciences & humanities students pursuing a bachelor's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 2,771 bachelor's degrees in liberal arts / sciences & humanities to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Your choice of liberal arts / sciences & humanities for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality liberal arts / sciences & humanities program can vary widely even among the top schools. 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 take this into account we include a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a collection of different 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 schools for liberal arts / sciences & humanities 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 / Sciences & Humanities 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.
The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in liberal arts / sciences & humanities.
University of Iowa is a wonderful choice for individuals pursuing a bachelor's degree in liberal arts / sciences & humanities. Located in the city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from University of Iowa
University of Kansas is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in liberal arts / sciences & humanities. Located in the city of Lawrence, KU is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from University of Kansas
Columbia College is one of the best schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in liberal arts / sciences & humanities. Located in the city of Columbia, Columbia College Missouri is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from Columbia College
University of Northern Iowa is one of the best schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in liberal arts / sciences & humanities. UNI is a medium-sized public university located in the small city of Cedar Falls.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from University of Northern Iowa
Located in the city of Columbia, Mizzou is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from University of Missouri - Columbia
UND is a large public university located in the small city of Grand Forks.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from University of North Dakota
UNOMAHA is a large public university located in the large city of Omaha.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from University of Nebraska at Omaha
Located in the city of Kansas City, UMKC is a public university with a large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from University of Missouri - Kansas City
Located in the remote town of Hays, FHSU is a public university with a large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from Fort Hays State University
Iowa State is a very large public university located in the city of Ames.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from Iowa State University
Explore the best liberal arts / sciences & humanities colleges for a specific state in the Plains States Region .
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Missouri | 35 | 1,287 |
| Kansas | 33 | 596 |
| Minnesota | 33 | 78 |
| Iowa | 32 | 476 |
| South Dakota | 31 | 121 |
| Nebraska | 31 | 443 |
| North Dakota | 30 | 175 |
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Liberal Arts General Studies | 2,771 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Social Sciences | 7,084 |
| Communication & Journalism | 4,887 |
| English Language & Literature | 2,267 |
| Foreign Languages & Linguistics | 1,454 |
| Family, Consumer & Human Sciences | 1,395 |
| History | 1,391 |
| Theology & Religious Vocations | 1,236 |
| Philosophy & Religious Studies | 695 |
| Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies | 463 |
