2023 Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in Iowa
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Associate Degree School for You
Out of the majors we analyze each year, liberal arts / sciences and humanities was ranked 3rd in Iowa. In fact, 5,966 were awarded in the state in 2020-2021.
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in Iowa ranking. Our analysis looked at 15 schools in Iowa to see which associate degree programs offered the best value experiences for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 10 Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Associate Degree Schools
Our analysis found Northwest Iowa Community College to be the best value school for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students who want to pursue a associate degree in Iowa. Northwest Iowa Community College is a small public school located in the rural area of Sheldon.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Northwest Iowa Community College are $6,540 per year.
Northwest Iowa Community College also made our Best Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in Iowa list, coming in at #2.
Full Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Northwest Iowa Community College Report
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Our 2023 rankings named Eastern Iowa Community College District the best value school in Iowa for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students working on their associate degree. Located in the medium-sized city of Davenport, Eastern Iowa Community Colleges is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Eastern Iowa Community Colleges undergraduate students pay an average of $4,396 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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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 Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in Iowa list. DMACC is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Ankeny.
DMACC undergraduate students pay an average of $5,220 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, DMACC is ranked #4 for overall quality for liberal arts / sciences and humanities in Iowa.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Indian Hills Community College is a great value for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students working on their associate degree. Located in the town of Ottumwa, IHCC is a public college with a small student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at IHCC are $4,560 per year.
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Kirkwood Community College is a great value for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students working on their associate degree. Kirkwood Community College is a fairly large public school located in the city of Cedar Rapids.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Kirkwood Community College are $5,308 a year.
Full Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Kirkwood Community College Report
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Ellsworth Community College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in Iowa ranking. Located in the distant town of Iowa Falls, Ellsworth is a public college with a small student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Ellsworth are $5,040 per year.
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Marshalltown Community College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in Iowa list. Marshalltown Community College is a small public school located in the rural area of Marshalltown.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Marshalltown Community College are $5,040 a year.
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Western Iowa Tech Community College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree liberal arts / sciences and humanities programs. Located in the city of Sioux City, Western Iowa Tech Community College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Western Iowa Tech Community College are $4,802 per year.
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With a ranking of #9, Southeastern Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students working on their associate degree. Located in the remote town of West Burlington, Southeastern Community College is a public college with a small student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Southeastern Community College are $6,090 per year.
Southeastern Community College also took the #5 spot in our Best Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in Iowa rankings.
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With a ranking of #10, Iowa Western Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students working on their associate degree. Iowa Western Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Council Bluffs.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Iowa Western Community College are $6,330 a year.
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Request InformationBest Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Colleges in the Plains States Region
Explore all the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Colleges in the Plains States Area or other specific states within that region.
State | Degrees Awarded |
---|---|
Kansas | 6,339 |
Minnesota | 6,264 |
South Dakota | 222 |
Missouri | 8,280 |
Nebraska | 1,612 |
North Dakota | 953 |
More Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Rankings in Iowa
Majors Related to Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities
Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Majors to Study
Major | Annual Graduates |
---|---|
Liberal Arts General Studies | 556,813 |
Majors Similar to Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities
Related Major | Annual Graduates |
---|---|
Visual & Performing Arts | 149,215 |
English Language & Literature | 54,635 |
Foreign Languages & Linguistics | 33,333 |
Theology & Religious Vocations | 27,459 |
Philosophy & Religious Studies | 19,993 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 15 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 Jacques Sablet (Switzerland, Morges, 1749-1803).
More about our data sources and methodologies.