4
Ranked Colleges
365
Degrees Awarded
$16,500
Avg Net Price*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Library Science Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.
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” ranking analyzed 4 colleges that offered 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Best Value Library Science Schools in the Plains States Region
The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region library science students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Emporia State University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Library Science Schools in the Plains States Region list. This medium-sized school is located in Emporia, Kansas, and it awarded 165 ’s library science degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our plains states region library science students list, ESU has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Library & Information Science Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend ESU is $14,794 for Plains States Region Library Science students.
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 more about Library & Information Science at ESU
Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Library Science Schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Central Missouri landed the #2 spot on the list. UCM is a public institution located in Warrensburg, Missouri. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 25 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our plains states region library science students list, UCM has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Library & Information Science Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $14,058 for plains states region library science students per year to attend UCM.
Read full report on Library & Information Science at UCM
Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Library Science Schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, St Catherine University landed the #3 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.
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. It costs about $17,814 for plains states region library science students per year to attend St. Kate’s.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% 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 Library & Information Science at St Catherine University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Iowa. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Library Science Schools in the Plains States Region. University of Iowa is a large school located in Iowa City, Iowa that handed out 33 ’s library science degrees 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 University of Iowa is $19,401 for plains states region library science students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. 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%.
Read more about Library & Information Science at University of Iowa
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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
- *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.
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