It'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.
Our analysis looked at 286 schools in the Plains States Region to determine which ones 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.
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!
Washington University in St Louis tops this year’s ranking as the best school in the Plains States Region for overall quality.Saint Louis, Missouri is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 5,763 students in 2020-2021.
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. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from WUSTL make an average of $82,732 per year during the early years of their career.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Mayo Clinic School of Medicine. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Colleges in the Plains States Region list. Mayo Clinic School of Medicine is a small private not-for-profit school located in Rochester, Minnesota that handed out 459 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty rate of 4 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Mayo Clinic School of Medicine is $68,712 during the early years of their career.
A rank of #3 on our Best Colleges in the Plains States Region list means A T Still University of Health Sciences is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in Kirksville, Missouri, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 1,362 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
The student loan default rate at the school is 0.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%
Out of the 286 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the large public school handed out 14,640 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from UMN Twin Cities is $61,201 during the early years of their career.
A rank of #5 on our Best Colleges in the Plains States Region list means Ranken Technical College is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Saint Louis, Missouri, and it awarded 701 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Ranken Technical College go into careers with an average salary of $54,941 during the early years of their career.
Iowa State University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges in the Plains States Region ranking. Iowa State is a public institution located in Ames, Iowa. The school has a large population, and it awarded 8,681 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Iowa State go into careers with an average salary of $57,351 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #7, Carleton College did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges in the Plains States Region list. Carleton is located in Northfield, Minnesota and has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 517 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Carleton go into careers with an average salary of $67,132 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #8, University of Nebraska Medical Center did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges in the Plains States Region list. University of Nebraska Medical Center is a small public school located in Omaha, Nebraska that handed out 1,202 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty rate of 2 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from UNMC is $73,342 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #9, University of Iowa did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges in the Plains States Region list.Iowa City, Iowa is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 9,628 students in 2020-2021.
The low student loan default rate of 2.2% 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% Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Iowa make an average of $58,274 per year during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #10, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges in the Plains States Region list. MBTS is located in Kansas City, Missouri and has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 662 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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% Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from MBTS go into careers with an average salary of $41,664 during the early years of their career.
Grinnell College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Colleges in the Plains States Region list. Located in Grinnell, Iowa, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 496 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
With a student-to-faculty rate of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. During the early years of their career, graduates from Grinnell make an average of $59,488 a year.
Palmer College of Chiropractic - Davenport ranked #12 on this year’s Best Colleges in the Plains States Region list.Davenport, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 664 students in 2020-2021.
The low student loan default rate of 1.2% 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% During the early years of their career, graduates from Palmer College of Chiropractic - Davenport make an average of $41,367 a year.
Missouri University of Science and Technology came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in the Plains States Region ranking. Missouri University of Science and Technology is a medium-sized public school situated in Rolla, Missouri. It awarded 2,405 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Missouri University of Science and Technology go into careers with an average salary of $80,289 during the early years of their career.
University of Nebraska - Lincoln came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Lincoln, Nebraska, the large public school handed out 6,179 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from UNL is $52,360 during the early years of their career.
University of St Thomas Minnesota came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in the Plains States Region ranking. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and it awarded 3,066 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% During the early years of their career, graduates from UST MN make an average of $67,398 a year.
With a ranking of #16, Macalester College did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges in the Plains States Region list. Located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 585 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
The school boasts an average 4-year graduation rate of 85%, which is excellent when compared to the national rate of 33%. During the early years of their career, graduates from Macalester make an average of $57,134 a year.
Creighton University landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges in the Plains States Region ranking. Creighton is a private not-for-profit institution located in Omaha, Nebraska. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 2,878 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $66,524 during the early years of their career..
Concordia Seminary ranked #18 on this year’s Best Colleges in the Plains States Region list. Concordia Seminary is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Louis, Missouri. The school has a small population, and it awarded 125 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
St Olaf College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in the Plains States Region ranking. St Olaf College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Northfield, Minnesota that handed out 942 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The 4-year grad rate at the school is 82%. That’s impressive when you compare it to the national rate of 33%. During the early years of their career, graduates from St. Olaf make an average of $60,242 a year.
University of Missouri - Columbia ranked #20 on this year’s Best Colleges in the Plains States Region list. Mizzou is located in Columbia, Missouri and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 9,036 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Mizzou make an average of $56,986 per year during the early years of their career.
Saint Louis University did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #21. Saint Louis University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in Saint Louis, Missouri that handed out 3,422 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from SLU make an average of $65,934 per year during the early years of their career.
Capella University landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the large private for-profit school handed out 14,837 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
During the early years of their career, graduates from Capella University make an average of $59,307 a year.
Northwestern Health Sciences University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Colleges in the Plains States Region list.Bloomington, Minnesota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 264 students in 2020-2021.
The low student loan default rate of 0.8% 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% During the early years of their career, graduates from NWHSU make an average of $35,057 a year.
Luther Seminary came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in the Plains States Region ranking. Luther Seminary is a small private not-for-profit school located in Saint Paul, Minnesota that handed out 128 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Northern Iowa did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #25. University of Northern Iowa is a medium-sized public school located in Cedar Falls, Iowa that handed out 3,013 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. During the early years of their career, graduates from UNI make an average of $49,563 a year.
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%.
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