4
Ranked Colleges
359
Degrees Awarded
$12,600
Avg Net Price*
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 Library and Information Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 5,696 people earned their degree in library and information science, making the major the 134th most popular in the United States.
Across the Plains States region, there were 359 library and information science graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Library and Information Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 4 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in library and information science. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great library and information science programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the library and information science program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Library and Information Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Library and Information Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Emporia State University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Library and Information Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. ESU is a public institution located in Emporia, Kansas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 165 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at ESU, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Library & Information Science Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend ESU is $11,465 for Plains States Region Library and Information Science students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Emporia State University Library & Information Science Report
Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Library and Information Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Iowa landed the #2 spot on the list. Iowa is a public institution located in Iowa City, Iowa. The school has a large population, and it awarded 27 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Iowa, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Library & Information Science Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $13,554 for Plains States Region Library and Information Science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Iowa.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Library & Information Science at University of Iowa
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Central Missouri. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Library and Information Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Warrensburg, Missouri, and it awarded 25 ’s library and information science degrees in 2020-2021.
UCM did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Library & Information Science Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Central Missouri is $11,006 for Plains States Region Library and Information Science students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read more about Library & Information Science at University of Central Missouri
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend St Catherine University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Library and Information Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k. St Catherine University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It awarded 33 ’s library and information science degrees in 2020-2021.
St. Kate’s also took the #4 spot in our “Best Library & Information Science Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $14,391 for plains states region library and information science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend St. Kate’s.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Library & Information Science at St. Kate’s
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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
- *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.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Diliff.
