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Best Value Psychology Schools in Iowa

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.

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.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Iowa State are $9,634 per 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.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Iowa State is ranked #4 for overall quality for psychology in Iowa.

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#2

University of Northern Iowa

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

The excellent programs at University of Northern Iowa helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best psychology schools in Iowa. Located in the small city of Cedar Falls, UNI is a public school with a medium-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.

Full Psychology at University of Northern Iowa Report

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#3

University of Iowa

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

The excellent programs at University of Iowa helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best psychology schools in Iowa. Located in the city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public school with a very large student population.

Iowa undergraduate students pay an average of $9,942 in in-state tuition and fees each 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

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#4

Loras College

Dubuque, IA
$35,268 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Loras College is a great value for psychology students. Located in the small city of Dubuque, Loras is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

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

Full Psychology at Loras College Report

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#5

Upper Iowa University

Fayette, IA
$33,609 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Upper Iowa University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Psychology Schools in Iowa list. Located in the remote area of Fayette, UIU is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

UIU undergraduate students pay an average of $33,609 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, psychology graduates from UIU carry an average student debtload of $41,478.

Full Psychology at Upper Iowa University Report

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#6

Buena Vista University

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

Buena Vista University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for psychology students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the town of Storm Lake, BVU is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

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

Full Psychology at Buena Vista University Report

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#7

Waldorf University

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

Waldorf University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Psychology Schools in Iowa list. Waldorf is a small private for-profit school located in the remote 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.

Read full report on Psychology at Waldorf University

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#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 made our Best Psychology Schools in Iowa list, coming in at #3.

Read full report on Psychology at Drake University

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#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 college with a small student population.

Clarke undergraduate students pay an average of $36,870 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, psychology graduates from Clarke carry an average student debtload of $27,000.

Read full report on Psychology at Clarke University

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#10

Wartburg College

Waverly, IA
$47,500 Average Tuition & Fees

Wartburg College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Psychology Schools in Iowa list. Located in the distant town of Waverly, Wartburg is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Wartburg are $47,500 per year. On average, psychology graduates from Wartburg take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

In addition to its great value ranking, Wartburg is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Psychology Schools in Iowa list.

Full Psychology at Wartburg College Report

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Best Value Psychology Colleges in the Plains States Region

Explore all the Best Value Psychology Schools 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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