Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa

Find Schools Near

2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

17 Colleges
$7,079 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$57,601 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Nursing Associate 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.

The Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 17 schools in Iowa to see which associate degree programs offered the best value experiences for nursing students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

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.

2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa

The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for nursing majors pursuing a associate degree.

Top 10 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools

Our analysis found Western Iowa Tech Community College to be the best value school for nursing students who want to pursue a associate degree in Iowa. Western Iowa Tech Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Sioux City.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Western Iowa Tech Community College are $4,802 per year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Western Iowa Tech Community College accumulate an average of around $24,421 in student debt.

Full Nursing at Western Iowa Tech Community College Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Northeast Iowa Community College. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa list. NICC is a small public school located in the rural area of Calmar.

NICC undergraduate students pay an average of $6,120 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read More…

The excellent associate degree programs at Des Moines Area Community College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value nursing schools in Iowa. Located in the suburb of Ankeny, DMACC is a public school with a very large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at DMACC are $5,220 per year. Nursing majors at DMACC take out an average of $23,473 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

DMACC not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #4 on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa list.

Full Nursing at Des Moines Area Community College Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Eastern Iowa Community College District. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa list. Eastern Iowa Community Colleges is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Davenport.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Eastern Iowa Community Colleges are $4,396 per year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Eastern Iowa Community Colleges accumulate an average of around $27,563 in student debt.

Read full report on Nursing at Eastern Iowa Community College District

Out of the 17 schools in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, Indian Hills Community College landed the # 5 spot on the list. IHCC is a small public school located in the town of Ottumwa.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at IHCC are $4,560 a year. After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from IHCC carry an average student debtload of $23,432.

Read More…

#6

Kirkwood Community College

Cedar Rapids, IA

With a ranking of #6, Kirkwood Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the city of Cedar Rapids, Kirkwood Community College is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Kirkwood Community College are $5,308 a year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Kirkwood Community College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $27,483.

Read More…

Northwest Iowa Community College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa ranking. Located in the rural area of Sheldon, Northwest Iowa Community College is a public college with a small student population.

Northwest Iowa Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $6,540 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Northwest Iowa Community College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $25,038.

Northwest Iowa Community College did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa list.

Read full report on Nursing at Northwest Iowa Community College

North Iowa Area Community College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa ranking. North Iowa Area Community College is a small public school located in the remote town of Mason City.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at North Iowa Area Community College are $5,971 per year. Nursing majors at North Iowa Area Community College take out an average of $19,728 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read full report on Nursing at North Iowa Area Community College

Iowa Central Community College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa list. Iowa Central Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Fort Dodge.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Iowa Central Community College are $6,000 per year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Iowa Central Community College accumulate an average of around $26,954 in student debt.

Full Nursing at Iowa Central Community College Report

#10

Hawkeye Community College

Waterloo, IA

Hawkeye Community College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa list. Located in the city of Waterloo, Hawkeye Community College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Hawkeye Community College are $5,977 a year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Hawkeye Community College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $28,555.

Read full report on Nursing at Hawkeye Community College

Best Value Nursing Colleges in the Plains States Region

Explore all the Best Value 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

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 17 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 Aleksahgabrielle.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Featured Schools

Find Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited colleges across the U.S.