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Best Value Nursing Schools in Iowa

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2023 Best Value Nursing Schools in Iowa

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

34 Colleges
$14,427 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$66,973 Avg Salary

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.

The Best Value Nursing Schools in Iowa ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 34 schools in Iowa to see which ones offered the best value programs for nursing students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

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 Schools in Iowa

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

Top 10 Best Nursing Schools

$4,802 Average Tuition & Fees

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

Western Iowa Tech Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,802 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Western Iowa Tech Community College carry an average student debtload of $21,962.

Read full report on Nursing at Western Iowa Tech Community College

$6,120 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 34 schools in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, Northeast Iowa Community College landed the # 2 spot on the list. NICC is a small public school located in the rural area of Calmar.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NICC are $6,120 per year. Nursing majors at NICC take out an average of $25,275 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Nursing at Northeast Iowa Community College Report

$5,220 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Des Moines Area Community College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in Iowa list. Located in the suburb of Ankeny, DMACC is a public school with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at DMACC are $5,220 per year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at DMACC take out is $20,596.

Full Nursing at Des Moines Area Community College Report

$4,396 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Eastern Iowa Community College District helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Iowa. 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. Nursing majors at Eastern Iowa Community Colleges take out an average of $26,451 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read More…

$5,977 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Hawkeye Community College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Iowa. 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 is $23,477.

Full Nursing at Hawkeye Community College Report

#6

Kirkwood Community College

Cedar Rapids, IA
$5,308 Average Tuition & Fees

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

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Kirkwood Community College are $5,308 per year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Kirkwood Community College carry an average student debtload of $25,000.

Full Nursing at Kirkwood Community College Report

$4,560 Average Tuition & Fees

Indian Hills Community College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in Iowa 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 degree, nursing graduates from IHCC carry an average student debtload of $22,304.

Read More…

$6,540 Average Tuition & Fees

Northwest Iowa Community College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value nursing programs. Located in the rural area of Sheldon, Northwest Iowa Community College is a public college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Northwest Iowa Community College are $6,540 a year. On average, nursing graduates from Northwest Iowa Community College take out $23,461 in student loans while working on their degree.

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$5,971 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #9, North Iowa Area Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students. North Iowa Area Community College is a small public school located in the town of Mason City.

North Iowa Area Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,971 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at North Iowa Area Community College take out is $15,000.

Read full report on Nursing at North Iowa Area Community College

$6,000 Average Tuition & Fees

Iowa Central Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for nursing students. It came in at #10 on the list. Iowa Central Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Fort Dodge.

Iowa Central Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $6,000 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, nursing graduates from Iowa Central Community College take out $23,838 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Nursing at Iowa Central Community College

Best Value Nursing Colleges in the Plains States Region

Explore all the Best Value 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 25 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.

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