2023 Best Value Colleges for Natural Sciences (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region
3
Ranked Colleges
163
Degrees Awarded
$14,300
Avg Net Price*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Natural Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.
Natural Sciences is the 208th most popular major in the country with 2,214 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, natural sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $25,745 and had an average of $18,648 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Plains States region, there were 163 natural sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $22,898 and $14,331 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Natural Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 3 colleges that offer a degree in natural sciences. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality natural sciences programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the natural sciences program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
More Ways to Rank Natural Sciences Schools
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Natural Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” 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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
Best Value Natural Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region natural sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
Top 3 Best Value Colleges for Natural Sciences (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region
Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Natural Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Kansas State University landed the #1 spot on the list. K -State is a public institution located in Manhattan, Kansas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 84 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our plains states region natural sciences students whose families make $0-$30k list, K -State has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Natural Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend K -State is $13,436 for plains states region natural sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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%.
Read full report on Natural Sciences at K -State
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Missouri State University - Springfield. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Natural Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Missouri State University - Springfield is a large school located in Springfield, Missouri that handed out 11 ’s natural sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Missouri State also made our “Best Natural Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $12,381 for Plains States Region Natural Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Missouri State.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Missouri State Natural Sciences Report
Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Natural Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, College of Saint Benedict landed the #3 spot on the list. CSB is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Joseph, Minnesota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 14 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
CSB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Natural Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $17,105 for Plains States Region Natural Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend College of Saint Benedict.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Natural Sciences at College of Saint Benedict
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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
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