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2024 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

29 Colleges in the Plains States Region
3,190 Bachelor's Degrees
$34,585 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a bachelor's degree in liberal arts general studies, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #13 most popular program in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 29 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 3,190 bachelor's degrees in liberal arts general studies during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Liberal Arts General Studies School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region Your choice of liberal arts general studies for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we include a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a combination of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their bachelor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your bachelor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for liberal arts general studies students working on their bachelor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Liberal Arts General Studies Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Liberal Arts Rankings Other Ranking Categories

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list to help you make the college decision.

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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.


 

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Liberal Arts General Studies in the Plains States Region

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in liberal arts general studies.

10 Top Plains States Region Schools for a Bachelor's in Liberal Arts

1
KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS
116 Annual Graduates
$36,932 Median Starting Salary
$22,500 Median Student Debt

It's difficult to beat University of Kansas if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in liberal arts general studies. Located in the small city of Lawrence, KU is a public university with a very large student population.

Liberal Arts General Studies bachelor's degree recipients from University of Kansas receive an earnings boost of around $2,347 above the average income of liberal arts general studies graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from University of Kansas

2
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
218 Annual Graduates
$38,648 Median Starting Salary
$25,269 Median Student Debt

University of Iowa is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in liberal arts general studies. Located in the city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public university with a very large student population.

Those liberal arts general studies students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Iowa receive $4,063 more than the standard liberal arts student.

More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from University of Iowa

3
Columbia College Missouri crest
Columbia College
Columbia, MO
356 Annual Graduates
$41,030 Median Starting Salary
$30,658 Median Student Debt

Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in liberal arts general studies needs to check out Columbia College. Located in the city of Columbia, Columbia College Missouri is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

Liberal Arts General Studies bachelor's degree recipients from Columbia College earn a boost of about $6,445 over the average earnings of liberal arts general studies majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from Columbia College

4
UMary crest
University of Mary
Bismarck, ND

University of Mary is a good decision for individuals pursuing a bachelor's degree in liberal arts general studies. UMary is a small private not-for-profit university located in the rural area of Bismarck.

Soon after graduation, liberal arts bachelor's recipients typically earn about $30,750 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from University of Mary

5
99 Annual Graduates
$37,483 Median Starting Salary
$24,901 Median Student Debt

UND is a fairly large public university located in the city of Grand Forks.

Bachelor's recipients from the liberal arts general studies program at University of North Dakota earn $2,898 above the standard graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from University of North Dakota

6
68 Annual Graduates
$29,615 Median Starting Salary
$26,400 Median Student Debt

UNI is a moderately-sized public university located in the city of Cedar Falls.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the liberal arts program make about $29,615 in their early career salary.

More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from University of Northern Iowa

7
257 Annual Graduates
$36,246 Median Starting Salary
$26,573 Median Student Debt

Located in the remote town of Hays, FHSU is a public university with a large student population.

Soon after graduating, liberal arts bachelor's recipients generally make around $36,246 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from Fort Hays State University

8
135 Annual Graduates
$35,082 Median Starting Salary
$25,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Kansas City, UMKC is a public university with a large student population.

After graduating, liberal arts bachelor's recipients usually make around $35,082 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from University of Missouri - Kansas City

9
Simpson College crest
Simpson College
Indianola, IA
14 Annual Graduates
$36,438 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the town of Indianola, Simpson College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the liberal arts program earn about $36,438 in their early career salary.

More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from Simpson College

10

Located in the large city of Wichita, WSU is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the liberal arts program state that they receive average early career income of $33,552.

More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from Wichita State University

Best Liberal Arts General Studies Colleges by State

Explore the best liberal arts general studies schools for a specific state in the Plains States Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Missouri 228 1,287
Minnesota 215 78
Iowa 197 476
Kansas 184 596
Nebraska 180 443
North Dakota 149 175
South Dakota 148 121

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One of 0 majors within the Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities area of study, Liberal Arts General Studies has other similar majors worth exploring.

Liberal Arts Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
General Studies 1,547
Liberal Arts 1,488
Individualized Studies 141
Humanities 14

Notes and References

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