2023 Best Value Colleges for Natural Sciences (Income $48-$75k) in the Plains States Region

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Natural Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2020-2021, 2,214 people earned their degree in natural sciences, making the major the 208th most popular in the United States. 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.

This year’s “Best Value Natural Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking analyzed 3 colleges that offered a degree in natural sciences. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent natural sciences programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the natural sciences program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Natural Sciences Schools

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 Natural Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k” list to help you make the college decision.

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 Natural Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Natural Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 3 Best Value Colleges for Natural Sciences (Income $48-$75k) in the Plains States Region

1

Kansas State University
Manhattan, Kansas

#1 in overall quality

$16,868 Average Net Price

$45,255 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Kansas State University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Natural Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k. Located in Manhattan, Kansas, this large public school handed out 84 degrees to qualified ’s natural sciences students in 2020-2021.

K -State also made our “Best Natural Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #1. The yearly cost to attend K -State is $16,868 for plains states region natural sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 Kansas State University

2

Missouri State University - Springfield
Springfield, Missouri

#3 in overall quality

$15,950 Average Net Price

$40,472 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Missouri State University - Springfield. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Natural Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Missouri State is located in Springfield, Missouri and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 11 ’s natural sciences degrees to qualified students.

Missouri State also took the #3 spot in our “Best Natural Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Missouri State is $15,950 for plains states region natural sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Missouri State University - Springfield Natural Sciences Report

3

College of Saint Benedict
Saint Joseph, Minnesota

#2 in overall quality

$19,835 Average Net Price

$40,995 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Natural Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, College of Saint Benedict landed the #3 spot on the list. College of Saint Benedict is located in Saint Joseph, Minnesota and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 14 ’s natural sciences degrees to qualified students.

CSB also took the #2 spot in our “Best Natural Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $19,835 for plains states region natural sciences students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend College of Saint Benedict.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Full CSB Natural Sciences Report

• Best Value Colleges for Natural Sciences (Income $48-$75k)

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 Agsftw.