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Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Plains States Region

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

111 Colleges
$28,497 Avg Salary
$16,369 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Liberal Arts General Studies 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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Plains States Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 111 schools in the Plains States Region to see which ones offered the best programs for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

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

The colleges and universities below are the best for liberal arts majors pursuing a .

Top 15% Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools

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

Liberal Arts majors at Northwest Iowa Community College take out an average of $11,204 in student loans while working on their egree.

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#2

Columbia College

Columbia, MO

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Columbia College. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the midsize city of Columbia, Columbia College Missouri is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

Liberal Arts majors at Columbia College Missouri take out an average of $23,451 in student loans while working on their egree.

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The excellent programs at Anoka-Ramsey Community College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best liberal arts general studies schools in the Plains States Region . Anoka-Ramsey Community College-Coon Rapids Campus is a medium-sized public school located in the large suburb of Coon Rapids.

The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at Anoka-Ramsey Community College-Coon Rapids Campus take out is $13,000.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend St Cloud Technical and Community College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the city of Saint Cloud, St Cloud Technical and Community College is a public school with a small student population.

While working on their degree, liberal arts majors at St Cloud Technical and Community College accumulate an average of around $14,250 in student debt.

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Out of the 111 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Missouri - Columbia landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the midsize city of Columbia, Mizzou is a public college with a fairly large student population.

On average, liberal arts graduates from Mizzou take out $23,750 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $278, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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With a ranking of #6, Northland Community and Technical College did quite well on this year’s best schools for liberal arts general studies students. Located in the town of Thief River Falls, Northland Community and Technical College is a public school with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at Northland Community and Technical College take out is $13,200.

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#7

Johnson County Community College

Overland Park, KS

Johnson County Community College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Plains States Region list. JCCC is a large public school located in the city of Overland Park.

While working on their degree, liberal arts majors at JCCC accumulate an average of around $10,000 in student debt.

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#8

Century College

White Bear Lake, MN

Century College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for liberal arts general studies students. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the large suburb of White Bear Lake, Century College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

On average, liberal arts graduates from Century College take out $14,376 in student loans while working on their degree.

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Rochester Community and Technical College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Plains States Region list. Rochester Community and Technical College is a small public school located in the midsize city of Rochester.

While working on their degree, liberal arts majors at Rochester Community and Technical College accumulate an average of around $15,500 in student debt.

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#10

Normandale Community College

Bloomington, MN

Normandale Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for liberal arts general studies students. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the small city of Bloomington, Normandale Community College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at Normandale Community College take out is $12,620.

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#11

University of Kansas

Lawrence, KS

University of Kansas did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for liberal arts general studies students. It came in at #11 on the list. KU is a very large public school located in the small city of Lawrence.

Liberal Arts majors at KU take out an average of $26,000 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $287, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#12

North Hennepin Community College

Brooklyn Park, MN

North Hennepin Community College ranked #12 on this year’s Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the large suburb of Brooklyn Park, North Hennepin Community College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

On average, liberal arts graduates from North Hennepin Community College take out $15,625 in student loans while working on their degree.

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With a ranking of #13, Metropolitan Community College did quite well on this year’s best schools for liberal arts general studies students. MCC is a large public school located in the city of Omaha.

After completing their degree, liberal arts graduates from MCC carry an average student debtload of $9,053.

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#14

Dakota College at Bottineau

Bottineau, ND

Dakota College at Bottineau ranked #14 on this year’s Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the rural area of Bottineau, MSU-Bottineau is a public college with a small student population.

After completing their degree, liberal arts graduates from MSU-Bottineau carry an average student debtload of $12,000.

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#15

University of Mary

Bismarck, ND

University of Mary ranked #15 on this year’s Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Plains States Region list. UMary is a small private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Bismarck.

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#16

University of Iowa

Iowa City, IA

With a ranking of #16, University of Iowa did quite well on this year’s best schools for liberal arts general studies students. Iowa is a fairly large public school located in the city of Iowa City.

The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at Iowa take out is $25,566. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $279, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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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 Schools in the Plains States Region award.

Rank College Location
17 Kansas State University Manhattan, KS
18 Winona State University Winona, MN
19 Bismarck State College Bismarck, ND
20 William Jewell College Liberty, MO
21 Inver Hills Community College Inver Grove Heights, MN
22 Metropolitan Community College - Kansas City Kansas City, MO

Best Liberal Arts General Studies Colleges by State

Explore the best liberal arts general studies schools 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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