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Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in Missouri

2023 Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in Missouri

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

12 Colleges
$17,060 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$32,881 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor's Degree School for You

Liberal Arts General Studies is the most popular major in Missouri with 8,280 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in Missouri ranking. This report analyzed 12 schools in Missouri 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.

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 Missouri. Located in the midsize city of Columbia, Columbia College Missouri is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

Columbia College Missouri undergraduate students pay an average of $11,636 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, liberal arts graduates from Columbia College Missouri take out $31,039 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means University of Missouri - Columbia is a great value for liberal arts general studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the medium-sized city of Columbia, Mizzou is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Mizzou undergraduate students pay an average of $11,475 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, liberal arts graduates from Mizzou carry an average student debtload of $24,124. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $278.

Mizzou not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #2 on our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Missouri list.

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The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at University of Central Missouri helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value liberal arts general studies schools in Missouri. UCM is a large public school located in the town of Warrensburg.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UCM are $9,078 a year. On average, liberal arts graduates from UCM take out $26,303 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Southeast Missouri State University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Missouri list. Located in the small city of Cape Girardeau, Southeast Missouri State University is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Southeast Missouri State University are $8,715 a year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, liberal arts graduates from Southeast Missouri State University carry an average student debtload of $29,102. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $140.

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Out of the 12 schools in Missouri that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Missouri - Kansas City landed the # 5 spot on the list. UMKC is a large public school located in the city of Kansas City.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UMKC are $11,271 a year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, liberal arts graduates from UMKC carry an average student debtload of $32,000.

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Missouri State University - Springfield came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Missouri ranking. Located in the medium-sized city of Springfield, Missouri State is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Missouri State undergraduate students pay an average of $8,294 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their Bachelor's Degree, liberal arts majors at Missouri State accumulate an average of around $31,613 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 $183.

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University of Missouri - St Louis 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. Located in the large suburb of Saint Louis, UMSL is a public school with a large student population.

UMSL undergraduate students pay an average of $12,015 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Liberal Arts majors at UMSL take out an average of $34,691 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

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Missouri Southern State University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Missouri ranking. Located in the small city of Joplin, Missouri Southern is a public college with a small student population.

Missouri Southern undergraduate students pay an average of $7,762 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, liberal arts graduates from Missouri Southern take out $30,367 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

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#9

Lincoln University

Jefferson City, MO

With a ranking of #9, Lincoln University 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 small city of Jefferson City, LU Missouri is a public school with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at LU Missouri are $8,370 per year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, liberal arts graduates from LU Missouri carry an average student debtload of $37,428.

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#10

William Jewell College

Liberty, MO

William Jewell College 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 #10 on the list. Located in the large suburb of Liberty, William Jewell is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

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

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Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Colleges in the Plains States Region

Explore all the Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Plains States Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
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 12 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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