by our College Data Analytics TeamIt's not easy to decide which college to attend when you have so many options available. At College Factual, we're committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our Top Plains States Region Colleges ranking.
We analyzed 258 colleges and universities across the Plains States Region to determine which were the best in terms of overall quality. Our ranking is based on over 20 objective factors, including post graduate earnings, freshman retention, and graduation rate. We steer clear of subjective measures since they don't give a clear picture when determining how one school compares to another.
Get more details on our ranking methodology.
Since one ranking on its own is not enough to give you a complete understanding of your educational options, you can refine this list by location and field of study. We've also developed a number of other tools and rankings based on other factors. These other rankings highlight colleges that excel in other factors such as value or diversity as well as schools that excel in serving different groups of students such as veterans or returnings adults.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering!
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2025 rankings named Washington University in St Louis the best school in the Plains States Region in terms of overall quality for students working on their bachelor’s degree.
The student-to-faculty rate of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. During the early years of their career, graduates from WUSTL make an average of $86,182 a year.
The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Mayo Clinic School of Medicine helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools in the Plains States Region .
With a student-to-faculty rate of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Mayo Clinic School of Medicine is $79,652 during the early years of their career.
Out of the 258 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #3 spot on the list.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $69,020 during the early years of their career..
Out of the 258 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary landed the #4 spot on the list.
Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from MBTS go into careers with an average salary of $50,535 during the early years of their career.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Ranken Technical College. The school came in at #5 in the Plains States Region on this year’s overall quality ranking.
Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $55,955 during the early years of their career..
University of Iowa landed the #6 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in the Plains States Region ranking.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Iowa go into careers with an average salary of $64,762 during the early years of their career.
Iowa State University landed the #7 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in the Plains States Region ranking.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Iowa State make an average of $63,386 per year during the early years of their career.
Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in the Plains States Region ranking.
Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $84,393 during the early years of their career..
University of Nebraska Medical Center did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #9.
The impressive student-to-faculty rate of 2 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from UNMC make an average of $76,833 per year during the early years of their career.
University of St Thomas Minnesota came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in the Plains States Region ranking.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $73,739 during the early years of their career..
With a ranking of #11, Creighton University did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in the Plains States Region list.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. During the early years of their career, graduates from Creighton make an average of $73,911 a year.
Rasmussen University - Minnesota ranked #12 on this year’s Best Colleges in the Plains States Region list.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Rasmussen University - Minnesota is $39,080 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #13, University of Missouri - Columbia did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in the Plains States Region list.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. During the early years of their career, graduates from Mizzou make an average of $63,403 a year.
Martin Luther College did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #14.
The impressive student-to-faculty rate of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. During the early years of their career, graduates from MLC make an average of $47,491 a year.
University of Kansas did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #15.
Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $61,945 during the early years of their career..
Clarkson College ranked #16 on this year’s Best Colleges in the Plains States Region list.
Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Clarkson College go into careers with an average salary of $64,876 during the early years of their career.
University of Nebraska - Lincoln did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #17.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from UNL is $56,887 during the early years of their career.
Ozark Christian College came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in the Plains States Region ranking.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $41,297 during the early years of their career..
Bismarck State College landed the #19 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in the Plains States Region ranking.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from BSC make an average of $54,277 per year during the early years of their career.
Allen College did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #20.
The impressive student-to-faculty rate of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $71,261 during the early years of their career..
Kansas City Art Institute did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #21.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Kansas City Art Institute is $37,032 during the early years of their career.
Saint Louis University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in the Plains States Region ranking.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from SLU is $70,783 during the early years of their career.
Carleton College ranked #23 on this year’s Best Colleges in the Plains States Region list.
Bachelor’s degree students at the school tend to finish their degree on-time. The 4-year graduation rate is 88%, which is impressive compared to the national rate of 33%. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $75,525 during the early years of their career..
Rasmussen University - North Dakota ranked #24 on this year’s Best Colleges in the Plains States Region list.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. During the early years of their career, graduates from Rasmussen University - North Dakota make an average of $39,080 a year.
Herzing University - Minneapolis landed the #25 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in the Plains States Region ranking.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Herzing University - Minneapolis is $36,909 during the early years of their career.
Not only did these schools make the top 39 list, but they also landed in the top 20% of this year’s ranking:
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These schools also performed well in our Best Colleges ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 40 | Macalester College | Saint Paul, MN |
| 41 | Drake University | Des Moines, IA |
| 42 | Johnson County Community College | Overland Park, KS |
| 43 | St Catherine University | Saint Paul, MN |
| 44 | North Dakota State University - Main Campus | Fargo, ND |
| 45 | Bellevue University | Bellevue, NE |
| 46 | Central Lakes College - Brainerd | Brainerd, MN |
| 47 | Des Moines Area Community College | Ankeny, IA |
| 48 | Minnesota State University - Mankato | Mankato, MN |
| 49 | South Dakota State University | Brookings, SD |
| 50 | Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota | Winona, MN |
| 51 | University of Northwestern - St Paul | Saint Paul, MN |
| 52 | North Dakota State College of Science | Wahpeton, ND |
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.