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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies in the Plains States Region (With Aid)

15 Ranked Colleges
608 Degrees Awarded
$18,000 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools for a Bachelor's in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid

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 Getting Aid” 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 Getting Aid” ranking looked at 15 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid

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 Getting Aid.

Top 15 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies in the Plains States Region (With Aid)

#13 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Haskell Indian Nations University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid. Haskell is a small public school situated in Lawrence, Kansas. 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. The yearly cost to attend Haskell is $2,836 for plains states region bachelor’s degree area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students with aid.

Read full report on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Haskell Indian Nations University

#2

Oglala Lakota College

Kyle, South Dakota
#15 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Oglala Lakota College. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. 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 not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $-375 for plains states region bachelor’s degree area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students with aid per year to attend Oglala Lakota College. A negative average net price may seem strange, but it generally means that financial aid will more than cover the cost to attend the school.

Read full report on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Oglala Lakota College

#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Missouri - Columbia. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid 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.

Mizzou also made our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $16,001 for plains states region bachelor’s degree area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students with aid per year to attend University of Missouri - Columbia.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low student loan default rate of 3.6% 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 University of Missouri - Columbia

#4

Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, Missouri
#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Washington University in St Louis. 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 Getting Aid. WUSTL is a fairly large school located in Saint Louis, Missouri that handed out 72 bachelors’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2019-2020.

WUSTL also took the #1 spot in our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend WUSTL is $26,869 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

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

#5

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 Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #5 spot on the list. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a large public school situated in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It awarded 36 bachelors’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees 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. It costs about $17,740 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies students with aid per year to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.

Read full report on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

#12 in overall quality

Minnesota State University - Mankato 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 Getting Aid list. Minnesota State University - Mankato is located in Mankato, Minnesota and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 20 bachelors’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees to qualified students.

Minnesota State Mankato not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $16,221 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies students with aid per year to attend Minnesota State University - Mankato.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Minnesota State Mankato

#10 in overall quality

Iowa State University 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 Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Ames, Iowa, and it awarded 25 bachelors’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Iowa State also took the #10 spot in our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Iowa State is $15,496 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Iowa State University

#8

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa
#8 in overall quality

University of Iowa did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #8. Located in Iowa City, Iowa, this large public school handed out 39 degrees to qualified bachelors’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies students in 2019-2020.

Iowa did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Iowa is $19,145 for plains states region bachelor’s degree area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students with aid.

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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

#9 in overall quality

University of Minnesota - Duluth did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #9. University of Minnesota - Duluth is a fairly large public school situated in Duluth, Minnesota. It awarded 10 bachelors’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2019-2020.

UMN Duluth not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $17,067 for plains states region bachelor’s degree area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students with aid per year to attend University of Minnesota - Duluth.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

#10

University of Kansas

Lawrence, Kansas
#11 in overall quality

University of Kansas 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 Getting Aid list. University of Kansas is a public institution located in Lawrence, Kansas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 49 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

KU also took the #11 spot in our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $18,918 for plains states region bachelor’s degree area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students with aid per year to attend KU.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

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

#11

Wichita State University

Wichita, Kansas
#14 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, 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 Getting Aid list. WSU 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. The estimated yearly cost for Wichita State University is $14,382 for plains states region bachelor’s degree area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students with aid.

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

#12

St Olaf College

Northfield, Minnesota
#2 in overall quality

St Olaf College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #12. St. Olaf is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Northfield, Minnesota. It awarded 54 bachelors’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2019-2020.

St. Olaf also took the #2 spot in our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for St. Olaf is $23,543 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Read full report on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at St Olaf College

#13

Saint Louis University

Saint Louis, Missouri
#5 in overall quality

Saint Louis University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. Saint Louis University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Louis, Missouri. It awarded 17 bachelors’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students with aid list, SLU has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SLU is $28,188 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies students with aid.

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%. 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.

Read full report on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Saint Louis University

#14

Carleton College

Northfield, Minnesota
#4 in overall quality

With a ranking of #14, Carleton College 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 Getting Aid list. This small school is located in Northfield, Minnesota, and it awarded 23 bachelors’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Carleton also took the #4 spot in our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Carleton is $31,133 for plains states region bachelor’s degree area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students with aid.

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 student-to-faculty ratio of 8 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 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

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

#15

Grinnell College

Grinnell, Iowa
#7 in overall quality

Grinnell College landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Grinnell College 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.

Grinnell did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Grinnell is $22,486 for plains states region bachelor’s degree area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students with aid.

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 low student loan default rate of 2.6% 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 Grinnell

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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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