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Best Education Schools in Iowa

2023 Best Education Schools in Iowa

18 Colleges
$40,708 Avg Salary
$32,390 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Education School for You

Education is one of the most popular subjects to study in Iowa. With 3,392 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, it ranked 4th out of all the majors we track in the state.

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.

The Best 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 18 schools in Iowa to see which ones offered the best programs for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Education Schools in Iowa

The colleges and universities below are the best for education majors pursuing a .

Top 10 Best Education Schools

#1

Northwestern College

Orange City, IA

Our 2023 rankings named Northwestern College the best school in Iowa for education students. Located in the distant town of Orange City, NWC is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

After completing their degree, education graduates from NWC carry an average student debtload of $25,995.

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#2

Drake University

Des Moines, IA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Drake University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Education Schools in Iowa list. Located in the city of Des Moines, Drake is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

After completing their degree, education graduates from Drake carry an average student debtload of $27,000.

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#3

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, IA

Out of the 18 schools in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Northern Iowa landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the city of Cedar Falls, UNI is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

On average, education graduates from UNI take out $25,439 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $197.

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#4

Wartburg College

Waverly, IA

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Wartburg College is a great place for education students. Located in the town of Waverly, Wartburg is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

On average, education graduates from Wartburg take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

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The excellent programs at Iowa State University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best education schools in Iowa. Iowa State is a fairly large public school located in the city of Ames.

The average amount in student loans that education majors at Iowa State take out is $24,433. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $206.

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#6

University of Iowa

Iowa City, IA

University of Iowa ranked #6 on this year’s Best Education Schools in Iowa list. Located in the city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average amount in student loans that education majors at Iowa take out is $27,000. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $326.

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#7

Simpson College

Indianola, IA

With a ranking of #7, Simpson College did quite well on this year’s best schools for education students. Located in the fringe town of Indianola, Simpson College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that education majors at Simpson College take out is $27,000.

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#8

Loras College

Dubuque, IA

Loras College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for education students. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the small city of Dubuque, Loras is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

After completing their degree, education graduates from Loras carry an average student debtload of $27,000.

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#9

Buena Vista University

Storm Lake, IA

Buena Vista University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best education programs. Located in the remote town of Storm Lake, BVU is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

After completing their degree, education graduates from BVU carry an average student debtload of $33,959.

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#10

Dordt University

Sioux Center, IA

With a ranking of #10, Dordt University did quite well on this year’s best schools for education students. Located in the town of Sioux Center, Dordt is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

While working on their degree, education majors at Dordt accumulate an average of around $21,951 in student debt.

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Best Education Colleges in the Plains States Region

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

State Degrees Awarded
Kansas 4,776
Minnesota 9,682
South Dakota 1,045
Missouri 7,906
Nebraska 4,167
North Dakota 1,291

Education Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Teacher Education Grade Specific 110,226
Educational Administration 46,469
Teacher Education Subject Specific 43,297
Special Education 36,792
General Education 29,810
Curriculum & Instruction 19,832
Student Counseling 13,858
Instructional Media Design 8,695
Teaching English or French 5,791
Other Education 4,858
Teaching Assistants 2,751
Educational Assessment 2,552
Multilingual Education 1,910
Education Philosophy 737
International Education 293

Majors Similar to Education

Related Major Annual Graduates
Social Sciences 205,984
Psychology 195,678
Communication & Journalism 120,571
Family, Consumer & Human Sciences 55,820
History 32,731

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 18 schools only.

  • 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 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 Horadrim.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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