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Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

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2023 Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

32 Colleges
$18,978 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$32,881 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor's 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 Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. This report analyzed 32 schools in the Plains States Region to see which ones offered the best value bachelor's 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 Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for liberal arts / sciences and humanities majors pursuing a bachelor's degree.

Top 10 Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor's Degree Schools

#1

Columbia College

Columbia, MO

Our analysis found Columbia College to be the best value school for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in the Plains States Region . Located in the midsize city of Columbia, Columbia College Missouri is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Columbia College Missouri are $11,636 a year.

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

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at South Dakota State University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best value liberal arts / sciences and humanities schools in the Plains States Region . Located in the remote town of Brookings, South Dakota State is a public college with a large student population.

South Dakota State undergraduate students pay an average of $12,809 in tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at South Dakota State University

Out of the 32 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Metropolitan State University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the large city of Saint Paul, Metro State is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Metro State are $9,394 per year.

Full Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Metropolitan State University Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Minot State University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the remote town of Minot, MSU is a public school with a small student population.

MSU undergraduate students pay an average of $8,163 in tuition and fees each year.

Full Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Minot State University Report

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Fort Hays State University is a great value for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the remote town of Hays, FHSU is a public college with a large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at FHSU are $15,870 a year.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Fort Hays State University

#6

University of North Dakota

Grand Forks, ND

With a ranking of #6, University of North Dakota did quite well on this year’s best value schools for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Grand Forks, UND is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UND are $15,037 a year.

Read More…

With a ranking of #7, Mayville State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students working on their bachelor’s degree. Mayville State University is a small public school located in the rural area of Mayville.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Mayville State University are $10,756 per year.

Read More…

Southeast Missouri State University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the small city of Cape Girardeau, Southeast Missouri State University is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Southeast Missouri State University are $15,285 per year.

Read More…

University of Central Missouri landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences and humanities programs. UCM is a large public school located in the distant town of Warrensburg.

UCM undergraduate students pay an average of $16,815 in tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at University of Central Missouri

#10

William Jewell College

Liberty, MO

William Jewell College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the suburb of Liberty, William Jewell is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

William Jewell undergraduate students pay an average of $19,310 in tuition and fees each year.

Full Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at William Jewell College Report

Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Colleges by State

Explore the best liberal arts / sciences and humanities schools 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 26 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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