by our College Data Analytics TeamThere are lots of options to choose from today when trying to decide which school to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our Best Plains States Region Schools For The Money For Those Making $0-$30k for a Master's ranking - to help you make that decision. Due to the amount of income-based financial aid available, many 'high-priced' schools are more affordable than you think.
In This Year's Value Report:
We analyzed 117 schools across the Plains States Region to determine which have the best value Master's Degree programs. Our ranking for the best value schools is based on objective factors. We steer clear of subjective measures since they don't give a clear picture when determining how one school compares to another. More specifically, the following explains what we consider and why.
To calculate the value of a school in our Best Master's Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region ranking, we first consider its average net price of students from families making $0-$30k a year. The net price is the sum of room and board, tuition, and fees minus any financial aid that that the student receives. In addition, the overall quality of a school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how much it costs.
To make it into this list a school must offer a quality education like the schools in our Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considers factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
To learn more, visit our best value ranking methodology page.
You can scroll down to see the top schools for this ranking, but you may also want to view some of the other ranking methods listed below.
Know what field you want to major in? Make sure you check out our best value schools by major. In addition, you can select one of the links below to see the best value colleges for other degree levels.
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2024 rankings named Washington University in St Louis the best value (income $0-$30k) school in the Plains States Region for students working on their master’s degree. Washington University in St Louis is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in Saint Louis, Missouri.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Washington University in St Louis is ranked #1 for quality in the state of Missouri.
The quality degree programs at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region. UMN Twin Cities is a public institution located in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is ranked #1 for quality in the state of Minnesota.
Learn More About Value at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Out of the 117 master’s degree schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Iowa State University landed the #3 spot on the list. Ames, Iowa is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Not only is Iowa State University a great value, but it is also ranked #2 in Iowa for overall quality.
Out of the 117 master’s degree schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Missouri University of Science and Technology landed the #4 spot on the list. Missouri University of Science and Technology is a public institution located in Rolla, Missouri.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Missouri University of Science and Technology is ranked #4 for quality in the state of Missouri.
Read full value report on Missouri University of Science and Technology
Out of the 117 master’s degree schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Minnesota - Duluth landed the #5 spot on the list. University of Minnesota - Duluth is a medium-sized public school located in Duluth, Minnesota.
Not only is University of Minnesota - Duluth a great value, but it is also ranked #14 in Minnesota for overall quality.
Truman State University did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #6. Truman State is a public institution located in Kirksville, Missouri.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Truman State University is ranked #10 for quality in the state of Missouri.
University of Nebraska - Lincoln ranked #7 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region list. UNL is a public institution located in Lincoln, Nebraska.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of Nebraska - Lincoln is ranked #1 for quality in the state of Nebraska.
University of Missouri - St Louis landed the #8 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region ranking. University of Missouri - St Louis is a fairly large public school located in Saint Louis, Missouri.
University of Missouri - St Louis has the honor of being ranked #9 in Missouri for overall quality on top of being a good value.
University of Northern Iowa landed the #9 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region ranking. This medium-sized public school is located in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
Not only is University of Northern Iowa a great value, but it is also ranked #4 in Iowa for overall quality.
University of North Dakota landed the #10 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region ranking. Grand Forks, North Dakota is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Not only is University of North Dakota a great value, but it is also ranked #2 in North Dakota for overall quality.
University of Iowa did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #11. Located in Iowa City, Iowa, the school is a large public institution.
University of Iowa has the honor of being ranked #1 in Iowa for overall quality on top of being a good value.
University of Missouri - Columbia came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region ranking. Mizzou is located in Columbia, Missouri and has a large student population. It is a public school.
Not only is University of Missouri - Columbia a great value, but it is also ranked #3 in Missouri for overall quality.
With a ranking of #13, Minot State University did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region list. Located in Minot, North Dakota, the school is a small public institution.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Minot State University is ranked #4 for quality in the state of North Dakota.
College of Saint Mary ranked #14 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region list. Located in Omaha, Nebraska, the school is a small private not-for-profit institution.
College of Saint Mary has the honor of being ranked #5 in Nebraska for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Kansas State University landed the #15 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region ranking. K -State is a large public school situated in Manhattan, Kansas.
Not only is Kansas State University a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in Kansas for overall quality.
With a ranking of #16, University of Kansas did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region list. University of Kansas is a large public school located in Lawrence, Kansas.
Not only is University of Kansas a great value, but it is also ranked #2 in Kansas for overall quality.
Southwest Minnesota State University landed the #17 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region ranking. Southwest Minnesota State University is a medium-sized public school situated in Marshall, Minnesota.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Southwest Minnesota State University is ranked #17 for quality in the state of Minnesota.
University of Missouri - Kansas City did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #18. UMKC is located in Kansas City, Missouri and has a fairly large student population. It is a public school.
University of Missouri - Kansas City has the honor of being ranked #11 in Missouri for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Read full value report on University of Missouri - Kansas City
North Dakota State University - Main Campus ranked #19 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region list. This fairly large public school is located in Fargo, North Dakota.
North Dakota State University - Main Campus has the honor of being ranked #3 in North Dakota for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Learn More About Value at North Dakota State University - Main Campus
University of Nebraska at Omaha landed the #20 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region ranking. University of Nebraska at Omaha is a fairly large public school located in Omaha, Nebraska.
Not only is University of Nebraska at Omaha a great value, but it is also ranked #6 in Nebraska for overall quality.
Minnesota State University - Mankato ranked #21 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region list. Minnesota State Mankato is a public institution located in Mankato, Minnesota.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Minnesota State University - Mankato is ranked #9 for quality in the state of Minnesota.
Read full value report on Minnesota State University - Mankato
Saint Cloud State University did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #22. St. Cloud State University is located in Saint Cloud, Minnesota and has a fairly large student population. It is a public school.
Not only is Saint Cloud State University a great value, but it is also ranked #13 in Minnesota for overall quality.
Northwest Missouri State University did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #23. This medium-sized public school is located in Maryville, Missouri.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Northwest Missouri State University is ranked #14 for quality in the state of Missouri.
Learn More About Value at Northwest Missouri State University
Valley City State University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region ranking. Valley City State University is a small public school located in Valley City, North Dakota.
Not only is Valley City State University a great value, but it is also ranked #5 in North Dakota for overall quality.
Missouri State University - Springfield did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #25. Missouri State is a public institution located in Springfield, Missouri.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Missouri State University - Springfield is ranked #8 for quality in the state of Missouri.
Learn More About Value at Missouri State University - Springfield
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Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.