Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Kansas 2023

Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Kansas 2023

By James Barham

Published: May 7, 2021
Updated: May 22, 2023

Liberal arts colleges are a great option for students seeking a well-rounded education in an intimate campus setting. The best liberal arts colleges in Kansas offer a diverse selection of degree programs with opportunities for a highly individualized educational experience.

10 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Kansas

Emporia State University

33%

Pittsburg State University

32%

Friends University

29%

Benedictine College

28%

Ottawa University

28%

Fort Hays State University

27%

Newman University, Wichita

21%

Kansas Wesleyan University

20%

Southwestern College

20%

18%

Benedictine College

98%

Pittsburg State University

94%

Fort Hays State University

90%

Emporia State University

88%

McPherson College

85%

University of Saint Mary

81%

Bethany College

72%

Newman University, Wichita

72%

71%

Southwestern College

69%

Fort Hays State University

19 to 1

Emporia State University

17 to 1

Central Christian College of Kansas

17 to 1

Pittsburg State University

16 to 1

15 to 1

McPherson College

15 to 1

Bethany College

14 to 1

University of Saint Mary

13 to 1

Benedictine College

13 to 1

Newman University, Wichita

12 to 1

Ottawa University

$36,780

Southwestern College

$34,900

Newman University, Wichita

$34,460

MidAmerica Nazarene University

$33,840

$33,400

Benedictine College

$32,630

McPherson College

$32,408

University of Saint Mary

$31,630

Kansas Wesleyan University

$31,340

Bethany College

$31,215

Sterling College

$14,107

Southwestern College

$12,528

MidAmerica Nazarene University

$12,404

Ottawa University

$12,338

Central Christian College of Kansas

$12,000

$11,670

Friends University

$11,448

University of Saint Mary

$11,160

Newman University, Wichita

$7,920

Pittsburg State University

$6,820

Central Christian College of Kansas

12%

University of Saint Mary

14%

Sterling College

15%

Donnelly College

16%

MidAmerica Nazarene University

16%

Bethany College

16%

McPherson College

17%

18%

Hesston College

18%

18%

Sterling College

47%

54%

Friends University

58%

MidAmerica Nazarene University

65%

Ottawa University

67%

Kansas Wesleyan University

68%

Southwestern College

69%

71%

Newman University, Wichita

72%

Bethany College

72%

Hesston College

9 to 1

MidAmerica Nazarene University

10 to 1

10 to 1

Southwestern College

10 to 1

Donnelly College

10 to 1

Sterling College

10 to 1

Ottawa University

10 to 1

Kansas Wesleyan University

11 to 1

Newman University, Wichita

12 to 1

Friends University

12 to 1

Fort Hays State University

$4,140

Emporia State University

$5,278

Pittsburg State University

$5,836

Donnelly College

$8,706

Central Christian College of Kansas

$20,225

Hesston College

$28,440

Sterling College

$28,500

Friends University

$30,864

$31,164

Bethany College

$31,215

Fort Hays State University

$3,726

McPherson College

$4,500

Benedictine College

$6,000

Emporia State University

$6,547

Pittsburg State University

$6,820

Newman University, Wichita

$7,920

University of Saint Mary

$11,160

Friends University

$11,448

$11,670

Central Christian College of Kansas

$12,000

Table of Contents

Colleges and Universities in Kansas

Prospective students searching for both brick-and-mortar and online colleges in Kansas can choose from a wide range of excellent schools. The Sunflower State offers a wide range of highly accessible public options for Kansas students seeking undergraduate and graduate degrees in a wide range of disciplines.

Kansas is noted for its 23 community and technical colleges. These institutions provide numerous pathways to traditional and online degree programs, and well as online certificate programs for working professionals.

Kansas also has nine public universities, the largest being the University of Kansas (KU) with over 28,000 students. The school’s main campus is located in Lawrence, Kansas, but there are four other locations where students can attend KU classes: Overland Park, Kansas City, Wichita, and Salina. This means there are plenty of options for Kansas students seeking an on-campus experience and in state tuition rates.

