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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities in the Plains States Region

35 Ranked Colleges
3,129 Degrees Awarded
$15,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor's in the Plains States Region

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region” ranking - to help you make that decision.

Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 3rd of all the majors we analyze. In 2019-2020, 559,661 degrees were awarded to students with this major. In 2017-2018, liberal arts / sciences and humanities graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $26,786 and had an average of $16,538 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Plains States region, there were 31,703 liberal arts / sciences and humanities graduates with average earnings and debt of $28,800 and $15,275 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 3,129 liberal arts / sciences and humanities graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,786 and $25,576 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region” ranking, we looked at 35 colleges that offer a degree in liberal arts / sciences and humanities. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent liberal arts / sciences and humanities 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 liberal arts / sciences and humanities program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The liberal arts / sciences & humanities 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 Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region”.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities in the Plains States Region

#1

Columbia College

Columbia, Missouri
#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Columbia College. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region. Columbia, Missouri is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to 377 students in 2019-2020.

Columbia College Missouri also took the #1 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $26,730 for plains states region bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students per year to attend Columbia College.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Columbia College Missouri

#2

University of North Dakota

Grand Forks, North Dakota
#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of North Dakota. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region. Grand Forks, North Dakota is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to 110 students in 2019-2020.

UND did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UND is $15,738 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UND Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#3

University of South Dakota

Vermillion, South Dakota
#12 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of South Dakota. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region. Vermillion, South Dakota is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to 45 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at USD, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $18,555 for plains states region bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students per year to attend University of South Dakota.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at University of South Dakota

#4

South Dakota State University

Brookings, South Dakota
#16 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend South Dakota State University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region list. This fairly large school is located in Brookings, South Dakota, and it awarded 30 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at South Dakota State, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend South Dakota State University is $19,252 for plains states region bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students.

The low student loan default rate of 3.8% 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 Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at South Dakota State University

#5

Minot State University

Minot, North Dakota

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Minot State University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region list. Minot State University is a small school located in Minot, North Dakota that handed out 26 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Minot State University is $11,898 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at MSU

#10 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, Fort Hays State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region list. Hays, Kansas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to 249 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students list, FHSU has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $12,053 for plains states region bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students per year to attend FHSU.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Fort Hays State University

#7

Southeast Missouri State University

Cape Girardeau, Missouri
#17 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, Southeast Missouri State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region list. Located in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, this fairly large public school handed out 172 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities students in 2019-2020.

Southeast Missouri State University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Southeast Missouri State University is $12,774 for plains states region bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students.

Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Southeast Missouri State University

#7 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, University of Nebraska at Omaha did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region list. This fairly large school is located in Omaha, Nebraska, and it awarded 318 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

UNOMAHA also took the #7 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $14,040 for plains states region bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students per year to attend University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at UNOMAHA

#18 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, University of Nebraska at Kearney did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region list. UNK is a public institution located in Kearney, Nebraska. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 41 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UNK not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Nebraska at Kearney is $16,017 for plains states region bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students.

The low student loan default rate of 4.3% 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 UNK Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#6 in overall quality

With a ranking of #10, Iowa State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region list. Located in Ames, Iowa, this large public school awarded 80 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities students in 2019-2020.

Iowa State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Iowa State is $15,496 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Full Iowa State Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#11

University of Central Missouri

Warrensburg, Missouri

University of Central Missouri ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region list. University of Central Missouri is a medium-sized school located in Warrensburg, Missouri that handed out 86 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UCM is $13,677 for plains states region bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at University of Central Missouri

#12

Mayville State University

Mayville, North Dakota

Mayville State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #12. Mayville State University is a small school located in Mayville, North Dakota that handed out 15 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Mayville State University is $12,378 for plains states region bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students.

Full Mayville State University Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#13

Pittsburg State University

Pittsburg, Kansas
#19 in overall quality

Pittsburg State University landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking. Pitt State is a public institution located in Pittsburg, Kansas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 53 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Pitt State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $14,436 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students per year to attend Pittsburg State University.

Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Pitt State

#14

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa
#15 in overall quality

With a ranking of #14, University of Northern Iowa did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region list. Located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, this medium-sized public school handed out 76 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities students in 2019-2020.

UNI also took the #15 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UNI is $15,620 for plains states region bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students.

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 86%.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at University of Northern Iowa

Missouri State University - Springfield ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region list. Missouri State University - Springfield is a large school located in Springfield, Missouri that handed out 90 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $16,725 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students per year to attend Missouri State University - Springfield.

Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Missouri State University - Springfield

Missouri Southern State University landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking. Joplin, Missouri is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to 79 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $9,625 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students per year to attend Missouri Southern.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Missouri Southern State University

#17

University of Mary

Bismarck, North Dakota
#24 in overall quality

University of Mary ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region list. University of Mary is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Bismarck, North Dakota. It awarded 24 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students list, UMary has also earned the #24 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $17,410 for plains states region bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students per year to attend University of Mary.

The low student loan default rate of 4.7% 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%.

Full University of Mary Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#18

College of Saint Mary

Omaha, Nebraska
#25 in overall quality

College of Saint Mary landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking. Omaha, Nebraska is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to 13 students in 2019-2020.

Saint Mary did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #25 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Saint Mary is $14,325 for plains states region bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students.

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 low student loan default rate of 3.9% 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 more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at College of Saint Mary

#19

Wichita State University

Wichita, Kansas
#20 in overall quality

Wichita State University landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Wichita, Kansas, this fairly large public school awarded 89 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students list, WSU has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $14,382 for plains states region bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students per year to attend WSU.

Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at WSU

#20

Emporia State University

Emporia, Kansas
#23 in overall quality

Emporia State University landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking. ESU is a medium-sized public school situated in Emporia, Kansas. It awarded 39 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

ESU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend ESU is $14,822 for plains states region bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students.

Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at ESU

#21

Metropolitan State University

Saint Paul, Minnesota

Metropolitan State University landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking. Metropolitan State University is located in Saint Paul, Minnesota and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 7 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $15,225 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students per year to attend Metro State.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Metro State

#22

University of Kansas

Lawrence, Kansas
#8 in overall quality

University of Kansas landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking. University of Kansas is located in Lawrence, Kansas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 109 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students list, KU has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for KU is $18,918 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students.

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

Full University of Kansas Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#5 in overall quality

With a ranking of #23, University of Missouri - Columbia did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region list. University of Missouri - Columbia is a large public school situated in Columbia, Missouri. It awarded 100 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

Mizzou did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Mizzou is $16,001 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Mizzou Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#24

Kansas State University

Manhattan, Kansas
#13 in overall quality

Kansas State University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region list. Manhattan, Kansas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to 4 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students list, K -State has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $18,285 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students per year to attend Kansas State University.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Kansas State University Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#25

Fontbonne University

Saint Louis, Missouri
#11 in overall quality

Fontbonne University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #25. Fontbonne University is a small school located in Saint Louis, Missouri that handed out 15 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

Fontbonne University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Fontbonne University is $15,961 for plains states region bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full Fontbonne University Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

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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.

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