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Best Value Personal & Culinary Services Undergraduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region

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2023 Best Value Personal & Culinary Services Undergraduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

75 Colleges
$5,822 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$17,273 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Personal & Culinary Services Undergraduate Certificate School for You

Out of all the majors we analyze each year, personal and culinary services was ranked #31 in the country. In fact 130,328 degrees and certificates were handed out in 2020-2021.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Personal & Culinary Services Undergraduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 75 schools in the Plains States Region to see which undergraduate certificate programs offered the best value experiences for personal and culinary services students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

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 Personal & Culinary Services Undergraduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Personal & Culinary Services Undergraduate Certificate Colleges.

Top 15% Best Personal & Culinary Services Undergraduate Certificate Schools

#1

Saint Paul College

Saint Paul, MN

Our analysis found Saint Paul College to be the best value school for personal and culinary services students who want to pursue a undergraduate certificate in the Plains States Region . Located in the large city of Saint Paul, Saint Paul College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Saint Paul College are $6,041 per year.

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#2

Johnson County Community College

Overland Park, KS

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Johnson County Community College. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Personal & Culinary Services Undergraduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. JCCC is a fairly 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.

Full Personal & Culinary Services at Johnson County Community College Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Lake Area Technical Institute. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Personal & Culinary Services Undergraduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. LATI is a small public school located in the remote town of Watertown.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at LATI are $6,718 per year.

LATI also claimed a spot on our Best Personal & Culinary Services Undergraduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

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#4

Ridgewater College

Willmar, MN

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Ridgewater College is a great value for personal and culinary services students working on their undergraduate certificate. Located in the town of Willmar, Ridgewater College is a public school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Ridgewater College are $5,914 a year.

Ridgewater College also claimed a spot on our Best Personal & Culinary Services Undergraduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

Read full report on Personal & Culinary Services at Ridgewater College

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Kansas City Kansas Community College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Personal & Culinary Services Undergraduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. Kansas City Kansas Community College is a small public school located in the city of Kansas City.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Kansas City Kansas Community College are $6,510 a year.

Read full report on Personal & Culinary Services at Kansas City Kansas Community College

Southeast Community College Area landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value undergraduate certificate personal and culinary services programs. Southeast Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the large city of Lincoln.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Southeast Community College are $3,780 per year.

Read full report on Personal & Culinary Services at Southeast Community College Area

With a ranking of #7, Des Moines Area Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for personal and culinary services students working on their undergraduate certificate. DMACC is a very large public school located in the suburb of Ankeny.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at DMACC are $10,440 per year.

Full Personal & Culinary Services at Des Moines Area Community College Report

#8

Kirkwood Community College

Cedar Rapids, IA

Kirkwood Community College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Personal & Culinary Services Undergraduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Kirkwood Community College is a large public school located in the city of Cedar Rapids.

Kirkwood Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $7,072 in tuition and fees each year.

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Western Iowa Tech Community College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Personal & Culinary Services Undergraduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the city of Sioux City, Western Iowa Tech Community College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Western Iowa Tech Community College are $4,826 a year.

Read full report on Personal & Culinary Services at Western Iowa Tech Community College

Ozarks Technical Community College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Personal & Culinary Services Undergraduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. OTC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Springfield.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at OTC are $6,028 a year.

Read More…

#11

Butler Community College

El Dorado, KS

Butler Community College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Personal & Culinary Services Undergraduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the distant town of El Dorado, Butler CC is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Butler CC are $5,976 per year.

Read More…

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great value schools for Personal & Culinary Services students in the Plains States Region seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Personal & Culinary Services Undergraduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region award.