It should also be noted that online students attending public colleges in Kansas are also entitled to in state tuition rates.

Find college admissions consultants in your state.

Kansas is also home to 22 private higher education institutions, with tuition ranging from $7,000 to $31,000.

In addition, students can choose from one of 18 religiously affiliated schools, including Newman University, Wichita - a Catholic liberal arts university serving the state’s largest private school student population at just over 2,000.

Kansas boasts an array of affordable options for both on-campus and online learners. The average tuition for a year of college in Kansas is $9,230, which is below the national average.

Kansas awards associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in popular fields of study, like economics, health services administration, early childhood education, elementary education, business administration, and more. Specialized degrees include aerospace engineering at the University of Kansas and agribusiness from Kansas State University.

Students who earn degrees in the medical and health care fields may have access to loan forgiveness-based programs, such as the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program. This financial aid program awards up to $50,000, tax free, for those who serve two years at an approved site.

Arguably, it was the 1939 cinema classic, The Wizard of Oz, that put Kansas on the map. But this midwestern state is also known for its mouth-watering barbecue, open plains, and vast sunflower fields. Prospective students can also choose from traditional and online schools and universities across the state of Kansas.

See what Kansas has to offer by checking out the top undergraduate and graduate degrees, as well as unique educational opportunities like online certificate programs and degree completion programs.

What are Kansas’s Colleges & Universities?

Kansas’s Best Overall

Related: Differences between research universities and teaching colleges

Kansas's Best Liberal Arts Colleges Badge — Download Badge

How do we determine Kansas's best liberal arts colleges?

The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great! If you are serious about finding the best colleges and universities for a bachelor’s degree, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching and whether their graduates are themselves advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence in their fields of study.

Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Concentrated Influence provides a ranking that is freer from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.

To rank the influence of schools, we first determine the influence of scholars and professionals based on the number of citations and publications they have had over the past 10 years. In addition to publications and citations, we consider the web links to and from these sources, and the page views of those sources. We then match the influential people to their alma maters and institutions of employment, so that their influence is attributed to those schools. Our machine-learning Influence Ranking algorithm produces a numerical score of academic achievements, merits, and citations across Wikipedia, wikidata, Crossref, Semantic Scholar and an ever-growing body of data. If you are interested in exploring how and why we rank by influence, explore our methodology in more depth.

A liberal arts college is a school that puts a premium on undergraduate studies and offers a broad range of subjects for students to study. A college of liberal arts typically provides smaller class sizes, more direct engagement with professors, and, most importantly, the opportunity to sample a wide range of subject areas on the way to a bachelor’s degree. We’ve identified 20 liberal arts colleges in Kansas. To be ranked among the 30 best liberal arts colleges in Kansas, schools must fully accredited institutions.

Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Kansas 2022

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Kansas’s Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Your Area of Interest

Frequently Asked Questions About Research Universities, Liberal Arts Colleges, Online Colleges

In pursuing a bachelor’s degree, you will need to choose between three kinds of schools: research universities, liberal arts colleges, and online colleges.

Research universities are colleges and universities whose faculty are active in research and publishing. Research universities offer a wide array of doctoral programs, especially in the sciences. They tend to be big, with tens of thousands of students.

Do you prefer a larger university setting, such as largest public university in your state? Research universities are typically big, offering degrees in many different disciplines. Is a big high-powered research environment the thing for you. If not, you should think about a liberal arts college. In deciding on an undergraduate institution, ask yourself what sort of environment will best help you to be happy and excel.

Consider whether you are self motivated enough to be a face in the crowd for some classes and largely unknown on campus at a large university. Of course you can find clubs and friends at a large university, but often liberal arts colleges have a more personal quality to them. If you want the community feel, a research university may not fit you well.
Are you interested in STEM fields? Research universities have that name for a reason – real research is happening there. This can create an exciting atmosphere for students interested in STEM. Attending a research university can give you a better chance of getting into better programs for graduate degrees, although a lot of that depends on your performance.

