2023 Best Schools in the Plains States Region
It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. Or you may find the programs at a trade school or bootcamp to be a better alternative for you.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Schools in the Plains States Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 213 schools in the Plains States Region to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
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Top Schools in the Plains States Region of the U.S.
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found College of Saint Benedict to be the best school for students in the Plains States Region . Saint Joseph, Minnesota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out degrees to 429 students in .
During the early years of their career, CSB graduates make an average of $47,105 annually.
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Washington University in St Louis is a great place for students. Washington University in St Louis is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in Saint Louis, Missouri that handed out 6,480 degrees in .
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $39,055 in student loans.After graduating from WUSTL, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $68,303 during the early years of their career.
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Out of the 213 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Saint Johns University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Saint Johns University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Collegeville, Minnesota that handed out 377 degrees in .
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $41,136 in student loans. During the early years of their career, SJU graduates make an average of $47,238 annually.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Valley City State University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Schools in the Plains States Region list. Valley City State University is located in Valley City, North Dakota and has a small student population. In , this school awarded 439 degrees to qualified students.
During the early years of their career, Valley City State University graduates make an average of $48,241 annually.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Carleton College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in Northfield, Minnesota, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 557 degrees in .
Once they receive their degree, Carleton graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $45,096 during the early year of their career.
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University of St Thomas Minnesota ranked #6 on this year’s Best Schools in the Plains States Region list. University of St Thomas Minnesota is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in Saint Paul, Minnesota that handed out 2,887 degrees in .
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $48,539 in student loans. Once they receive their degree, UST MN graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $65,183 during the early year of their career.
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Anoka-Ramsey Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students. It came in at #7 on the list. Anoka-Ramsey Community College-Coon Rapids Campus is a public institution located in Coon Rapids, Minnesota. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1,040 degrees in .
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $16,124 in student loans.After graduating from Anoka-Ramsey Community College-Coon Rapids Campus, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $44,293 during the early years of their career.
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Bismarck State College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. BSC is a public institution located in Bismarck, North Dakota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 1,033 degrees in .
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $13,623 in student loans.After graduating from BSC, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $61,364 during the early years of their career.
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With a ranking of #9, Northwestern College did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working. NWC is a private not-for-profit institution located in Orange City, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 594 degrees in .
During the early years of their career, NWC graduates make an average of $54,845 annually.
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Grinnell College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best programs. Grinnell is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Grinnell, Iowa. It awarded 528 degrees in .
During the early years of their career, Grinnell graduates make an average of $38,888 annually.
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Drake University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students. It came in at #11 on the list. Drake is located in Des Moines, Iowa and has a small student population. In , this school awarded 1,539 degrees to qualified students.
On average, students take out $41,366 in loans while pursuing their degree.After graduating from Drake, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $56,228 during the early years of their career.
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With a ranking of #12, University of Missouri - Columbia did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working. University of Missouri - Columbia is a large public school located in Columbia, Missouri that handed out 10,926 degrees in .
On average, students take out $45,099 in loans while pursuing their degree.After graduating from Mizzou, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $53,134 during the early years of their career.
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Mount Marty University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in Yankton, South Dakota, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 220 degrees in .
After graduating from Mount Marty, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $108,425 during the early years of their career.
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Macalester College landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best programs. Macalester College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Saint Paul, Minnesota that handed out 684 degrees in .
During the early years of their career, Macalester graduates make an average of $42,517 annually.
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Bellevue University landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best programs. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Bellevue, Nebraska, and it awarded 2,809 degrees in .
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $14,266 in student loans. Once they receive their degree, Bellevue University graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $61,548 during the early year of their career.
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With a ranking of #16, Gustavus Adolphus College did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working. Gustavus Adolphus is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Peter, Minnesota. It awarded 686 degrees in .
During the early years of their career, Gustavus Adolphus graduates make an average of $44,396 annually.
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Iowa State University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Schools in the Plains States Region list. This large public school is located in Ames, Iowa, and it awarded 8,096 degrees in .
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $33,439 in student loans. During the early years of their career, Iowa State graduates make an average of $53,900 annually.
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University of Nebraska - Lincoln did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students. It came in at #18 on the list. Located in Lincoln, Nebraska, the large public school handed out 6,153 degrees in .
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $33,850 in student loans. During the early years of their career, UNL graduates make an average of $49,755 annually.
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St Olaf College ranked #19 on this year’s Best Schools in the Plains States Region list. St Olaf College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Northfield, Minnesota that handed out 926 degrees in .
Once they receive their degree, St. Olaf graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $40,848 during the early year of their career.
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North Hennepin Community College landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best programs. Brooklyn Park, Minnesota is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out degrees to 879 students in .
On average, students take out $20,753 in loans while pursuing their degree. Once they receive their degree, North Hennepin Community College graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $52,492 during the early year of their career.
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University of Northern Iowa ranked #21 on this year’s Best Schools in the Plains States Region list. University of Northern Iowa is a medium-sized public school located in Cedar Falls, Iowa that handed out 2,649 degrees in .
On average, students take out $22,526 in loans while pursuing their degree.After graduating from UNI, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $46,054 during the early years of their career.
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With a ranking of #22, Missouri University of Science and Technology did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working. Missouri University of Science and Technology is a medium-sized public school located in Rolla, Missouri that handed out 2,174 degrees in .
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $37,334 in student loans.After graduating from Missouri University of Science and Technology, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $74,532 during the early years of their career.
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Winona State University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Winona, Minnesota, the medium-sized public school awarded 1,776 diplomas to qualifed students in .
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $25,664 in student loans. During the early years of their career, Winona State graduates make an average of $53,109 annually.
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Dunwoody College of Technology did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students. It came in at #24 on the list. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and it awarded 489 degrees in .
Degree recipients from Dunwoody College of Technology accumulate an average of $26,999 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Once they receive their degree, Dunwoody College of Technology graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $53,751 during the early year of their career.
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Concordia College at Moorhead did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students. It came in at #25 on the list. Concordia College Moorhead is a private not-for-profit institution located in Moorhead, Minnesota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 498 degrees in .
On average, students take out $27,027 in loans while pursuing their degree. Once they receive their degree, Concordia College Moorhead graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $44,611 during the early year of their career.
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
References
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- 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 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).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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