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Best Value General Education Schools in Iowa

2023 Best Value General Education Schools in Iowa

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

8 Colleges
$26,323 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$44,237 Avg Salary

Finding the Best General Education School for You

In 2020-2021, 226 degrees and certificates were awarded to general education students who went to a Iowa college or university. This makes it the #53 most popular major in the state.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

The Best Value General Education Schools in Iowa ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 8 schools in Iowa to see which ones offered the best value programs for education students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

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.

Best Iowa Schools for Affordable Quality in General Education

#1

Morningside College

Sioux City, IA
$35,270 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Morningside College the best value school in Iowa for general education students. Morningside is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Sioux City.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Morningside are $35,270 per year.

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#2

Grand View University

Des Moines, IA
$30,954 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 8 schools in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, Grand View University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Des Moines, Grand View University is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Grand View University are $30,954 per year.

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#3

University of Iowa

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

Out of the 8 schools in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Iowa landed the # 3 spot on the list. Iowa is a very large public school located in the city of Iowa City.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Iowa are $9,942 per year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Iowa also is in the top 20% of our Best General Education Schools in Iowa ranking.

Full General Education at University of Iowa Report

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$9,634 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Iowa State University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value General Education Schools in Iowa list. Located in the small city of Ames, Iowa State is a public college with a very large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Iowa State are $9,634 per year.

Iowa State also took the #4 spot in our Best General Education Schools in Iowa rankings.

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#5

Clarke University

Dubuque, IA
$36,870 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Clarke University is a great value for general education students. Clarke is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Dubuque.

Clarke undergraduate students pay an average of $36,870 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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#6

Loras College

Dubuque, IA
$35,268 Average Tuition & Fees

Loras College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for general education students. It came in at #6 on the list. Loras is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Dubuque.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Loras are $35,268 a year.

Full General Education at Loras College Report

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#7

Buena Vista University

Storm Lake, IA
$37,518 Average Tuition & Fees

Buena Vista University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools in Iowa ranking. BVU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the remote town of Storm Lake.

BVU undergraduate students pay an average of $37,518 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Education majors at BVU take out an average of $30,654 in student loans while working on their egree.

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#7

William Penn University

Oskaloosa, IA
$27,200 Average Tuition & Fees

William Penn University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools in Iowa list. William Penn University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Oskaloosa.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at William Penn University are $27,200 a year.

Full General Education at William Penn University Report

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Best Value General Education Colleges in the Plains States Region

Explore all the Best Value General Education Schools in the Plains States Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Missouri 493
Minnesota 2,028
Kansas 373
Nebraska 59
North Dakota 24
South Dakota 88

General Education is one of 14 different types of programs to choose from.

Majors Similar to Education

Related Major Annual Graduates
Teacher Education Grade Specific 110,226
Educational Administration 46,469
Teacher Education Subject Specific 43,297
Special Education 36,792
Curriculum & Instruction 19,832

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 8 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 KOKUYO.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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