Rank College Location
12 La James International College-Cedar Falls Cedar Falls, IA
12 La James International College-Davenport Davenport, IA
12 Josef’s School of Hair, Skin & Body, Grand Forks Grand Forks, ND
12 City Pointe Beauty Academy Webb City, MO
12 Joseph’s College Cosmetology Lincoln, NE
12 Empire Beauty School-Spring Lake Park Spring Lake Park, MN
12 The Salon Professional Academy Cedar Falls, IA
12 Grabber School of Hair Design St. Louis, MO
12 Xenon International Academy-Omaha Omaha, NE
12 Midwest Technical Institute - Springfield, Missouri Springfield, MO
12 Crave Beauty Academy Wichita, KS
12 Paul Mitchell the School Wichita Wichita, KS
12 Paul Mitchell the School Springfield Springfield, MO
12 The Salon Professional Academy - St Charles St. Charles, MO
12 Capri College, Dubuque Dubuque, IA
12 PCI Academy-Ames Ames, IA
12 Bellus Academy Manhattan, KS
12 Academy of Hair Design - Springfield Springfield, MO
12 Neosho Beauty College Neosho, MO
12 Eric Fisher Academy Wichita, KS
12 Capri College, Davenport Davenport, IA
12 E Q School of Hair Design Council Bluffs, IA
12 Skin Institute Saint Louis, MO
12 Stewart School Sioux Falls, SD
12 College of Hair Design-Downtown Lincoln, NE
12 Wisconsin Academy a Paul Mitchell Partner Group-PMTS Lincoln Lincoln, NE
12 Nova Academy of Cosmetology Rochester, MN
12 Summit Salon Academy Kansas City Independence, MO
12 Faust Institute of Cosmetology-Spirit Lake Spirit Lake, IA
12 College of Hair Design-East Campus Lincoln, NE
12 Paul Mitchell the School Overland Park Overland Park, KS
12 PCI Academy-Plymouth Plymouth, MN
12 House of Heavilin Beauty College-Kansas City Kansas City, MO
12 Academy of Salon Professionals Sedalia, MO
12 House of Heavilin Beauty College-Blue Springs Blue Springs, MO
12 Central College of Cosmetology Saint Robert, MO
12 House of Heavilin Beauty College-Raymore Raymore, MO
12 La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology Mason City, IA
12 Mitsu Sato Hair Academy Overland Park, KS
12 Iowa School of Beauty-Ottumwa Ottumwa, IA
12 New Dimensions School of Hair Design Joplin, MO
12 Capri College, Cedar Rapids Cedar Rapids, IA
12 Paul Mitchell the School Missouri Columbia Columbia, MO
12 Iowa School of Beauty-Des Moines Des Moines, IA
12 The Hair Academy Bismarck, ND
12 Z Hair Academy Overland Park, KS
12 La James International College-Johnston Johnston, IA
12 Model College of Hair Design Saint Cloud, MN
12 Hastings Beauty School Hastings, MN
12 American Hair Academy Mt. Pleasant, IA
12 Minnesota School of Cosmetology-Woodbury Campus WOODBURY, MN
12 Hays Academy of Hair Design Salina, KS
12 Paul Mitchell the School St Louis St. Louis, MO
12 Aveda Institute - Des Moines West Des Moines, IA
12 Black Hills Beauty College Rapid City, SD
12 Missouri College of Cosmetology North Springfield, MO
12 Empire Beauty School-Bloomington Bloomington, MN
12 The Salon Professional Academy - Fargo Fargo, ND
12 Josef’s School of Hair, Skin & Body-Fargo Fargo, ND
12 La James International College-Ft Dodge Fort Dodge, IA
12 Capitol School of Hairstyling and Esthetics Omaha, NE
12 Merrell University of Beauty Arts and Science Jefferson City, MO
12 Hays Academy of Hair Design Hays, KS
12 Aveda Institute - Minneapolis Minneapolis, MN

Best Personal & Culinary Services Colleges by State

Explore the best personal and culinary services colleges for a specific state in the Plains States region.

State Degrees Awarded
Kansas 106
Minnesota 81
Iowa 118
South Dakota 2
Missouri 79
Nebraska 66
North Dakota 4

Personal & Culinary Services Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Cosmetology 107,895
Culinary Arts 19,806
Funeral & Mortuary Science 2,354
Casino Operations and Services 192
Other Personal & Culinary Services 81

Related Major Annual Graduates
Mechanic & Repair Technologies 96,336
Precision Production 52,913
Construction Trades 35,794
Transportation & Materials Moving 29,084

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 75 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 U.S. Army Europe Images.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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