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2025 Best Anthropology Schools in the Plains States Region

20 Colleges in the Plains States Region
561 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
$28,899 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on majoring in anthropology, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #77 in the country in terms of popularity. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 20 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Anthropology Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 561 degrees in anthropology annually.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Anthropology School

Best Anthropology Schools in the Plains States Region Your choice of anthropology school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for anthropology schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Anthropology Rankings by Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Anthropology
Master's Degrees in Anthropology
Doctor's Degrees in Anthropology

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Anthropology Schools in the Plains States Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Anthropology in the Plains States Region

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the anthropology degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Plains States Region Schools in Anthropology

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
104 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
$34,489 Median Starting Salary

Washington University in St Louis is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in anthropology. Located in the large suburb of Saint Louis, WUSTL is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #21 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means WUSTL is a great university overall.

There were approximately 104 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at WUSTL in the most recent year we have data available. Those anthropology students who get their degree from Washington University in St Louis receive $5,590 more than the standard anthropology grad.

More information about a degree in anthropology from Washington University in St Louis

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
43 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
$31,219 Median Starting Salary

Any student who is interested in anthropology needs to look into University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. Located in the city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #45 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UMN Twin Cities is a great university overall.

There were approximately 43 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at UMN Twin Cities in the most recent year we have data available. Those anthropology students who get their degree from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities make $2,320 more than the average anthropology grad.

More information about a degree in anthropology from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Sponsored
Bachelors Degree Type
BA in Anthropology Program Name

Explore societal similarities and differences as seen through cultural, biological, archaeological and linguistic lenses when you earn one of your degrees in anthropology from Southern New Hampshire University.

More information about a degree in BA in Anthropology from Southern New Hampshire University
3
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$27,221 Median Starting Salary
$21,021 Median Student Debt

University of Iowa is a good option for students interested in a degree in anthropology. Iowa is a very large public university located in the small city of Iowa City. A Best Colleges rank of #80 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Iowa is a great university overall.

There were roughly 29 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at Iowa in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, anthropology degree recipients usually make an average of $27,221 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in anthropology from University of Iowa

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In NE

Creighton University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in anthropology. Creighton is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Omaha. A Best Colleges rank of #128 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Creighton is a great university overall.

There were approximately 13 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at Creighton in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in anthropology from Creighton University

5
KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$29,376 Median Starting Salary

KU is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Lawrence. A Best Colleges rank of #192 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means KU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 16 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at KU in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the anthropology program earn around $29,376 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in anthropology from University of Kansas

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In NE
33 Anthropology Degrees Awarded

UNL is a very large public university located in the city of Lincoln. A Best Colleges rank of #207 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UNL is a great university overall.

There were about 33 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at UNL in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in anthropology from University of Nebraska - Lincoln

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
35 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
54.3% Growth in Graduates

Mizzou is a very large public university located in the city of Columbia. A Best Colleges rank of #131 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Mizzou is a great university overall.

There were roughly 35 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at Mizzou in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the anthropology degree program at University of Missouri - Columbia get $3,027 above the standard graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in anthropology from University of Missouri - Columbia

8

Located in the small city of Ames, Iowa State is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #88 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Iowa State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 30 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at Iowa State in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the anthropology program report average early career income of $25,014.

More information about a degree in anthropology from Iowa State University

9
Macalester crest
Macalester College
Saint Paul, MN
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In MN

Macalester is a small private not-for-profit college located in the city of Saint Paul. This college ranks 8th out of 52 colleges for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.

There were about 10 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at Macalester in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in anthropology from Macalester College

10
Grinnell crest
Grinnell College
Grinnell, IA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In IA

Located in the remote town of Grinnell, Grinnell is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 4th out of 37 colleges for overall quality in the state of Iowa.

There were roughly 12 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at Grinnell in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in anthropology from Grinnell College

Best Anthropology Colleges by State

Explore the best anthropology schools for a specific state in the Plains States Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Minnesota 284 109
Missouri 283 205
Kansas 266 78
Iowa 264 103
Nebraska 238 48
North Dakota 210 16
South Dakota 204 13

View All Rankings >

One of 13 majors within the Social Sciences area of study, Anthropology has other similar majors worth exploring.

Anthropology Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Anthropology 480
Medical Anthropology 64
Other Anthropology 8
Cultural Anthropology 6
Forensic Anthropology 2
Physical & Biological Anthropology 1

View All Anthropology Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Political Science & Government 2,147
Economics 1,990
Sociology 1,225
Geography & Cartography 512
General Social Sciences 473
International Relations & National Security 387
Other Social Sciences 111
Urban Studies 58
Sociology & Anthropology 58
Archeology 16

View All Anthropology Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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