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Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Missouri

2023 Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Missouri

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

25 Colleges
$10,367 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$28,467 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Liberal Arts General Studies 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 Schools in Missouri ranking. This report analyzed 25 schools in Missouri to see which ones offered the best value 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 Schools

$4,680 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named State Fair Community College the best value school in Missouri for liberal arts general studies students. State Fair Community College is a small public school located in the remote town of Sedalia.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at State Fair Community College are $4,680 a year. After completing their degree, liberal arts graduates from State Fair Community College carry an average student debtload of $10,575.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at State Fair Community College Report

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$4,924 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Ozarks Technical Community College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best liberal arts general studies schools in Missouri. OTC is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Springfield.

OTC undergraduate students pay an average of $4,924 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, liberal arts graduates from OTC carry an average student debtload of $12,792.

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#3

Crowder College

Neosho, MO
$5,088 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Crowder College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Missouri list. Crowder College is a small public school located in the distant town of Neosho.

Crowder College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,088 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at Crowder College take out is $8,100.

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$6,150 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Moberly Area Community College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best liberal arts general studies schools in Missouri. Located in the town of Moberly, MACC is a public college with a small student population.

MACC undergraduate students pay an average of $6,150 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, liberal arts majors at MACC accumulate an average of around $11,000 in student debt.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Moberly Area Community College Report

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#5

Saint Louis Community College

Saint Louis, MO
$5,295 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Saint Louis Community College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Missouri list. Saint Louis Community College is a large public school located in the large suburb of Saint Louis.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Saint Louis Community College are $5,295 a year. The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at Saint Louis Community College take out is $8,750.

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$6,840 Average Tuition & Fees

Metropolitan Community College - Kansas City landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value liberal arts general studies programs. Located in the large city of Kansas City, MCC is a public school with a large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at MCC are $6,840 a year. On average, liberal arts graduates from MCC take out $8,792 in student loans while working on their degree.

In addition to its great value ranking, MCC is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Missouri list.

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#6

St Charles Community College

Cottleville, MO
$5,190 Average Tuition & Fees

St Charles 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 #6 on the list. Located in the suburb of Cottleville, SCC is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

SCC undergraduate students pay an average of $5,190 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, liberal arts graduates from SCC carry an average student debtload of $7,071.

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$4,800 Average Tuition & Fees

Missouri State University - West Plains came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Missouri ranking. Located in the remote town of West Plains, Missouri State West Plains is a public school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Missouri State West Plains are $4,800 a year. The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at Missouri State West Plains take out is $11,000.

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#9

Mineral Area College

Park Hills, MO
$5,200 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #9, Mineral Area College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for liberal arts general studies students. Located in the distant town of Park Hills, MAC is a public college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at MAC are $5,200 a year. On average, liberal arts graduates from MAC take out $8,574 in student loans while working on their degree.

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#10

East Central College

Union, MO
$4,392 Average Tuition & Fees

East Central College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Missouri list. Located in the rural area of Union, East Central College is a public college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at East Central College are $4,392 a year. While working on their degree, liberal arts majors at East Central College accumulate an average of around $8,000 in student debt.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at East Central College Report

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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 Colleges 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 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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