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Best Value Journalism Schools in Iowa

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2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in Iowa

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

5 Colleges
$28,618 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$40,608 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Journalism School for You

With 279 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, journalism is the #38 most popular major in Iowa.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right 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 assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Journalism Schools in Iowa ranking. This report analyzed 5 schools in Iowa to see which ones offered the best value programs for journalism students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. 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.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in Iowa

The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for journalism majors pursuing a .

Best Iowa Schools for Affordable Quality in Journalism

#1

University of Iowa

Iowa City, IA
$9,942 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found University of Iowa to be the best value school for journalism students who want to pursue a degree in Iowa. Iowa is a fairly large public school located in the city of Iowa City.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Iowa are $9,942 a year. On average, journalism graduates from Iowa take out $24,250 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $395.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Iowa also did well on our Best Journalism Schools in Iowa list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Full Journalism at University of Iowa Report

$9,634 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Iowa State University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best journalism schools in Iowa. Located in the city of Ames, Iowa State is a public college with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Iowa State are $9,634 a year. Journalism majors at Iowa State take out an average of $25,409 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $162, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Iowa State not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #4 on our Best Journalism Schools in Iowa list.

Read full report on Journalism at Iowa State University

#3

Drake University

Des Moines, IA
$45,912 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Drake University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best journalism schools in Iowa. Drake is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Des Moines.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Drake are $45,912 per year. Journalism majors at Drake take out an average of $25,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

Drake not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #3 on our Best Journalism Schools in Iowa list.

Read More…

#4

Saint Ambrose University

Davenport, IA
$33,570 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Saint Ambrose University is a great value for journalism students. St. Ambrose University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Davenport.

St. Ambrose University undergraduate students pay an average of $33,570 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read More…

#5

Simpson College

Indianola, IA
$44,030 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Simpson College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best journalism schools in Iowa. Simpson College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the fringe town of Indianola.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Simpson College are $44,030 a year.

Simpson College excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Journalism Schools in Iowa list.

Full Journalism at Simpson College Report

Best Value Journalism Colleges in the Plains States Region

Explore all the Best Value Journalism Colleges in the Plains States Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Missouri 543
Minnesota 292
Kansas 347
Nebraska 155
North Dakota 10
South Dakota 16

One of 5 majors within the area of study, journalism has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Communication & Media Studies 66,787
Public Relations & Advertising 21,099
Radio, Television & Digital Communication 17,669
Communication & Journalism (Other) 1,128
Publishing 336

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 5 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 Jfurrer.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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