by our College Data Analytics TeamThere are lots of options to choose from today when trying to decide which school to attend. At College Factual, we're committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our Best Colleges for the Money in the Plains States Region ranking.
In This Year's Value Report:
After analyzing 283 schools in the Plains States Region , we came up with our list of those that offered the best value programs. Our ranking for the best value schools is based on objective factors. We steer clear of subjective measures since they don't give a clear picture when determining how one school compares to another. More specifically, the following explains what we consider and why.
Our Best Colleges for the Money in the Plains States Region ranking is determined by first looking at the combined costs of average tuition, fees, and room and board before any aid is applied. In addition, the overall quality of a school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how much it costs.
To make it into this list a school must offer a quality education like the schools in our Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considers factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
To learn more, visit our best value ranking methodology page.
You can scroll down to see the top schools for this ranking, but you may also want to view some of the other ranking methods listed below.
Know what field you want to major in? Make sure you check out our best value schools by major. In addition, you can select one of the links below to see the best value colleges for other degree levels.
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2023 rankings named Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary the best value (no aid) school in the Plains States Region . MBTS is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Kansas City, Missouri.
The average cost without aid for the school is $21,152 a year for undergraduates. The average cost without aid for the school is $19,082 per year for graduate students.
A rank of #2 on our Best Colleges for the Money in the Plains States Region list means Ranken Technical College is a great place for students working on their degree. Located in Saint Louis, Missouri, the school is a small private not-for-profit institution.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Ranken Technical College is ranked #2 for quality in the state of Missouri. The average cost without aid for the school is $23,914 a year for undergraduates. The average cost without aid for the school is $7,750 per year for graduate students.
A rank of #3 on our Best Colleges for the Money in the Plains States Region list means Capella University is a great place for students working on their degree. This large private for-profit school is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Capella University has the honor of being ranked #6 in Minnesota for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost without aid for the school is $20,148 a year for undergraduates. The average cost without aid for the school is $20,784 per year for graduate students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Hennepin Technical College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Colleges for the Money in the Plains States Region list. This small public school is located in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota.
Hennepin Technical College has the honor of being ranked #18 in Minnesota for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost without aid for the school is $13,675 a year for undergraduates. The average cost without aid for the school is $7,934 per year for graduate students.
Out of the 283 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Metropolitan Community College landed the #5 spot on the list. Metropolitan Community College is a fairly large public school located in Omaha, Nebraska.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Metropolitan Community College is ranked #8 for quality in the state of Nebraska. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $10,935 a year. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $6,255 a year.
With a ranking of #6, Lake Area Technical Institute did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for the Money in the Plains States Region list. Watertown, South Dakota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Not only is Lake Area Technical Institute a great value, but it is also ranked #4 in South Dakota for overall quality. The average cost without aid for the school is $13,988 a year for undergraduates. The average cost without aid for the school is $7,270 per year for graduate students.
With a ranking of #7, Walden University did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for the Money in the Plains States Region list. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the school is a large private for-profit institution.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Walden University is ranked #8 for quality in the state of Minnesota. The average cost without aid for the school is $20,298 a year for undergraduates. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $19,931 a year.
Mayo Clinic School of Medicine landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for the Money in the Plains States Region ranking. Mayo Clinic School of Medicine is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Rochester, Minnesota.
The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $19,364 a year. The average cost without aid for the school is $30,108 per year for graduate students.
Bellevue University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for the Money in the Plains States Region ranking. Bellevue University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Bellevue, Nebraska.
Bellevue University has the honor of being ranked #4 in Nebraska for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $18,993 a year. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $22,413 a year.
Bismarck State College landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for the Money in the Plains States Region ranking. BSC is located in Bismarck, North Dakota and has a small student population. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Bismarck State College is ranked #5 for quality in the state of North Dakota. The average cost without aid for the school is $14,387 a year for undergraduates. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $7,457 a year.
Logan University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in the Plains States Region list. Logan University is located in Chesterfield, Missouri and has a small student population. It is a private not-for-profit school.
The average cost without aid for the school is $16,936 a year for undergraduates. The average cost without aid for the school is $18,436 per year for graduate students.
Concordia University, Nebraska came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in the Plains States Region ranking. Concordia University, Nebraska is located in Seward, Nebraska and has a small student population. It is a private not-for-profit school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Concordia University, Nebraska is ranked #3 for quality in the state of Nebraska. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $45,910 a year. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $18,250 a year.
With a ranking of #13, Park University did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for the Money in the Plains States Region list. Parkville, Missouri is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. It is a private not-for-profit school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Park University is ranked #10 for quality in the state of Missouri. The average cost without aid for the school is $16,937 a year for undergraduates. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $14,519 a year.
