2023 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in Iowa
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Communication & Journalism School for You
In 2020-2021, 1,231 degrees and certificates were awarded to communication and journalism students who went to a Iowa college or university. This makes it the #13 most popular major in the state.
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. 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.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in Iowa to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 11 schools in Iowa to see which ones offered the best value programs for communication and 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. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Top 10 Best Communication & Journalism Schools
Our analysis found Iowa State University to be the best value school for communication and journalism students who want to pursue a degree in Iowa. Iowa State is a fairly large public school located in the city of Ames.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Iowa State are $9,634 per year. The average amount in student loans that communication and journalism majors at Iowa State take out is $24,186. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $181, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Iowa State is ranked #4 for overall quality for communication and journalism in Iowa.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Northern Iowa. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in Iowa list. Located in the city of Cedar Falls, UNI is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
UNI undergraduate students pay an average of $9,053 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, communication and journalism majors at UNI accumulate an average of around $22,632 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $188, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
UNI also took the #5 spot in our Best Communication & Journalism Schools in Iowa rankings.
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The excellent programs at University of Iowa helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best communication and journalism schools in Iowa. Located in the small city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Iowa undergraduate students pay an average of $9,942 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, communication and journalism graduates from Iowa carry an average student debtload of $23,920. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $417.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Iowa also is in the top 20% of our Best Communication & Journalism Schools in Iowa ranking.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Drake University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in Iowa list. Located in the midsize city of Des Moines, Drake is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Drake are $45,912 a year. On average, communication and journalism graduates from Drake take out $23,250 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $353, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Drake not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #3 on our Best Communication & Journalism Schools in Iowa list.
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The excellent programs at University of Dubuque helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best communication and journalism schools in Iowa. UD is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Dubuque.
UD undergraduate students pay an average of $36,010 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, communication and journalism graduates from UD carry an average student debtload of $24,444.
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Loras College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value communication and journalism programs. Located in the city of Dubuque, Loras is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Loras are $35,268 a year. On average, communication and journalism graduates from Loras take out $25,713 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Saint Ambrose University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in Iowa list. Located in the medium-sized city of Davenport, St. Ambrose University is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
St. Ambrose University undergraduate students pay an average of $33,570 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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With a ranking of #8, Simpson College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for communication and journalism students. Located in the fringe town of Indianola, Simpson College is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Simpson College are $44,030 a year. Communication & Journalism majors at Simpson College take out an average of $23,250 in student loans while working on their egree.
In addition to its great value ranking, Simpson College is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Communication & Journalism Schools in Iowa list.
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With a ranking of #9, Coe College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for communication and journalism students. Coe is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Cedar Rapids.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Coe are $48,822 per year. Communication & Journalism majors at Coe take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
Full Communication & Journalism at Coe College Report
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Waldorf University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in Iowa ranking. Waldorf is a small private for-profit school located in the remote town of Forest City.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Waldorf are $23,666 per year. Communication & Journalism majors at Waldorf take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
Full Communication & Journalism at Waldorf University Report
Request InformationBest Value Communication & Journalism Colleges in the Plains States Region
Explore all the Best Value Communication & Journalism Colleges in the Plains States Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Kansas | 1,015 |
| Minnesota | 1,434 |
| South Dakota | 203 |
| Missouri | 1,975 |
| Nebraska | 719 |
| North Dakota | 171 |
More Communication & Journalism Rankings in Iowa
Communication & Journalism Related Majors for Communication & Journalism
Communication & Journalism Majors to Study
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Communication & Media Studies | 66,787 |
| Public Relations & Advertising | 21,099 |
| Radio, Television & Digital Communication | 17,669 |
| Journalism | 13,552 |
| Communication & Journalism (Other) | 1,128 |
| Publishing | 336 |
Most Popular Related Majors
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Education | 327,871 |
| Social Sciences | 205,984 |
| Psychology | 195,678 |
| Family, Consumer & Human Sciences | 55,820 |
| History | 32,731 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 11 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 Josh Hallett.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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