2023 Most Popular 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.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Most Popular Nursing Schools in Iowa ranking. Our analysis looked at 36 schools in Iowa to see which programs were the most popular for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Nursing program at each school on the list.
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2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in Iowa
The colleges and universities below are the most popular for nursing majors pursuing a .
Top 10 Most Popular Nursing Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Mercy College of Health Sciences the most popular school in Iowa for nursing students. Located in the midsize city of Des Moines, Mercy College of Health Sciences is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Mercy College of Health Sciences accumulate an average of around $30,295 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $330, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Out of the 36 schools in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Iowa landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public school with a very large student population.
Nursing majors at Iowa take out an average of $24,687 in student loans while working on their egree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $221.
Out of the 36 schools in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, Graceland University - Lamoni landed the # 3 spot on the list. Graceland Lamoni is a small private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Lamoni.
On average, nursing graduates from Graceland Lamoni take out $28,584 in student loans while working on their degree.
The excellent programs at Allen College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Iowa. 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.
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 #5 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in Iowa list. Located in the suburb of Ankeny, DMACC is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Nursing majors at DMACC take out an average of $20,596 in student loans while working on their egree.
Iowa Western Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for nursing students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the city of Council Bluffs, Iowa Western Community College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
On average, nursing graduates from Iowa Western Community College take out $25,973 in student loans while working on their degree.
Read full report on Nursing at Iowa Western Community College
With a ranking of #7, Upper Iowa University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students. Located in the remote area of Fayette, UIU is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
On average, nursing graduates from UIU take out $35,001 in student loans while working on their degree.
Mount Mercy University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular nursing programs. Located in the city of Cedar Rapids, Mount Mercy is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Mount Mercy accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $289, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Kirkwood Community College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular nursing programs. Located in the midsize city of Cedar Rapids, Kirkwood Community College is a public college with a large student population.
On average, nursing graduates from Kirkwood Community College take out $25,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
Saint Ambrose University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular nursing programs. Located in the city of Davenport, St. Ambrose University is a private not-for-profit school 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.
Best Nursing Colleges in the Plains States Region
Explore all the Most Popular 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 |
Nursing Related Majors
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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