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Best Value Psychology Schools in Iowa

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2023 Best Value Psychology Schools in Iowa

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

18 Colleges
$33,741 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$35,403 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Psychology School for You

With 1,444 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, psychology is the #11 most popular major in Iowa.

There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. 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 help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Psychology Schools in Iowa ranking. This report analyzed 18 schools in Iowa to see which ones offered the best value programs for psychology students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

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. 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.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

2023 Best Value Psychology Schools in Iowa

Check out the psychology programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Top 10 Best Psychology Schools

$9,634 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found Iowa State University to be the best value school for psychology students who want to pursue a degree in Iowa. Iowa State is a very large public school located in the city of Ames.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Iowa State are $9,634 a year. The average amount in student loans that psychology majors at Iowa State take out is $25,000. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $180, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Iowa State not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #4 on our Best Psychology Schools in Iowa list.

Full Psychology at Iowa State University Report

#2

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, IA
$9,053 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 18 schools in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Northern Iowa landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the small city of Cedar Falls, UNI is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UNI are $9,053 per year. The average amount in student loans that psychology majors at UNI take out is $20,500. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $226.

UNI also made our Best Psychology Schools in Iowa list, coming in at #5.

Read More…

#3

University of Iowa

Iowa City, IA
$9,942 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of Iowa is a great value for psychology students. Located in the city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Iowa are $9,942 a year. While working on their degree, psychology majors at Iowa accumulate an average of around $25,000 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $294.

Iowa excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Psychology Schools in Iowa list.

Full Psychology at University of Iowa Report

#4

Loras College

Dubuque, IA
$35,268 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 18 schools in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, Loras College landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the small city of Dubuque, Loras is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Loras undergraduate students pay an average of $35,268 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that psychology majors at Loras take out is $26,899.

Full Psychology at Loras College Report

#5

Upper Iowa University

Fayette, IA
$33,609 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Upper Iowa University is a great value for psychology students. Located in the remote area of Fayette, UIU is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UIU are $33,609 per year. After completing their degree, psychology graduates from UIU carry an average student debtload of $41,478.

Read full report on Psychology at Upper Iowa University

#6

Buena Vista University

Storm Lake, IA
$37,518 Average Tuition & Fees

Buena Vista University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Psychology Schools in Iowa ranking. Located in the remote town of Storm Lake, BVU is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at BVU are $37,518 a year. On average, psychology graduates from BVU take out $31,180 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read More…

#7

Waldorf University

Forest City, IA
$23,666 Average Tuition & Fees

Waldorf University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value psychology programs. Waldorf is a small private for-profit school located in the town of Forest City.

Waldorf undergraduate students pay an average of $23,666 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, psychology graduates from Waldorf take out $28,170 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Psychology at Waldorf University Report

#8

Drake University

Des Moines, IA
$45,912 Average Tuition & Fees

Drake University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value psychology programs. Located in the midsize city of Des Moines, Drake is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Drake are $45,912 a year. Psychology majors at Drake take out an average of $25,500 in student loans while working on their egree.

Drake also took the #3 spot in our Best Psychology Schools in Iowa rankings.

Read full report on Psychology at Drake University

#9

Clarke University

Dubuque, IA
$36,870 Average Tuition & Fees

Clarke University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for psychology students. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the city of Dubuque, Clarke is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Clarke are $36,870 per year. After completing their degree, psychology graduates from Clarke carry an average student debtload of $27,000.

Full Psychology at Clarke University Report

#10

Wartburg College

Waverly, IA
$47,500 Average Tuition & Fees

Wartburg College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Psychology Schools in Iowa ranking. Located in the distant town of Waverly, Wartburg is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Wartburg undergraduate students pay an average of $47,500 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, psychology graduates from Wartburg take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

Wartburg excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Psychology Schools in Iowa list.

Read full report on Psychology at Wartburg College

Best Value Psychology Colleges in the Plains States Region

Explore all the Best Value Psychology Colleges in the Plains States Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Kansas 1,451
Minnesota 6,179
South Dakota 328
Missouri 3,062
Nebraska 994
North Dakota 369

Psychology Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
General Psychology 141,695
Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology 33,758
Child Development & Psychology 17,542
Other Psychology 2,683

Related Major Annual Graduates
Education 327,871
Social Sciences 205,984
Communication & Journalism 120,571
Family, Consumer & Human Sciences 55,820
History 32,731

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 18 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 Nevit Dilmen.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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