Dakota County Technical College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in the Plains States Region ranking. DCTC is a small public school situated in Rosemount, Minnesota.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Dakota County Technical College is ranked #27 for quality in the state of Minnesota. The average cost without aid for the school is $13,678 a year for undergraduates. The average cost without aid for the school is $7,470 per year for graduate students.
Northwestern Health Sciences University did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for the Money in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #15. NWHSU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Bloomington, Minnesota.
The average cost without aid for the school is $24,105 a year for undergraduates. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $24,046 a year.
Read full value report on Northwestern Health Sciences University
Martin Luther College did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for the Money in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #16. MLC is a private not-for-profit institution located in New Ulm, Minnesota.
The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $23,590 a year. The average cost without aid for the school is $12,080 per year for graduate students.
South Dakota State University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in the Plains States Region ranking. South Dakota State University is a fairly large public school located in Brookings, South Dakota.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, South Dakota State University is ranked #1 for quality in the state of South Dakota. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $20,863 a year. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $24,971 a year.
North Dakota State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for the Money in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #18. North Dakota State University is located in Fargo, North Dakota and has a fairly large student population. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, North Dakota State University - Main Campus is ranked #1 for quality in the state of North Dakota. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $23,954 a year. The average cost without aid for the school is $21,106 per year for graduate students.
Read full value report on North Dakota State University - Main Campus
Ozark Christian College landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for the Money in the Plains States Region ranking. Ozark Christian College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Joplin, Missouri.
The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $20,530 a year. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $6,270 a year.
With a ranking of #20, North Dakota State College of Science did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for the Money in the Plains States Region list. Located in Wahpeton, North Dakota, the school is a small public institution.
Not only is North Dakota State College of Science a great value, but it is also ranked #7 in North Dakota for overall quality. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $13,274 a year. The average cost without aid for the school is $6,668 per year for graduate students.
Learn More About Value at North Dakota State College of Science
Century College came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, the school is a medium-sized public institution.
Century College has the honor of being ranked #32 in Minnesota for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost without aid for the school is $13,049 a year for undergraduates. The average cost without aid for the school is $7,142 per year for graduate students.
Mitchell Technical College landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for the Money in the Plains States Region ranking. Mitchell, South Dakota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Mitchell Technical College is ranked #7 for quality in the state of South Dakota. The average cost without aid for the school is $13,524 a year for undergraduates. The average cost without aid for the school is $6,000 per year for graduate students.
Anoka Technical College landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for the Money in the Plains States Region ranking. Anoka Technical College is a small public school located in Anoka, Minnesota.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Anoka Technical College is ranked #33 for quality in the state of Minnesota. The average cost without aid for the school is $13,851 a year for undergraduates. The average cost without aid for the school is $7,776 per year for graduate students.
Clarkson College ranked #24 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in the Plains States Region list. Clarkson College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Omaha, Nebraska.
The average cost without aid for the school is $22,164 a year for undergraduates. The average cost without aid for the school is $19,578 per year for graduate students.
Minot State University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in the Plains States Region ranking. Minot, North Dakota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Minot State University has the honor of being ranked #6 in North Dakota for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost without aid for the school is $15,055 a year for undergraduates. The average cost without aid for the school is $17,155 per year for graduate students.
Not only did these schools make the top 43 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
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These schools also performed well in our Best Colleges for the Money in the Plains States Region ranking:
| Rank | College | Location | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 44 | Alexandria Technical & Community College | Alexandria, MN | Value Report |
| 45 | Ridgewater College | Willmar, MN | Value Report |
| 46 | State Technical College of Missouri | Linn, MO | Value Report |
| 47 | University of Northern Iowa | Cedar Falls, IA | Value Report |
| 48 | Iowa Western Community College | Council Bluffs, IA | Value Report |
| 49 | Northland Community and Technical College | Thief River Falls, MN | Value Report |
| 50 | Nebraska Methodist College of Nursing & Allied Health | Omaha, NE | Value Report |
| 51 | Luther Seminary | Saint Paul, MN | Value Report |
| 52 | Northeast Community College | Norfolk, NE | Value Report |
| 53 | Des Moines Area Community College | Ankeny, IA | Value Report |
| 54 | Lake Superior College | Duluth, MN | Value Report |
| 55 | Northwest Iowa Community College | Sheldon, IA | Value Report |
| 56 | Central Community College | Grand Island, NE | Value Report |
| 57 | Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota | Winona, MN | Value Report |
| 57 | Missouri State University - Springfield | Springfield, MO | Value Report |
| Rank | College | Location | Value |
|---|
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
