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Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

2023 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

85 Colleges
$24,682 Avg Salary
$12,147 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree School for You

In 2020-2021, 556,813 degrees and certificates were awarded to liberal arts general studies students, making the major the most popular in the country.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. 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 help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. This report analyzed 85 schools in the Plains States Region to see which ones offered the best associate degree programs for students. The factors used to develop this ranking include those related to how in-demand the school is, the overall quality of the school, and post-graduation wages, and more.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

Check out the liberal arts associate degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.

Top 15% Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools

Our 2023 rankings named Northwest Iowa Community College the best school in the Plains States Region for liberal arts general studies students working on their associate degree. Northwest Iowa Community College is a small public school located in the rural area of Sheldon.

While working on their Associate Degree, liberal arts majors at Northwest Iowa Community College accumulate an average of around $14,875 in student debt.

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#2

Columbia College

Columbia, MO

The excellent associate degree programs at Columbia College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best liberal arts general studies schools in the Plains States Region . Located in the midsize city of Columbia, Columbia College Missouri is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at Columbia College Missouri take out while working on their Associate Degree is $23,597.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Anoka-Ramsey Community College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Anoka-Ramsey Community College-Coon Rapids Campus is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Coon Rapids.

While working on their Associate Degree, liberal arts majors at Anoka-Ramsey Community College-Coon Rapids Campus accumulate an average of around $16,841 in student debt.

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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means St Cloud Technical and Community College is a great place for liberal arts general studies students working on their associate degree. Located in the small city of Saint Cloud, St Cloud Technical and Community College is a public school with a small student population.

While working on their Associate Degree, liberal arts majors at St Cloud Technical and Community College accumulate an average of around $16,986 in student debt.

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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Northland Community and Technical College is a great place for liberal arts general studies students working on their associate degree. Located in the town of Thief River Falls, Northland Community and Technical College is a public school with a small student population.

After completing their Associate Degree, liberal arts graduates from Northland Community and Technical College carry an average student debtload of $16,020.

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#6

Johnson County Community College

Overland Park, KS

Johnson County Community College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree liberal arts general studies programs. JCCC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Overland Park.

After completing their Associate Degree, liberal arts graduates from JCCC carry an average student debtload of $12,689.

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#7

Century College

White Bear Lake, MN

Century College landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree liberal arts general studies programs. Located in the suburb of White Bear Lake, Century College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at Century College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $18,772.

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Rochester Community and Technical College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Rochester Community and Technical College is a small public school located in the medium-sized city of Rochester.

Liberal Arts majors at Rochester Community and Technical College take out an average of $18,661 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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#9

Normandale Community College

Bloomington, MN

Normandale Community College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the small city of Bloomington, Normandale Community College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

While working on their Associate Degree, liberal arts majors at Normandale Community College accumulate an average of around $16,425 in student debt.

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#10

North Hennepin Community College

Brooklyn Park, MN

With a ranking of #10, North Hennepin Community College did quite well on this year’s best schools for liberal arts general studies students working on their associate degree. Located in the large suburb of Brooklyn Park, North Hennepin Community College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

After completing their Associate Degree, liberal arts graduates from North Hennepin Community College carry an average student debtload of $19,456.

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#11

Dakota College at Bottineau

Bottineau, ND

Dakota College at Bottineau did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for liberal arts general studies students to get a associate degree. It came in at #11 on the list. Located in the remote area of Bottineau, MSU-Bottineau is a public college with a small student population.

On average, liberal arts graduates from MSU-Bottineau take out $13,087 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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Metropolitan Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for liberal arts general studies students to get a associate degree. It came in at #12 on the list. MCC is a large public school located in the city of Omaha.

On average, liberal arts graduates from MCC take out $11,848 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for Liberal Arts General Studies students in the Plains States Region that almost earned our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region award.

Rank College Location
13 Winona State University Winona, MN
14 Bismarck State College Bismarck, ND
15 Inver Hills Community College Inver Grove Heights, MN
16 Lake Superior College Duluth, MN
17 Central Lakes College - Brainerd Brainerd, MN

Best Liberal Arts General Studies Colleges by State

Explore the best liberal arts general studies colleges for a specific state in the Plains States region.

State Degrees Awarded
Missouri 8,280
Minnesota 6,264
Kansas 6,339
Iowa 5,966
Nebraska 1,612
North Dakota 953
South Dakota 222

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).

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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