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Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in Iowa

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.

Top 10 Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Associate Degree Schools

Our 2023 rankings named Northwest Iowa Community College the best value school in Iowa for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students working on their associate degree. 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.

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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 midsize city of Davenport, Eastern Iowa Community Colleges is a public college with a medium-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 suburb of Ankeny.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at DMACC are $5,220 a year.

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

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The excellent associate degree programs at Indian Hills Community College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best value liberal arts / sciences and humanities schools in Iowa. Located in the town of Ottumwa, IHCC is a public school with a small student population.

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

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#5

Kirkwood Community College

Cedar Rapids, IA

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 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.

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

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#6

Ellsworth Community College

Iowa Falls, IA

Ellsworth Community College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in Iowa list. Located in the distant town of Iowa Falls, Ellsworth is a public college with a fairly small student population.

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

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#7

Marshalltown Community College

Marshalltown, IA

Marshalltown Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students to get a associate degree. It came in at #7 on the list. Marshalltown Community College is a small public school located in the rural area of Marshalltown.

Marshalltown Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,040 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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With a ranking of #8, Western Iowa Tech 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 city of Sioux City, Western Iowa Tech Community College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Western Iowa Tech Community College are $4,802 a 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 town of West Burlington, Southeastern Community College is a public college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Southeastern Community College are $6,090 a 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

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#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 moderately-sized public school located in the small city of Council Bluffs.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Iowa Western Community College are $6,330 per 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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