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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Geography in the Plains States Region

22 Ranked Colleges
261 Degrees Awarded
$17,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor's in the Plains States Region

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region” ranking.

Geography is the 144th most popular major in the country with 5,476 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across the Plains States region, there were 331 geography graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 261 geography graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,786 and $25,576 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region” ranking looked at 22 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in geography. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality geography 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 geography program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. 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 Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region bachelor’s degree geography students.

Top 22 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Geography in the Plains States Region

#1

Park University

Parkville, Missouri
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Park University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region list. Park University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Parkville, Missouri. It awarded 33 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

Park University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Park University is $15,579 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students.

Read full report on Geography at Park University

#2

South Dakota State University

Brookings, South Dakota
#10 in overall quality

Out of the 22 schools in the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, South Dakota State University landed the #2 spot on the list. South Dakota State University is a fairly large public school situated in Brookings, South Dakota. It awarded 14 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree geography students list, South Dakota State has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for South Dakota State University is $19,252 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students.

The low 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%.

Full South Dakota State University Geography Report

#3

Bemidji State University

Bemidji, Minnesota
#16 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Bemidji State University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region list. This small school is located in Bemidji, Minnesota, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

Bemidji State University also made our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #16. The yearly cost to attend Bemidji State University is $15,868 for plains states region bachelor’s degree geography students.

Read more about Geography at Bemidji State University

#8 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Minnesota - Duluth. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region. Located in Duluth, Minnesota, this fairly large public school awarded 9 degrees to qualified bachelors’s geography students in 2019-2020.

UMN Duluth did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Minnesota - Duluth is $17,067 for plains states region bachelor’s degree geography students.

The low 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 more about Geography at UMN Duluth

#5

University of North Dakota

Grand Forks, North Dakota
#12 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of North Dakota. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region list. UND is a public institution located in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UND, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of North Dakota is $15,738 for plains states region bachelor’s degree geography students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of North Dakota Geography Report

#6

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa
#7 in overall quality

University of Northern Iowa came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking. UNI is a public institution located in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UNI, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UNI is $15,620 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students.

The low student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Geography at University of Northern Iowa

#7

Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, Minnesota
#15 in overall quality

Saint Cloud State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region list. St. Cloud State University is a fairly large school located in Saint Cloud, Minnesota that handed out 6 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

St. Cloud State University also made our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #15. It costs about $14,267 for plains states region bachelor’s degree geography students per year to attend Saint Cloud State University.

Full Saint Cloud State University Geography Report

#17 in overall quality

Minnesota State University - Mankato came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking. Minnesota State University - Mankato is a public institution located in Mankato, Minnesota. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Minnesota State Mankato not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $16,221 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students per year to attend Minnesota State University - Mankato.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Geography at Minnesota State University - Mankato

#21 in overall quality

Northwest Missouri State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #9. This medium-sized school is located in Maryville, Missouri, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree geography students list, Northwest has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northwest Missouri State University is $12,354 for plains states region bachelor’s degree geography students.

Read full report on Geography at Northwest Missouri State University

#20 in overall quality

Missouri State University - Springfield landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking. Springfield, Missouri is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s geography degrees to 20 students in 2019-2020.

Missouri State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $16,725 for plains states region bachelor’s degree geography students per year to attend Missouri State.

Read full report on Geography at Missouri State

#3 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, University of Missouri - Columbia did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region list. Columbia, Missouri is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s geography degrees to 17 students in 2019-2020.

Mizzou not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Mizzou is $16,001 for plains states region bachelor’s degree geography students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Geography at Mizzou

#19 in overall quality

University of Nebraska at Omaha landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking. UNOMAHA is a fairly large school located in Omaha, Nebraska that handed out 7 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

UNOMAHA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $14,040 for plains states region bachelor’s degree geography students per year to attend University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Read more about Geography at University of Nebraska at Omaha

#13

Kansas State University

Manhattan, Kansas
#14 in overall quality

Kansas State University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region list. Kansas State University is a large school located in Manhattan, Kansas that handed out 9 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

K -State also took the #14 spot in our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $18,285 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students per year to attend Kansas State University.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Read more about Geography at K -State

#11 in overall quality

University of Nebraska - Lincoln landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking. University of Nebraska - Lincoln is a large public school situated in Lincoln, Nebraska. It awarded 13 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

UNL not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UNL is $17,208 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Geography at UNL

#22 in overall quality

Missouri Southern State University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region list. Joplin, Missouri is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s geography degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Missouri Southern, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Missouri Southern is $9,625 for plains states region bachelor’s degree geography students.

Read full report on Geography at Missouri Southern State University

#16

University of Kansas

Lawrence, Kansas
#13 in overall quality

University of Kansas ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region list. Lawrence, Kansas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s geography degrees to 6 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at KU, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Kansas is $18,918 for plains states region bachelor’s degree geography students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Geography at University of Kansas

#17

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota
#5 in overall quality

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 27 bachelors’s geography degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree geography students list, UMN Twin Cities has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $17,740 for plains states region bachelor’s degree geography students per year to attend UMN Twin Cities.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The low 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 UMN Twin Cities Geography Report

#18

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa
#9 in overall quality

University of Iowa came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking. This large school is located in Iowa City, Iowa, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

Iowa also made our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend Iowa is $19,145 for plains states region bachelor’s degree geography students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Geography at University of Iowa

#18

University of Missouri - Kansas City

Kansas City, Missouri
#18 in overall quality

University of Missouri - Kansas City came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking. University of Missouri - Kansas City is located in Kansas City, Missouri and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 bachelors’s geography degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMKC, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $14,643 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students per year to attend University of Missouri - Kansas City.

Read more about Geography at UMKC

#20

University of St Thomas Minnesota

Saint Paul, Minnesota
#6 in overall quality

University of St Thomas Minnesota did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #20. University of St Thomas Minnesota is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree geography students list, UST MN has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of St Thomas Minnesota is $29,155 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of St Thomas Minnesota Geography Report

#21

Gustavus Adolphus College

Saint Peter, Minnesota
#4 in overall quality

Gustavus Adolphus College came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking. Gustavus Adolphus is a small school located in Saint Peter, Minnesota that handed out 8 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

Gustavus Adolphus did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Gustavus Adolphus College is $19,093 for plains states region bachelor’s degree geography students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Gustavus Adolphus College Geography Report

#22

Macalester College

Saint Paul, Minnesota
#1 in overall quality

With a ranking of #22, Macalester College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region list. This small school is located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and it awarded 22 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

Macalester also took the #1 spot in our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $28,426 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Geography students per year to attend Macalester.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Geography at Macalester College

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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

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 Couleur.

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