2023 Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
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.
The Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 85 schools in the Plains States Region to see which ones offered the best value associate degree programs for liberal arts students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
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.
Top 15% Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Haskell Indian Nations University the best value school in the Plains States Region for liberal arts general studies students working on their associate degree. Haskell is a fairly small public school located in the city of Lawrence.
On average, liberal arts graduates from Haskell take out $5,347 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southeast Community College Area. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Southeast Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Lincoln.
Southeast Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $3,780 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at Southeast Community College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $13,990.
Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Southeast Community College Area Report
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Highland Community College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the rural area of Highland, Highland Community College is a public school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Highland Community College are $3,570 a year. After completing their Associate Degree, liberal arts graduates from Highland Community College carry an average student debtload of $13,241.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Leech Lake Tribal College is a great value for liberal arts general studies students working on their associate degree. Located in the rural area of Cass Lake, Leech Lake Tribal College is a public school with a small student population.
Leech Lake Tribal College undergraduate students pay an average of $3,926 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at Leech Lake Tribal College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $5,426.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Metropolitan Community College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. MCC is a large public school located in the city of Omaha.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at MCC are $4,680 per year. On average, liberal arts graduates from MCC take out $11,848 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, MCC also is in the top 20% of our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking.
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North Hennepin 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 #6 on the list. Located in the suburb of Brooklyn Park, North Hennepin Community College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at North Hennepin Community College are $4,882 per year. After completing their Associate Degree, liberal arts graduates from North Hennepin Community College carry an average student debtload of $19,456.
North Hennepin Community College excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list.
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Anoka-Ramsey Community College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Anoka-Ramsey Community College-Coon Rapids Campus is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Coon Rapids.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Anoka-Ramsey Community College-Coon Rapids Campus are $5,515 per year. 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.
Anoka-Ramsey Community College-Coon Rapids Campus also took the #1 spot in our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region rankings.
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Johnson County Community College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree liberal arts general studies programs. JCCC is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Overland Park.
JCCC undergraduate students pay an average of $5,352 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their Associate Degree, liberal arts graduates from JCCC carry an average student debtload of $12,689.
JCCC excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list.
Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Johnson County Community College Report
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Rochester Community and Technical College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value 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.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Rochester Community and Technical College are $5,372 a year. 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.
In addition to its great value ranking, Rochester Community and Technical College is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list.
Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Rochester Community and Technical College Report
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With a ranking of #10, St Cloud Technical and Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for liberal arts general studies students working on their associate degree. Located in the city of Saint Cloud, St Cloud Technical and Community College is a public school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at St Cloud Technical and Community College are $5,874 a year. 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.
In addition to its great value ranking, St Cloud Technical and Community College is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list.
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Normandale 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 #11 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 tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Normandale Community College are $5,789 a year. While working on their Associate Degree, liberal arts majors at Normandale Community College accumulate an average of around $16,425 in student debt.
In addition to its great value ranking, Normandale Community College is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list.
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Northland Community and Technical College ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the town of Thief River Falls, Northland Community and Technical College is a public college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Northland Community and Technical College are $6,052 a year. 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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These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | Garden City Community College | Garden City, KS |
| 14 | Century College | White Bear Lake, MN |
| 15 | Central Community College | Grand Island, NE |
| 16 | Cloud County Community College | Concordia, KS |
| 17 | Northwest Iowa Community College | Sheldon, IA |
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 |
More Liberal Arts General Studies Rankings in the Plains States Region
Liberal Arts General Studies Related Majors for Liberal Arts
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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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