2023 Best Associate Degree Schools 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. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school or bootcamp that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Associate Degree Schools in Iowa ranking. This report analyzed 17 schools in Iowa to see which ones offered the best associate degree programs for students. To come up with a school's ranking, we analyzed numerous factors related to post-graduation wages, the quality of education offered by the school, average accumulated student debt, and more.
View our full ranking methodology.
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Top Associate Degree Schools in Iowa
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2023 rankings named Waldorf University the best school in Iowa for students working on their associate degree.
If you want to attend Waldorf, expect to pay an average of $23,666 in tuition and fees. Of course, this could be reduced if you receive financial aid. On average, associate degree students take out $22,165 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Waldorf does offer online classes for certain degree levels. In fact, around 73% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Out of the 17 schools in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwest Iowa Community College landed the # 2 spot on the list.
Full-time students from Iowa pay an average of $6,540 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend Northwest Iowa Community College. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $6,840. Associate Degree recipients from Northwest Iowa Community College accumulate an average of $16,567 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Northwest Iowa Community College does have options available for those who want to take online classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 68% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Dordt University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Associate Degree Schools in Iowa list.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $33,590 to cover tuition and fees at Dordt. The school does not offer an in-state discount.
Dordt does have options available for those who want to take online classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. In fact, around 29% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
The excellent associate degree programs at Des Moines Area Community College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools in Iowa.
By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $16,614 in student loans.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at DMACC. In 2019-2020 about 63% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Southeastern Community College is a great place for students working on their associate degree.
Students from Iowa who attend Southeastern Community College full time pay an average of $6,090 in tuition and fees. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $6,240. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $16,052 in student loans.
One thing to take note of is that Southeastern Community College does offer online classes in some areas. In 2019-2020 about 49% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Iowa Western Community College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Schools in Iowa list.
Full-time students from Iowa pay an average of $6,330 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend Iowa Western Community College. Out-of-state students pay an average of $6,480. Associate Degree recipients from Iowa Western Community College accumulate an average of $21,172 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Iowa Western Community College. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 75% took at least some of their classes online.
Northeast Iowa Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students to get an associate degree. It came in at #7 on the list.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at NICC is $6,120. Out-of-state students pay an average of $6,840.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at NICC. During the 2019-2020 year, about 55% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Kirkwood Community College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Schools in Iowa ranking.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Kirkwood Community College is $5,308. Out-of-state students pay an average of $7,072. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $19,972 in student loans.
Kirkwood Community College does offer online classes for certain degree levels. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 86% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Eastern Iowa Community College District did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students to get an associate degree. It came in at #9 on the list.
Associate Degree recipients from Eastern Iowa Community Colleges accumulate an average of $20,417 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Online courses are available at Eastern Iowa Community Colleges, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. During the 2019-2020 year, about 61% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Hawkeye Community College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Schools in Iowa list.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Hawkeye Community College is $5,977. Out-of-state students pay an average of $6,524. Associate Degree recipients from Hawkeye Community College accumulate an average of $21,368 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Online courses are available at Hawkeye Community College, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In fact, around 41% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Iowa Central Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students to get an associate degree. It came in at #11 on the list.
In-state students pay an average of $6,000 in tuition and fees if they attend Iowa Central Community College full time. Out-of-state students pay an average of $8,650. Associate Degree recipients from Iowa Central Community College accumulate an average of $21,832 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Online courses are available at Iowa Central Community College, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. During the 2019-2020 year, about 33% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Indian Hills Community College ranked #12 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Schools in Iowa list.
Associate Degree recipients from IHCC accumulate an average of $17,117 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Online courses are available at IHCC, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 36% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Southwestern Community College landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree programs.
In-state students pay an average of $6,060 in tuition and fees if they attend SWCC full time. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $6,270. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $13,617 in student loans.
Some students may be able to take online classes at SWCC. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 65% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Iowa Lakes Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students to get an associate degree. It came in at #14 on the list.
In-state students pay an average of $6,844 in tuition and fees if they attend Iowa Lakes Community College full time. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $7,196. On average, associate degree students take out $19,864 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Iowa Lakes Community College. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 45% took at least some of their classes online.
North Iowa Area Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students to get an associate degree. It came in at #15 on the list.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at North Iowa Area Community College is $5,971. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $8,547. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $15,157 in student loans.
Interested in an online degree? Then you definitely want to check out North Iowa Area Community College. Every undergraduate student at the school took at least one class online.
Marshalltown Community College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Schools in Iowa ranking.
Students from Iowa who attend Marshalltown Community College full time pay an average of $5,040 in tuition and fees. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $5,448. On average, associate degree students take out $17,126 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Marshalltown Community College does offer online classes for certain degree levels. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 76% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Western Iowa Tech Community College ranked #17 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Schools in Iowa list.
Students from Iowa who attend Western Iowa Tech Community College full time pay an average of $4,802 in tuition and fees. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $4,826. On average, associate degree students take out $17,167 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Western Iowa Tech Community College. In fact, around 53% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Best Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region
View Best Associate Degree Schools Nationwide >
Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 17 schools only.
References
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- 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 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).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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