2023 Best Value Colleges for Library & Information Science in the Plains States Region (With Aid)

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Library Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking - to help you make that decision.

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.

This year’s “Best Value Library Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 4 colleges that offered a degree in library and information science. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality library and information science programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the library and information science program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Library Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique 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 Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Library Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid.

Top 4 Best Value Colleges for Library & Information Science in the Plains States Region (With Aid)

1

Emporia State University
Emporia, Kansas

#1 in overall quality

$14,794 Average Net Price

$40,991 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Emporia State University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Library Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid. Located in Emporia, Kansas, this medium-sized public school handed out 165 diplomas to qualified ’s library science students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our plains states region library science students with aid list, ESU has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Library & Information Science Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for ESU is $14,794 for Plains States Region Library Science students with aid.

The low undergrad 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 more about Library & Information Science at ESU

2

University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa

#2 in overall quality

$19,401 Average Net Price

$50,430 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Iowa. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Library Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid list. Iowa City, Iowa is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s library science degrees to 33 students in 2020-2021.

Iowa did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Library & Information Science Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Iowa is $19,401 for plains states region library science students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full University of Iowa Library & Information Science Report

3

University of Central Missouri
Warrensburg, Missouri

#3 in overall quality

$14,058 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 Getting Aid. University of Central Missouri is a public institution located in Warrensburg, Missouri. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 25 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UCM also made our “Best Library & Information Science Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for UCM is $14,058 for plains states region library science students with aid.

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

4

St Catherine University
Saint Paul, Minnesota

#4 in overall quality

$17,814 Average Net Price

$53,926 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Library Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, St Catherine University landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 33 diplomas to qualified ’s library science students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our plains states region library science students with aid list, St. Kate’s has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Library & Information Science Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $17,814 for plains states region library science students with aid per year to attend St. Kate’s.

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. Kate’s

• Best Value Colleges for Library & Information Science (With Aid)

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.