Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

Find Schools Near

2023 Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

32 Colleges
$18,978 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$32,881 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor's 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 Bachelor's 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 32 schools in the Plains States Region to see which ones offered the best value bachelor's 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.

2023 Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for liberal arts majors pursuing a bachelor's degree.

Top 10 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools

#1

Columbia College

Columbia, MO

Our analysis found Columbia College to be the best value school for liberal arts general studies students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in the Plains States Region . Located in the midsize city of Columbia, Columbia College Missouri is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

Columbia College Missouri undergraduate students pay an average of $11,636 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, liberal arts graduates from Columbia College Missouri carry an average student debtload of $31,039.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Columbia College Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend South Dakota State University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the town of Brookings, South Dakota State is a public school with a large student population.

South Dakota State undergraduate students pay an average of $12,809 in tuition and fees each year.

Read More…

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Metropolitan State University is a great value for liberal arts general studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Saint Paul, Metro State is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Metro State are $9,394 a year. On average, liberal arts graduates from Metro State take out $34,139 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Metropolitan State University

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Minot State University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the remote town of Minot, MSU is a public school with a small student population.

MSU undergraduate students pay an average of $8,163 in tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Minot State University

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Fort Hays State University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the town of Hays, FHSU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at FHSU are $15,870 per year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, liberal arts graduates from FHSU carry an average student debtload of $30,324.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Fort Hays State University

#6

University of North Dakota

Grand Forks, ND

With a ranking of #6, University of North Dakota did quite well on this year’s best value schools for liberal arts general studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Grand Forks, UND is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UND are $15,037 a year. While working on their Bachelor's Degree, liberal arts majors at UND accumulate an average of around $24,522 in student debt.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at University of North Dakota Report

Mayville State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for liberal arts general studies students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #7 on the list. Mayville State University is a small public school located in the remote area of Mayville.

Mayville State University undergraduate students pay an average of $10,756 in tuition and fees each year. Liberal Arts majors at Mayville State University take out an average of $28,379 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Mayville State University Report

Southeast Missouri State University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the city of Cape Girardeau, Southeast Missouri State University is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Southeast Missouri State University are $15,285 per year. Liberal Arts majors at Southeast Missouri State University take out an average of $29,102 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $140.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Southeast Missouri State University Report

University of Central Missouri landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree liberal arts general studies programs. UCM is a large public school located in the distant town of Warrensburg.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UCM are $16,815 a year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, liberal arts graduates from UCM carry an average student debtload of $26,303.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at University of Central Missouri Report

#10

William Jewell College

Liberty, MO

William Jewell College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the large suburb of Liberty, William Jewell is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at William Jewell are $19,310 a year.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at William Jewell College

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 26 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.

Featured Schools

Find Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited colleges across the U.S.