2022 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Social Sciences (Income $48-$75k) in the Plains States Region

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Social Sciences Schools for an Associate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Social Sciences is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 5th of all the majors we analyze. In 2019-2020, 205,726 degrees were awarded to students with this major. In 2017-2018, social sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $34,801 and had an average of $23,466 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Plains States region, there were 9,393 social sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,924 and $24,385 respectively. At the associate degree level specifically, there were 49 social sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,069 and $19,434 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Social Sciences Schools for an Associate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, we looked at 3 colleges that offer a degree in social sciences. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great social sciences programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the social sciences program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Value Social Sciences Schools for an Associate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k” 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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Social Sciences Schools for an Associate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k

The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region associate degree social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

Top 3 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Social Sciences (Income $48-$75k) in the Plains States Region

#1

Mitchell Technical College

Mitchell, South Dakota

#1 in overall quality

$13,476 Average Net Price

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Mitchell Technical College. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for an Associate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k. Mitchell, South Dakota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associates’s social sciences degrees to 11 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Mitchell Tech, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $13,476 for Plains States Region Associate Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Mitchell Technical College.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Mitchell Tech

#2

South Dakota State University

Brookings, South Dakota

#2 in overall quality

$19,326 Average Net Price

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend South Dakota State University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for an Associate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. South Dakota State is a fairly large public school situated in Brookings, South Dakota. It awarded 1 associates’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

South Dakota State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Social Sciences Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend South Dakota State University is $19,326 for plains states region associate degree social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Social Sciences at South Dakota State

#3

Upper Iowa University

Fayette, Iowa

#3 in overall quality

$18,943 Average Net Price

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Upper Iowa University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for an Associate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k. Upper Iowa University is a small school located in Fayette, Iowa that handed out 7 associates’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region associate degree social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k list, UIU has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Social Sciences Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Upper Iowa University is $18,943 for plains states region associate degree social sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full UIU Social Sciences Report

• Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Social Sciences (Income $48-$75k)

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

Footnotes

• *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 AndrГ© KГјnzelmann.

Featured Social Science Schools

Request Info

Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs ... Learn More >