2022 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Social Sciences in the Plains States Region

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Social Sciences Schools for an Associate in the Plains States Region” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 205,726 social sciences students received their degree, making the major the 5th most popular in the country. 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” ranking, we looked at 3 colleges that offer a degree in social sciences. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality social sciences programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the social sciences program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Social Sciences Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Social Sciences Schools for an Associate in the Plains States Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Social Sciences Schools for an Associate in the Plains States Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region associate degree social sciences students.

Top 3 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Social Sciences in the Plains States Region

#1

Mitchell Technical College

Mitchell, South Dakota

#1 in overall quality

$12,472 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. 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. The estimated yearly cost for Mitchell Technical College is $12,472 for Plains States Region Associate Degree Social Sciences students.

Read more about Social Sciences at Mitchell Tech

#2

South Dakota State University

Brookings, South Dakota

#2 in overall quality

$19,252 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 list. This fairly large school is located in Brookings, South Dakota, and it awarded 1 associates’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at South Dakota State, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend South Dakota State is $19,252 for plains states region associate degree social sciences students.

The low student loan default rate of 3.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Social Sciences at South Dakota State University

#3

Upper Iowa University

Fayette, Iowa

#3 in overall quality

$21,624 Average Net Price

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for an Associate in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Upper Iowa University landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Fayette, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 7 degrees to qualified associates’s social sciences students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region associate degree social sciences students 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 UIU is $21,624 for Plains States Region Associate Degree Social Sciences students.

Full Upper Iowa University Social Sciences Report

• Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Social Sciences

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.

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