2023 Best Bachelor's 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 Bachelor's Degree Schools in Iowa ranking. Our analysis looked at 23 schools in Iowa to see which bachelor's degree programs offered the best educational experiences 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 Bachelor's Degree Schools in Iowa
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found Drake University to be the best school for students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Iowa.
The average tuition and fees at Drake is $45,912. In-state students do not receive a discount, however you may be able to reduce your price if you receive financial aid. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $20,572 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Drake. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 96% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Grinnell College is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree.
If you want to attend Grinnell, expect to pay an average of $58,648 in tuition and fees. Of course, this could be reduced if you receive financial aid.
Out of the 23 schools in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern College landed the # 3 spot on the list.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $33,590 to cover tuition and fees at NWC. The school does not offer an in-state discount.
Some students may be able to take online classes at NWC. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 27% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Iowa State University is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree.
Full-time students from Iowa pay an average of $9,634 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend Iowa State. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $25,446. By the time they get their bachelor’s degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $23,598 in student loans.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Iowa State does offer online classes for certain majors. In 2019-2020 about 96% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Northern Iowa. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa list.
Students from Iowa who attend UNI full time pay an average of $9,053 in tuition and fees. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $19,753. Bachelor’s Degree recipients from UNI accumulate an average of $22,939 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Some students may be able to take online classes at UNI. During the 2019-2020 year, about 85% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Simpson College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree programs.
If you want to attend Simpson College, expect to pay an average of $44,030 in tuition and fees. Of course, this could be reduced if you receive financial aid. By the time they get their bachelor’s degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $26,958 in student loans.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Simpson College does offer online classes for certain majors. In fact, around 6% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
University of Iowa ranked #7 on this year’s Best Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa list.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Iowa is $9,942. Out-of-state students pay an average of $31,905. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $23,618 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Iowa. In fact, around 59% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Wartburg College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa list.
The average tuition and fees at Wartburg is $47,500. In-state students do not receive a discount, however you may be able to reduce your price if you receive financial aid. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $24,201 in loans while pursuing their degree.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Wartburg. In fact, around 66% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Luther College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree programs.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $46,760 to cover tuition and fees at Luther. The school does not offer an in-state discount. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $25,246 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Interested in an online degree? Then you definitely want to check out Luther. Every undergraduate student at the school took at least one class online.
Loras College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree programs.
If you want to attend Loras, expect to pay an average of $35,268 in tuition and fees. Of course, this could be reduced if you receive financial aid. By the time they get their bachelor’s degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $21,552 in student loans.
One thing to take note of is that Loras does offer online classes in some areas. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 65% took at least some of their classes online.
Waldorf University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa list.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $23,666 to cover tuition and fees at Waldorf. The school does not offer an in-state discount. By the time they get their bachelor’s degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $27,917 in student loans.
Online courses are available at Waldorf, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In fact, around 73% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #12, Upper Iowa University did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working on their bachelor’s degree.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $33,609 to cover tuition and fees at UIU. The school does not offer an in-state discount. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $34,703 in loans while pursuing their degree.
UIU does offer online classes for certain degree levels. In fact, around 71% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Morningside College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #13 on the list.
Morningside does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $35,270. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $26,099 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Morningside 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. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 8% took at least some of their classes online.
With a ranking of #14, Cornell College did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working on their bachelor’s degree.
If you want to attend Cornell College, expect to pay an average of $47,726 in tuition and fees. Of course, this could be reduced if you receive financial aid.
Cornell College is primarily an online school, so it is a great choice for returning adults and students who work full time.
Dordt University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa ranking.
The average tuition and fees at Dordt is $33,590. In-state students do not receive a discount, however you may be able to reduce your price if you receive financial aid.
Dordt does offer online classes for certain degree levels. In fact, around 29% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Saint Ambrose University landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree programs.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $33,570 to cover tuition and fees at St. Ambrose University. The school does not offer an in-state discount. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $27,244 in loans while pursuing their degree.
St. Ambrose University does offer online classes for certain degree levels. In fact, around 4% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Buena Vista University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #17 on the list.
By the time they get their bachelor’s degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $31,426 in student loans.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since BVU does offer online classes for certain majors. In fact, around 55% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Coe College landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree programs.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $48,822 to cover tuition and fees at Coe. The school does not offer an in-state discount. Bachelor’s Degree recipients from Coe accumulate an average of $25,555 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Grand View University landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree programs.
Grand View University does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $30,954. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid. By the time they get their bachelor’s degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $29,831 in student loans.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Grand View University. In 2019-2020 about 28% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Mount Mercy University landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree programs.
The average tuition and fees at Mount Mercy is $36,540. In-state students do not receive a discount, however you may be able to reduce your price if you receive financial aid. By the time they get their bachelor’s degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $29,114 in student loans.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Mount Mercy does offer online classes for certain majors. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 27% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
University of Dubuque ranked #21 on this year’s Best Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa list.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $36,010 to cover tuition and fees at UD. The school does not offer an in-state discount. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $28,068 in loans while pursuing their degree.
One thing to take note of is that UD does offer online classes in some areas. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 18% took at least some of their classes online.
Briar Cliff University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa ranking.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $33,998 to cover tuition and fees at Briar Cliff. The school does not offer an in-state discount. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $23,123 in loans while pursuing their degree.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Briar Cliff does offer online classes for certain majors. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 69% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
William Penn University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #23 on the list.
On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $32,765 in loans while pursuing their degree.
One thing to take note of is that William Penn University does offer online classes in some areas. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 35% took at least some of their classes online.
Best Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 23 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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