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Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Iowa

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2023 Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Iowa

19 Colleges
$64,238 Avg Salary
$28,730 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree School for You

In 2020-2021, nursing students earned 2,966 degrees and certificates from an Iowa school, making the subject the 3rd in the state.

Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. 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.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Iowa ranking. Our analysis looked at 19 schools in Iowa to see which bachelor's degree programs offered the best educational experiences for students. To come up with a school's ranking, we analyzed numerous factors related to post-graduation wages, the quality of education offered by the school, average accumulated student debt, and more.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa

The colleges and universities below are the best for nursing majors pursuing a bachelor's degree.

Top 10 Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools

#1

St Luke's College

Sioux City, IA

Our 2023 rankings named St Luke’s College the best school in Iowa for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. St Luke's College is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Sioux City.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from St Luke's College carry an average student debtload of $31,663.

Read full report on Nursing at St Luke’s College

#2

Luther College

Decorah, IA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Luther College. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa list. Luther is a small private not-for-profit school located in the remote town of Decorah.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from Luther carry an average student debtload of $24,995.

Read More…

#3

Northwestern College

Orange City, IA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Northwestern College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa list. Located in the distant town of Orange City, NWC is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Read More…

#4

University of Iowa

Iowa City, IA

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at University of Iowa helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Iowa. Located in the city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public school with a very large student population.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from Iowa carry an average student debtload of $25,295. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $221.

Read full report on Nursing at University of Iowa

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Mercy College of Health Sciences helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Iowa. Located in the city of Des Moines, Mercy College of Health Sciences is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from Mercy College of Health Sciences carry an average student debtload of $32,347. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $330, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

#6

Dordt University

Sioux Center, IA

Dordt University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree nursing programs. Located in the town of Sioux Center, Dordt is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Read full report on Nursing at Dordt University

#7

Saint Ambrose University

Davenport, IA

With a ranking of #7, Saint Ambrose University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the medium-sized city of Davenport, St. Ambrose University is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Nursing majors at St. Ambrose University take out an average of $28,729 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $500.

Read full report on Nursing at Saint Ambrose University

#8

Upper Iowa University

Fayette, IA

Upper Iowa University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the rural area of Fayette, UIU is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Nursing majors at UIU take out an average of $34,722 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

Full Nursing at Upper Iowa University Report

Iowa State University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa list. Iowa State is a very large public school located in the city of Ames.

Read full report on Nursing at Iowa State University

#10

Allen College

Waterloo, IA

Allen College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #10 on the list. Allen College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Waterloo.

On average, nursing graduates from Allen College take out $28,861 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $242.

Full Nursing at Allen College Report

Best Nursing Colleges in the Plains States Region

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

State Degrees Awarded
Missouri 6,840
Minnesota 14,890
Kansas 2,633
Nebraska 1,908
North Dakota 976
South Dakota 1,022

One of 30 majors within the area of study, nursing has other similar majors worth exploring.

Majors Similar to Nursing

Related Major Annual Graduates
Health & Medical Administrative Services 89,359
Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services 84,492
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants 84,274
Allied Health Professions 82,308
Public Health 40,596

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 19 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 Aleksahgabrielle.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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