2023 Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Plains States Region
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
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.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 111 schools in the Plains States Region to see which programs offered the best value experiences for liberal arts students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
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 Schools
Our analysis found Haskell Indian Nations University to be the best value school for liberal arts general studies students who want to pursue a degree in the Plains States Region . Haskell is a fairly small public school located in the city of Lawrence.
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Southeast Community College Area is a great value for liberal arts general studies students. Southeast Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Lincoln.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Southeast Community College are $3,780 per year. Liberal Arts majors at Southeast Community College take out an average of $11,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Highland Community College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies 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. Liberal Arts majors at Highland Community College take out an average of $11,728 in student loans while working on their egree.
Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Highland Community College Report
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Out of the 111 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Leech Lake Tribal College landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the rural area of Cass Lake, Leech Lake Tribal College is a public college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Leech Lake Tribal College are $3,926 a year.
Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Leech Lake Tribal College Report
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Metropolitan Community College is a great value for liberal arts general studies students. MCC is a large public school located in the large city of Omaha.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at MCC are $4,680 per year. After completing their degree, liberal arts graduates from MCC carry an average student debtload of $9,053.
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North Hennepin Community College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value liberal arts general studies programs. Located in the large suburb of Brooklyn Park, North Hennepin Community College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
North Hennepin Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,882 in tuition and fees each year. On average, liberal arts graduates from North Hennepin Community College take out $15,625 in student loans while working on their degree.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, North Hennepin Community College also is in the top 10% of our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Plains States Region ranking.
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Anoka-Ramsey Community College landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value liberal arts general studies programs. Anoka-Ramsey Community College-Coon Rapids Campus is a moderately-sized public school located in the large suburb of Coon Rapids.
Anoka-Ramsey Community College-Coon Rapids Campus undergraduate students pay an average of $5,515 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at Anoka-Ramsey Community College-Coon Rapids Campus take out is $13,000.
Anoka-Ramsey Community College-Coon Rapids Campus also claimed a spot on our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Plains States Region list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.
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With a ranking of #8, Johnson County Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for liberal arts general studies students. JCCC is a large public school located in the midsize city of Overland Park.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at JCCC are $5,352 a year. While working on their degree, liberal arts majors at JCCC accumulate an average of around $10,000 in student debt.
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 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.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Rochester Community and Technical College are $5,372 per year. While working on their degree, liberal arts majors at Rochester Community and Technical College accumulate an average of around $15,500 in student debt.
Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Rochester Community and Technical College Report
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St Cloud Technical and Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for liberal arts general studies students. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the small city of Saint Cloud, St Cloud Technical and Community College is a public school with a small student population.
St Cloud Technical and Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,874 in tuition and fees each year. 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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With a ranking of #11, Normandale Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for liberal arts general studies students. Located in the city of Bloomington, Normandale Community College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Normandale Community College are $5,789 per year. The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at Normandale Community College take out is $12,620.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Normandale Community College also is in the top 15% of our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Plains States Region ranking.
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Northland Community and Technical College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the remote town of Thief River Falls, Northland Community and Technical College is a public school 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. The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at Northland Community and Technical College take out is $13,200.
Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Northland Community and Technical College Report
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Garden City Community College ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the remote town of Garden City, Garden City Community College is a public school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Garden City Community College are $4,020 per year. Liberal Arts majors at Garden City Community College take out an average of $6,476 in student loans while working on their egree.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Garden City Community College
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Century College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the large suburb of White Bear Lake, Century College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Century College are $5,907 per year. On average, liberal arts graduates from Century College take out $14,376 in student loans while working on their degree.
Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Century College Report
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Central Community College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the small city of Grand Island, Central Community College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Central Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,590 in tuition and fees each year. On average, liberal arts graduates from Central Community College take out $8,466 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Cloud County Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for liberal arts general studies students. It came in at #16 on the list. Cloud County Community College is a small public school located in the rural area of Concordia.
Cloud County Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $3,570 in tuition and fees each year. On average, liberal arts graduates from Cloud County Community College take out $10,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
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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 Schools in the Plains States Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 17 | Northwest Iowa Community College | Sheldon, IA |
| 18 | Labette Community College | Parsons, KS |
| 19 | Lake Superior College | Duluth, MN |
| 20 | Inver Hills Community College | Inver Grove Heights, MN |
| 21 | Barton County Community College | Great Bend, KS |
| 22 | Fort Scott Community College | Fort Scott, KS |
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 |
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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