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Best Value Computer Science Schools in the Plains States Region

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2023 Best Value Computer Science Schools in the Plains States Region

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

45 Colleges
$14,227 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$62,748 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Computer Science School for You

Computer Science is the #12 most popular major in the country with 59,565 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

The Best Value Computer Science Schools in the Plains States Region ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 45 schools in the Plains States Region to see which programs offered the best value experiences for compsci students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Computer Science Schools in the Plains States Region

The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for compsci majors pursuing a .

Top 10 Best Computer Science Schools

#1

North Hennepin Community College

Brooklyn Park, MN

Our 2023 rankings named North Hennepin Community College the best value school in the Plains States Region for computer science students. Located in the suburb of Brooklyn Park, North Hennepin Community College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at North Hennepin Community College are $4,882 a year. After completing their degree, compsci graduates from North Hennepin Community College carry an average student debtload of $23,000.

North Hennepin Community College also claimed a spot on our Best Computer Science Schools in the Plains States Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.

Read full report on Computer Science at North Hennepin Community College

The excellent programs at Lake Area Technical Institute helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best computer science schools in the Plains States Region . LATI is a small public school located in the remote town of Watertown.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at LATI are $6,718 per year. After completing their degree, compsci graduates from LATI carry an average student debtload of $14,250.

Read full report on Computer Science at Lake Area Technical Institute

#3

Normandale Community College

Bloomington, MN

The excellent programs at Normandale Community College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best computer science schools in the Plains States Region . Located in the small city of Bloomington, Normandale Community College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Normandale Community College are $5,789 per year.

Normandale Community College excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Computer Science Schools in the Plains States Region list.

Read More…

Out of the 45 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Anoka-Ramsey Community College landed the # 4 spot on the list. Anoka-Ramsey Community College-Coon Rapids Campus is a moderately-sized public school located in the large suburb of Coon Rapids.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Anoka-Ramsey Community College-Coon Rapids Campus are $5,515 a year.

Anoka-Ramsey Community College-Coon Rapids Campus also claimed a spot on our Best Computer Science Schools in the Plains States Region list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.

Read full report on Computer Science at Anoka-Ramsey Community College

#5

Grantham University

Lenexa, KS
$8,280 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Grantham University is a great value for computer science students. Located in the small city of Lenexa, Grantham University is a private for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Grantham University are $8,280 a year. On average, compsci graduates from Grantham University take out $30,627 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Computer Science at Grantham University

$14,919 Average Tuition & Fees

Northwest Missouri State University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Computer Science Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the remote town of Maryville, Northwest is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Northwest are $14,919 a year.

Read More…

#7

Saint Paul College

Saint Paul, MN
$6,041 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #7, Saint Paul College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for computer science students. Located in the large city of Saint Paul, Saint Paul College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Saint Paul College undergraduate students pay an average of $6,041 in tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Computer Science at Saint Paul College

$9,394 Average Tuition & Fees

Metropolitan State University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value computer science programs. Located in the large city of Saint Paul, Metro State is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Metro State undergraduate students pay an average of $9,394 in tuition and fees each year. CompSci majors at Metro State take out an average of $25,686 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Computer Science at Metropolitan State University

#9

Butler Community College

El Dorado, KS
$5,976 Average Tuition & Fees

Butler Community College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Computer Science Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the town of El Dorado, Butler CC is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Butler CC are $5,976 per year.

Read More…

#10

Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, MN
$18,010 Average Tuition & Fees

Saint Cloud State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Computer Science Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the small city of Saint Cloud, St. Cloud State University is a public college with a fairly large student population.

St. Cloud State University undergraduate students pay an average of $18,010 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that compsci majors at St. Cloud State University take out is $27,000.

Read full report on Computer Science at Saint Cloud State University

Best Computer Science Colleges by State

Explore the best computer science schools for a specific state in the Plains States region.

State Degrees Awarded
Missouri 1,360
Minnesota 1,411
Kansas 229
Iowa 755
Nebraska 122
North Dakota 113
South Dakota 38

Computer Science is one of 10 different types of programs to choose from.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Computer Information Systems 88,434
Information Technology 40,555
Information Science 18,325
Computer Systems Networking 14,700
Computer Software & Applications 14,336

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • 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 the rest 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).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Negative Space.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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