2023 Best Value Colleges for Library & Information Science (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Library Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2020-2021, 5,950 people earned their degree in library and information science, making the major the 121st most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, library and information science graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $43,949 and had an average of $27,472 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Plains States region, there were 365 library and information science graduates with average earnings and debt of $41,760 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Library Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 4 colleges that offer a degree in library and information science. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great library and information science programs and 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 library and information science program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Value Library Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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 Library Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region library science students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 4 Best Value Colleges for Library & Information Science (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region

1

Emporia State University
Emporia, Kansas

#1 in overall quality

$11,465 Average Net Price

$40,991 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Library Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Emporia State University landed the #1 spot on the list. Emporia State University is a medium-sized school located in Emporia, Kansas that handed out 165 ’s library science degrees in 2020-2021.

ESU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Library & Information Science Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend ESU is $11,465 for Plains States Region Library Science students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Library & Information Science at Emporia State University

2

University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa

#2 in overall quality

$13,554 Average Net Price

$50,430 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Iowa. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Library Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k. University of Iowa is a public institution located in Iowa City, Iowa. The school has a large population, and it awarded 33 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Iowa also made our “Best Library & Information Science Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend University of Iowa is $13,554 for plains states region library science students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 low undergrad 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%.

Full University of Iowa Library & Information Science Report

3

University of Central Missouri
Warrensburg, Missouri

#3 in overall quality

$11,006 Average Net Price

$41,823 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Central Missouri. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Library Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k. This fairly large school is located in Warrensburg, Missouri, and it awarded 25 ’s library science degrees in 2020-2021.

UCM also took the #3 spot in our “Best Library & Information Science Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $11,006 for plains states region library science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Central Missouri.

Read more about Library & Information Science at University of Central Missouri

4

St Catherine University
Saint Paul, Minnesota

#4 in overall quality

$14,391 Average Net Price

$53,926 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend St Catherine University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Library Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and it awarded 33 ’s library science degrees in 2020-2021.

St. Kate’s did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Library & Information Science Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend St. Kate’s is $14,391 for Plains States Region Library Science students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Library & Information Science at St Catherine University

• Best Value Colleges for Library & Information Science (Income $0-$30k)

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 Diliff.