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2022 Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k

15 Ranked Colleges
608 Degrees Awarded
$10,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools for a Bachelor's in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 16,240 people earned their degree in area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies, making the major the 30th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $30,827 and had an average of $22,562 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Plains States region, there were 2,040 area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $30,300 and $23,472 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 608 area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,786 and $25,576 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 15 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies 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 area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools

The area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k”.

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. 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 Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 15 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies (Income $30-$48k) in the Plains States Region

#1

Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, Missouri
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 15 schools in the Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Washington University in St Louis landed the #1 spot on the list. WUSTL is located in Saint Louis, Missouri and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 72 bachelors’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees to qualified students.

WUSTL did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $6,248 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend WUSTL.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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%.

Full WUSTL Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Report

#13 in overall quality

Out of the 15 schools in the Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Haskell Indian Nations University landed the #2 spot on the list. This small school is located in Lawrence, Kansas, and it awarded 19 bachelors’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Haskell, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $2,685 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Haskell.

Read more about Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Haskell

#3

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota
#6 in overall quality

Out of the 15 schools in the Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this large public school handed out 36 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies students in 2019-2020.

UMN Twin Cities also made our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #6. The estimated yearly cost for University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is $8,418 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UMN Twin Cities Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Report

#4

St Olaf College

Northfield, Minnesota
#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend St Olaf College. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k. Located in Northfield, Minnesota, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 54 degrees to qualified bachelors’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students whose families make $30-$48k list, St. Olaf has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend St. Olaf is $12,276 for plains states region bachelor’s degree area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The low student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 more about Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at St Olaf College

#9 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Minnesota - Duluth. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k. University of Minnesota - Duluth is a fairly large school located in Duluth, Minnesota that handed out 10 bachelors’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMN Duluth, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $7,992 for plains states region bachelor’s degree area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UMN Duluth.

The low student loan default rate of 3.1% 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%.

Full UMN Duluth Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Report

#3 in overall quality

University of Missouri - Columbia ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Columbia, Missouri is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees to 76 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students whose families make $30-$48k list, Mizzou has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $11,595 for plains states region bachelor’s degree area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Mizzou.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Read more about Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at University of Missouri - Columbia

#7

Oglala Lakota College

Kyle, South Dakota
#15 in overall quality

Oglala Lakota College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Oglala Lakota College is a small school located in Kyle, South Dakota that handed out 15 bachelors’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Oglala Lakota College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Oglala Lakota College is $662 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Oglala Lakota College

#8

Carleton College

Northfield, Minnesota
#4 in overall quality

Carleton College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Northfield, Minnesota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees to 23 students in 2019-2020.

Carleton did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Carleton College is $9,358 for plains states region bachelor’s degree area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Carleton College

#10 in overall quality

Iowa State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Ames, Iowa is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees to 25 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students whose families make $30-$48k list, Iowa State has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $10,843 for plains states region bachelor’s degree area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Iowa State.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 3.3% 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 Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Iowa State University

#10

Grinnell College

Grinnell, Iowa
#7 in overall quality

Grinnell College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Grinnell is located in Grinnell, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 14 bachelors’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Grinnell, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Grinnell is $14,818 for plains states region bachelor’s degree area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Grinnell

#12 in overall quality

Minnesota State University - Mankato came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Minnesota State Mankato is a fairly large school located in Mankato, Minnesota that handed out 20 bachelors’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Minnesota State Mankato did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Minnesota State Mankato is $11,781 for plains states region bachelor’s degree area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.4% 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%.

Full Minnesota State Mankato Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Report

#12

Saint Louis University

Saint Louis, Missouri
#5 in overall quality

Saint Louis University landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Saint Louis University is a fairly large school located in Saint Louis, Missouri that handed out 17 bachelors’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2019-2020.

SLU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $21,082 for plains states region bachelor’s degree area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Saint Louis University.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 2.9% 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 Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at SLU

#13

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa
#8 in overall quality

University of Iowa came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Iowa is a large public school situated in Iowa City, Iowa. It awarded 39 bachelors’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Iowa also made our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #8. The estimated yearly cost for Iowa is $15,073 for plains states region bachelor’s degree area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Iowa Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Report

#14

University of Kansas

Lawrence, Kansas
#11 in overall quality

With a ranking of #14, University of Kansas did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Lawrence, Kansas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees to 49 students in 2019-2020.

KU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend KU is $15,380 for plains states region bachelor’s degree area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at KU

#15

Wichita State University

Wichita, Kansas
#14 in overall quality

With a ranking of #15, Wichita State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Wichita State University is a fairly large public school situated in Wichita, Kansas. It awarded 1 bachelors’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2019-2020.

WSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $12,543 for plains states region bachelor’s degree area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Wichita State University.

Read more about Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Wichita State University

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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 G. Mützel.

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