Learn more about research universities by reading about the best research universities in the US.

Often referred to as “teaching colleges” liberal arts colleges put a premium on undergraduate studies and offers a broad range of subjects for students to study. A college of liberal arts typically provides smaller class sizes, more direct engagement with professors, and, most importantly, the opportunity to sample a wide range of subject areas on the way to a bachelor’s degree.

Do you want your professors to know you? Liberal arts colleges strive to cultivate campus cultures that encourage tight bonds between professors and students. Professors at these schools will typically conduct original research. Yet the best of these schools offer their faculty reduced teaching loads so that they can both be productive researchers and still have plenty of time for students (both in and outside the classroom).
Do you want to feel like you know everybody? One of the most enticing features of a liberal arts college is that in very little time, you can feel like you know who’s who, which can create strong friendships, but also more pleasurable walks across campus. While your sports teams may never be on ESPN, it’s more likely that you’ll know the athletes as your peers. Beyond student and faculty relationships, it’s not unusual for the school president and other administrators to learn who you are. When faced with problems with your student account or the need to switch classes, this can be comforting during a stressful moment.

Learn more about liberal arts colleges by reading about the best liberal arts colleges in the US.

Online colleges are typically the same colleges and universities you could attend in-person, but for certain degree programs the college or unviersity has made the degree programs available to be completed online. For over 5 million students, online degree programs allow students to earn their degrees in the most flexible format available. Online degrees are as respected as the on-campus degress you could earn from the same schools. There’s usually no disctinction between the two degrees, and your degree and transcript will not say that the degree was earned online. Online degree programs are offered by a vast majority of colleges and universities, and the number of offering continues to grow. Whehter you are searching for an associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate, there’s a good chance you can earn your degree online from a respectable online college.

Are you a self-driven student? Perhaps the hardest aspect of obtaining an online degree is whether you will be disciplined enough to manage your time and course demands. Many online students report that online college made them more disciplined in all areas of their lives, but the flexible, self-paced learning that makes online colleges attractive can often be the same qualities that make it difficult. If you tend to be a procrastinator, you need to be honest with yourself. You can change your habits and propensities, or you can throw money down the drain.
Do you need the flexibility of an online degree program? Most online students study online because of time demands balancing work and life, or becuase the online colleges afford them the chance to attend a better school without moving. If you are serious about earning your degree for career advancement, online colleges make it possible. The most flexible options among online degrees are those that are aynchronous, meaning you don’t have scheduled times to meet with your class online. However, many students seek synchronous online degree programs so that they have some structure – set meeting times, scheduled exams, etc.
The good news is that attending an online college doesn’t mean you will miss out on getting to know your professors and classmates. In fact, many online students who have experienced both online and on-campus courses report having easier access to their professors. Since most communication with your professor is expected to be in text – via email or your class learning management system – it makes asking your questions easier. The same students also report that they got to better know the thoughts of their classmates. While in-person course conversations can be dominated by a few extroverts, online courses that require online discussions make it so that you see all of your classmates’ thoughts and questions.

If you’re interested in an online bachelor’s degree, check out what the best online colleges offer, or search our online degrees for the exact program that interests you. In either case, you will find well respected colleges and universities that offer online degrees.

2021 Ranking Archive

Many of our 2022 undergraduate focused rankings look considerably different than 2021. That’s because we took a fundamentally different apporach. For 2021 we utilized our Concentrated Influence algorithm, designed to take away the size advantage larger schools have when we rank their faculty and alumni’s academic influence. Concentrated influence highlights smaller schools that are proportionally as successful as larger universities at cultivating influential alumni and faculty.

Check out our directory of liberal arts colleges throughout the U.S. for a look at the top liberal arts schools in every state.