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Best Value Economics Schools in Iowa

2023 Best Value Economics Schools in Iowa

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

8 Colleges
$31,403 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$47,196 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Economics School for You

In 2020-2021, 321 degrees and certificates were awarded to economics students who went to a Iowa college or university. This makes it the #31 most popular major in the state.

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. 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 Economics Schools in Iowa ranking. Our analysis looked at 8 schools in Iowa to see which programs offered the best value experiences for economics students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. 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.

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

Best Iowa Schools for Affordable Quality in Economics

#1

University of Northern Iowa

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

Our 2023 rankings named University of Northern Iowa the best value school in Iowa for economics students. Located in the small city of Cedar Falls, UNI is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UNI are $9,053 a year. After completing their degree, economics graduates from UNI carry an average student debtload of $22,063.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, UNI is ranked #5 for overall quality for economics in Iowa.

Full Economics at University of Northern Iowa Report

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$9,634 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Iowa State University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best economics schools 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. While working on their degree, economics majors at Iowa State accumulate an average of around $20,000 in student debt.

Iowa State did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our Best Economics Schools in Iowa list.

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#3

University of Iowa

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

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Iowa. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools in Iowa list. Located in the small city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public school with a very large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Iowa are $9,942 per year. Economics majors at Iowa take out an average of $26,125 in student loans while working on their egree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $402.

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

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#4

University of Dubuque

Dubuque, IA
$36,010 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 8 schools in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Dubuque landed the # 4 spot on the list. UD is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Dubuque.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UD are $36,010 a year.

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#5

Grinnell College

Grinnell, IA
$58,648 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 8 schools in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, Grinnell College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Grinnell is a small private not-for-profit school located in the remote town of Grinnell.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Grinnell are $58,648 per year. The average amount in student loans that economics majors at Grinnell take out is $17,293.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Grinnell is ranked #2 for overall quality for economics in Iowa.

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#6

Drake University

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

Drake University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for economics students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Des Moines, Drake is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Drake are $45,912 a year.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Drake is ranked #3 for overall quality for economics in Iowa.

Full Economics at Drake University Report

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#7

Loras College

Dubuque, IA
$35,268 Average Tuition & Fees

Loras College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Schools in Iowa ranking. Located in the 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.

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#8

Luther College

Decorah, IA
$46,760 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #8, Luther College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for economics students. Luther is a small private not-for-profit school located in the remote town of Decorah.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Luther are $46,760 per year.

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Best Value Economics Colleges in the Plains States Region

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

State Degrees Awarded
Missouri 420
Minnesota 847
Kansas 344
Nebraska 111
North Dakota 41
South Dakota 43

One of 12 majors within the area of study, economics has other similar majors worth exploring.

Majors Similar to Economics

Related Major Annual Graduates
Political Science & Government 49,282
Sociology 38,475
General Social Sciences 18,997
International Relations & National Security 14,306
Anthropology 11,415

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 8 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 pixabay.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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