Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Missouri

Find Schools Near

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.

2023 Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Missouri

Check out the liberal arts programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Top 10 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools

$4,680 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found State Fair Community College to be the best value school for liberal arts general studies students who want to pursue a degree in Missouri. State Fair Community College is a small public school located in the remote town of Sedalia.

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

Read More…

$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 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.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Ozarks Technical Community College

#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.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Crowder College are $5,088 per year. The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at Crowder College take out is $8,100.

Read More…

$6,150 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Moberly Area Community College. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Missouri list. Located in the town of Moberly, MACC is a public college with a small student population.

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

Read More…

#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.

Read More…

$6,840 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #6, Metropolitan Community College - Kansas City did quite well on this year’s best value schools for liberal arts general studies students. Located in the large city of Kansas City, MCC is a public school with a large student population.

MCC undergraduate students pay an average of $6,840 in in-state tuition and fees each 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.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Metropolitan Community College - Kansas City

#6

St Charles Community College

Cottleville, MO
$5,190 Average Tuition & Fees

St Charles Community College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value liberal arts general studies programs. Located in the suburb of Cottleville, SCC is a public college with a moderately-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.

Read More…

$4,800 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #8, Missouri State University - West Plains did quite well on this year’s best value schools for liberal arts general studies students. Located in the town of West Plains, Missouri State West Plains is a public school with a small student population.

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

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Missouri State University - West Plains Report

#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.

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

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Mineral Area College Report

#10

East Central College

Union, MO
$4,392 Average Tuition & Fees

East Central College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Missouri ranking. Located in the rural area of Union, East Central College is a public school with a small student population.

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

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at East Central College

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 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.

Featured Schools

Find Schools Near You

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