2023 Best Nursing Schools in Iowa
Finding the Best Nursing 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.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Nursing Schools in Iowa to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 34 schools in Iowa to see which ones offered the best programs for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Nursing Schools in Iowa
The following schools top our list of the Best Nursing Colleges.
Top 10 Best Nursing Schools
Our analysis found Luther College to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a degree in Iowa. Luther is a small private not-for-profit school located in the remote town of Decorah.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Luther take out is $27,000.
Full Nursing at Luther College Report
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Out of the 34 schools in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern College landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the distant town of Orange City, NWC is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at NWC accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.
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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 nursing schools in Iowa. Located in the city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public school with a fairly large student population.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Iowa carry an average student debtload of $24,687. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $221.
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Out of the 34 schools in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, St Luke’s College landed the # 4 spot on the list. St Luke's College is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Sioux City.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from St Luke's College carry an average student debtload of $23,000.
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The excellent programs at Graceland University - Lamoni helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Iowa. Graceland Lamoni is a small private not-for-profit school located in the remote area of Lamoni.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Graceland Lamoni accumulate an average of around $28,584 in student debt.
Full Nursing at Graceland University - Lamoni Report
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Dordt University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in Iowa list. Located in the town of Sioux Center, Dordt is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Nursing majors at Dordt take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Mercy College of Health Sciences did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Des Moines, Mercy College of Health Sciences is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
Nursing majors at Mercy College of Health Sciences take out an average of $30,295 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $330, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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With a ranking of #8, Allen College did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Allen College is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Waterloo.
On average, nursing graduates from Allen College take out $30,510 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $242.
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Northeast Iowa Community College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in Iowa list. NICC is a small public school located in the rural area of Calmar.
Nursing majors at NICC take out an average of $25,275 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Saint Ambrose University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the midsize city of Davenport, St. Ambrose University is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at St. Ambrose University take out is $27,000. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $500.
Full Nursing at Saint Ambrose University Report
Request InformationBest Nursing Colleges in the Plains States Region
Explore all the Best Nursing Colleges 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 |
More Nursing Rankings in Iowa
Rankings in Majors Related to Nursing
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 25 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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