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Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in Iowa

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2023 Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in Iowa

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

15 Colleges
$5,834 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$24,682 Avg Salary

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.

2023 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in Iowa

The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for liberal arts / sciences and humanities majors pursuing a associate degree.

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.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Northwest Iowa Community College are $6,540 a year.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Northwest Iowa Community College is ranked #2 for overall quality for liberal arts / sciences and humanities in Iowa.

Full Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Northwest Iowa Community College Report

Our analysis found Eastern Iowa Community College District to be the best value school for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students who want to pursue a associate degree in Iowa. Located in the city of Davenport, Eastern Iowa Community Colleges is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Eastern Iowa Community Colleges are $4,396 per 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 suburb of Ankeny.

DMACC undergraduate students pay an average of $5,220 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

DMACC also took the #4 spot in our Best Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in Iowa rankings.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Des Moines Area Community College

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Indian Hills Community College. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in Iowa list. Located in the remote town of Ottumwa, IHCC is a public college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at IHCC are $4,560 a year.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Indian Hills Community College

#5

Kirkwood Community College

Cedar Rapids, IA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Kirkwood Community College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in Iowa list. Kirkwood Community College is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Cedar Rapids.

Kirkwood Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,308 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Kirkwood Community College

#6

Ellsworth Community College

Iowa Falls, IA

With a ranking of #6, Ellsworth 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 town of Iowa Falls, Ellsworth is a public college with a fairly small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Ellsworth are $5,040 a year.

Full Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Ellsworth Community College Report

#7

Marshalltown Community College

Marshalltown, IA

With a ranking of #7, Marshalltown Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students working on their associate degree. Marshalltown Community College is a small public school located in the rural area of Marshalltown.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Marshalltown Community College are $5,040 per year.

Full Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Marshalltown Community College Report

Western Iowa Tech Community College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in Iowa ranking. Located in the small city of Sioux City, Western Iowa Tech Community College is a public school with a medium-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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#9

Southeastern Community College

West Burlington, IA

Southeastern Community College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree liberal arts / sciences and humanities programs. 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 did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our Best Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in Iowa list.

Full Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Southeastern Community College Report

#10

Iowa Western Community College

Council Bluffs, IA

Iowa Western Community College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in Iowa list. Iowa Western Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the small city of Council Bluffs.

Iowa Western Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $6,330 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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Best 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

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.

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