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Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

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2023 Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

85 Colleges
$4,986 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$24,682 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Associate Degree School for You

In 2020-2021, 556,813 liberal arts / sciences and humanities students received a degree or certificate, making the major the #3 most popular in the country.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. 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 help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. This report analyzed 85 schools in the Plains States Region to see which ones offered the best value associate degree programs for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. 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.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Associate Degree Colleges.

Top 15% Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Associate Degree Schools

Our analysis found Haskell Indian Nations University to be the best value school for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students who want to pursue a associate degree in the Plains States Region . Haskell is a small public school located in the small city of Lawrence.

Full Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Haskell Indian Nations University Report

Out of the 85 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Southeast Community College Area landed the # 2 spot on the list. Southeast Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the large city of Lincoln.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Southeast Community College are $3,780 a year.

Full Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Southeast Community College Area Report

Out of the 85 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Highland Community College landed the # 3 spot on the 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.

Full Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Highland Community College Report

#4

Leech Lake Tribal College

Cass Lake, MN

The excellent associate degree programs at Leech Lake Tribal College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best value liberal arts / sciences and humanities schools in the Plains States Region . Located in the rural area of Cass Lake, Leech Lake Tribal College is a public college with a small student population.

Leech Lake Tribal College undergraduate students pay an average of $3,926 in tuition and fees each year.

Full Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Leech Lake Tribal College Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Metropolitan Community College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. MCC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Omaha.

MCC undergraduate students pay an average of $4,680 in tuition and fees each year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, MCC also did well on our Best Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Metropolitan Community College

#6

North Hennepin Community College

Brooklyn Park, MN

North Hennepin Community College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the large suburb of Brooklyn Park, North Hennepin Community College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

North Hennepin Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,882 in tuition and fees each year.

North Hennepin Community College also claimed a spot on our Best Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

Full Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at North Hennepin Community College Report

Anoka-Ramsey Community College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Anoka-Ramsey Community College-Coon Rapids Campus is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Coon Rapids.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Anoka-Ramsey Community College-Coon Rapids Campus are $5,515 a year.

Anoka-Ramsey Community College-Coon Rapids Campus also made our Best Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list, coming in at #1.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Anoka-Ramsey Community College

#8

Johnson County Community College

Overland Park, KS

With a ranking of #8, Johnson County Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students working on their associate degree. JCCC is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Overland Park.

JCCC undergraduate students pay an average of $5,352 in tuition and fees each year.

JCCC excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Johnson County Community College

Rochester Community and Technical College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree liberal arts / sciences and humanities programs. Rochester Community and Technical College is a small public school located in the midsize city of Rochester.

Rochester Community and Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,372 in tuition and fees each year.

Rochester Community and Technical College excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list.

Read More…

St Cloud Technical and Community College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the 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.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, St Cloud Technical and Community College also did well on our Best Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Read More…

#11

Normandale Community College

Bloomington, MN

Normandale Community College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the city of Bloomington, Normandale Community College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Normandale Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,789 in tuition and fees each year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Normandale Community College also is in the top 10% of our Best Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking.

Full Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Normandale Community College Report

Northland Community and Technical College ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the remote town of Thief River Falls, Northland Community and Technical College is a public school with a small student population.

Northland Community and Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $6,052 in tuition and fees each year.

Full Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Northland Community and Technical College Report

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great value schools for Liberal Arts & Humanities students in the Plains States Region seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region award.

Rank College Location
13 Garden City Community College Garden City, KS
14 Century College White Bear Lake, MN
15 Central Community College Grand Island, NE
16 Cloud County Community College Concordia, KS
17 Northwest Iowa Community College Sheldon, IA

Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Colleges by State

Explore the best liberal arts / sciences and humanities colleges for a specific state in the Plains States region.

State Degrees Awarded
Kansas 6,339
Minnesota 6,264
Iowa 5,966
South Dakota 222
Missouri 8,280
Nebraska 1,612
North Dakota 953

Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Liberal Arts General Studies 556,813

Related Major Annual Graduates
Visual & Performing Arts 149,215
English Language & Literature 54,635
Foreign Languages & Linguistics 33,333
Theology & Religious Vocations 27,459
Philosophy & Religious Studies 19,993

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).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Jacques Sablet (Switzerland, Morges, 1749-1803).

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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