2023 Best Education Schools in the Plains States Region
Finding the Best Education School for You
In 2020-2021, 327,871 education students received a degree or certificate, making the major the #4 most popular in the country.
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Education Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. This report analyzed 119 schools in the Plains States Region to see which ones offered the best programs for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
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2023 Best Education Schools in the Plains States Region
The following schools top our list of the Best Education Colleges.
Top 15% Best Education Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Valley City State University the best school in the Plains States Region for education students. Valley City State University is a small public school located in the town of Valley City.
Education majors at Valley City State University take out an average of $25,803 in student loans while working on their egree.
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Concordia College at Moorhead is a great place for education students. Concordia College Moorhead is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize suburb of Moorhead.
Education majors at Concordia College Moorhead take out an average of $26,174 in student loans while working on their egree.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Winona State University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Education Schools in the Plains States Region list. Winona State is a medium-sized public school located in the distant town of Winona.
The average amount in student loans that education majors at Winona State take out is $27,146. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $150, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Northwestern College. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Education Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the town of Orange City, NWC is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
After completing their degree, education graduates from NWC carry an average student debtload of $25,995.
A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Drake University is a great place for education students. Located in the city of Des Moines, Drake is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
After completing their degree, education graduates from Drake carry an average student debtload of $27,000.
University of Northern Iowa ranked #6 on this year’s Best Education Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the city of Cedar Falls, UNI is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
On average, education graduates from UNI take out $25,439 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $197.
Martin Luther College landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best education programs. Located in the town of New Ulm, MLC is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
Education majors at MLC take out an average of $23,016 in student loans while working on their egree.
University of Jamestown ranked #8 on this year’s Best Education Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the remote town of Jamestown, UJ is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
The average amount in student loans that education majors at UJ take out is $27,250.
Dakota State University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best education programs. Located in the town of Madison, Dakota State is a public school with a small student population.
Education majors at Dakota State take out an average of $28,500 in student loans while working on their egree.
Northeast Community College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best education programs. Northeast is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Norfolk.
Education majors at Northeast take out an average of $11,500 in student loans while working on their egree.
Wartburg College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Education Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the distant town of Waverly, Wartburg is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
On average, education graduates from Wartburg take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
Augustana University landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best education programs. Located in the midsize city of Sioux Falls, Augustana Sioux Falls is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
The average amount in student loans that education majors at Augustana Sioux Falls take out is $27,000.
Iowa State University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Education Schools in the Plains States Region list. Iowa State is a very large public school located in the small city of Ames.
The average amount in student loans that education majors at Iowa State take out is $24,433. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $206.
With a ranking of #14, University of Nebraska - Lincoln did quite well on this year’s best schools for education students. Located in the city of Lincoln, UNL is a public college with a very large student population.
While working on their degree, education majors at UNL accumulate an average of around $25,267 in student debt. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $293.
University of St Thomas Minnesota landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best education programs. Located in the city of Saint Paul, UST MN is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.
Education majors at UST MN take out an average of $26,832 in student loans while working on their egree.
Minnesota State University - Mankato came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Education Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Minnesota State Mankato is a large public school located in the city of Mankato.
After completing their degree, education graduates from Minnesota State Mankato carry an average student debtload of $27,583.
Full Education at Minnesota State University - Mankato Report
Creighton University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for education students. It came in at #17 on the list. Creighton is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Omaha.
Honorable Mentions
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Education Schools in the Plains States Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 18 | University of Minnesota - Duluth | Duluth, MN |
| 19 | Northern State University | Aberdeen, SD |
| 20 | University of Minnesota - Twin Cities | Minneapolis, MN |
| 21 | Minot State University | Minot, ND |
| 22 | North Dakota State University - Main Campus | Fargo, ND |
| 23 | Dickinson State University | Dickinson, ND |
Best Education Colleges by State
Explore the best education colleges for a specific state in the Plains States region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Kansas | 4,776 |
| Minnesota | 9,682 |
| Iowa | 3,392 |
| South Dakota | 1,045 |
| Missouri | 7,906 |
| Nebraska | 4,167 |
| North Dakota | 1,291 |
More Education Rankings in the Plains States Region
Rankings in Majors Related to Education
Education Majors to Study
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Teacher Education Grade Specific | 110,226 |
| Educational Administration | 46,469 |
| Teacher Education Subject Specific | 43,297 |
| Special Education | 36,792 |
| General Education | 29,810 |
| Curriculum & Instruction | 19,832 |
| Student Counseling | 13,858 |
| Instructional Media Design | 8,695 |
| Teaching English or French | 5,791 |
| Other Education | 4,858 |
| Teaching Assistants | 2,751 |
| Educational Assessment | 2,552 |
| Multilingual Education | 1,910 |
| Education Philosophy | 737 |
| International Education | 293 |
Most Popular Majors Related to Education
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Social Sciences | 205,984 |
| Psychology | 195,678 |
| Communication & Journalism | 120,571 |
| Family, Consumer & Human Sciences | 55,820 |
| History | 32,731 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- 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 Horadrim.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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