by our College Data Analytics Team
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region” ranking.
In 2020-2021, 16,243 people earned their degree in area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies, making the major the 30th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $31,881 and had an average of $22,102 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Plains States region, there were 1,755 area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,041 and $24,013 respectively.
This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region” ranking looked at 61 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Oglala Lakota College. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region list. This small school is located in Kyle, South Dakota, and it awarded 39 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Oglala Lakota College
Out of the 61 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Leech Lake Tribal College landed the #2 spot on the list. This small school is located in Cass Lake, Minnesota, and it awarded 7 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Leech Lake Tribal College
Out of the 61 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Little Priest Tribal College landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Winnebago, Nebraska, this small public school awarded 2 degrees to qualified ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies students in 2020-2021.
Full Little Priest Tribal College Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Report
Out of the 61 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in New Town, North Dakota, this small public school handed out 4 degrees to qualified ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College
Out of the 61 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Haskell Indian Nations University landed the #5 spot on the list. Haskell is a small school located in Lawrence, Kansas that handed out 22 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Haskell Indian Nations University Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Report
Nebraska Indian Community College ranked #6 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region list. This small school is located in Macy, Nebraska, and it awarded 1 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at NICC
St Olaf College landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Northfield, Minnesota, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 55 degrees to qualified ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full St. Olaf Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Report
With a ranking of #8, Sisseton Wahpeton College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region list. Located in Sisseton, South Dakota, this small public school handed out 1 degrees to qualified ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies students in 2020-2021.
Full Sisseton Wahpeton College Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Report
With a ranking of #9, Carleton College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region list. Carleton College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Northfield, Minnesota. It awarded 19 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad 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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Carleton
Gustavus Adolphus College ranked #10 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region list. Gustavus Adolphus is a small school located in Saint Peter, Minnesota that handed out 15 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Gustavus Adolphus College
With a ranking of #11, Grinnell College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region list. This small school is located in Grinnell, Iowa, and it awarded 11 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Full Grinnell College Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Report
University of Minnesota - Morris landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking. UMN Morris is a small school located in Morris, Minnesota that handed out 6 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at University of Minnesota - Morris
With a ranking of #13, Macalester College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region list. Macalester College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It awarded 10 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Macalester
Coe College landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Coe College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It awarded 6 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.8% 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%.
Read full report on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Coe
With a ranking of #15, College of Saint Benedict did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region list. CSB is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Joseph, Minnesota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 7 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, 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 CSB
Cottey College ranked #16 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region list. This small school is located in Nevada, Missouri, and it awarded 1 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Cottey College
Washington University in St Louis did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #17. WUSTL is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Louis, Missouri. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 67 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, 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 undergraduate students. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
With a ranking of #18, Saint Johns University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region list. Saint Johns University is a small school located in Collegeville, Minnesota that handed out 4 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at SJU
University of Kansas landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking. University of Kansas is a large school located in Lawrence, Kansas that handed out 80 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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
With a ranking of #20, University of Minnesota - Duluth did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region list. UMN Duluth is a medium-sized school located in Duluth, Minnesota that handed out 22 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad 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 more about Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at University of Minnesota - Duluth
University of Missouri - Columbia did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #21. University of Missouri - Columbia is located in Columbia, Missouri and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,019 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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 89%.
Read more about Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at University of Missouri - Columbia
With a ranking of #22, Saint Ambrose University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region list. Located in Davenport, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 6 diplomas to qualified ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad 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%.
Full St. Ambrose University Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Report
With a ranking of #23, Cornell College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region list. Cornell College is a small school located in Mount Vernon, Iowa that handed out 2 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad 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%.
Full Cornell College Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Report
With a ranking of #24, Minnesota State University - Mankato did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region list. Minnesota State University - Mankato is a fairly large public school situated in Mankato, Minnesota. It awarded 24 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad 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 more about Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Minnesota State Mankato
Black Hills State University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Black Hills State University is a small school located in Spearfish, South Dakota that handed out 3 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at BHSU
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