2023 Best Undergraduate Certificate 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 help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Iowa ranking. Our analysis looked at 14 schools in Iowa to see which undergraduate certificate 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 Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Iowa
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found Northwest Iowa Community College to be the best school for students who want to pursue a undergraduate certificate in Iowa.
In-state students pay an average of $6,540 in tuition and fees if they attend Northwest Iowa Community College full time. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $6,840. On average, undergraduate certificate students take out $14,120 in loans while pursuing their degree.
One thing to take note of is that Northwest Iowa Community College does offer online classes in some areas. 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.
The excellent undergraduate certificate programs at Hawkeye Community College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools in Iowa.
Students from Iowa who attend Hawkeye Community College full time pay an average of $5,977 in tuition and fees. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $6,524. By the time they get their undergraduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $15,286 in student loans.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Hawkeye Community College. In 2019-2020 about 41% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Southeastern Community College is a great place for students working on their undergraduate certificate.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Southeastern Community College is $6,090. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $6,240. By the time they get their undergraduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $15,255 in student loans.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Southeastern Community College. In fact, around 49% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Out of the 14 schools in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, Northeast Iowa Community College landed the # 4 spot on the list.
In-state students pay an average of $6,120 in tuition and fees if they attend NICC full time. Out-of-state students pay an average of $6,840. On average, undergraduate certificate students take out $15,283 in loans while pursuing their degree.
NICC 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 55% took at least some of their classes online.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Des Moines Area Community College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Iowa list.
By the time they get their undergraduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $16,511 in student loans.
DMACC 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 63% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Western Iowa Tech Community College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Undergraduate Certificate 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. By the time they get their undergraduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $12,541 in student loans.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Western Iowa Tech Community College. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 53% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Marshalltown Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students to get an undergraduate certificate. It came in at #7 on the list.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Marshalltown Community College is $5,040. Out-of-state students pay an average of $5,448. On average, undergraduate certificate students take out $22,664 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Online courses are available at Marshalltown Community College, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In 2019-2020 about 76% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Iowa Central Community College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Iowa ranking.
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. By the time they get their undergraduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $11,673 in student loans.
Iowa Central 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. In 2019-2020 about 33% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
North Iowa Area Community College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Iowa list.
Full-time students from Iowa pay an average of $5,971 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend North Iowa Area Community College. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $8,547.
Since North Iowa Area Community College is primarily an online school, it is an excellent choice for undergraduate students who need more flexibility than what is offered at some other schools.
Iowa Western Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students to get an undergraduate certificate. It came in at #10 on the list.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Iowa Western Community College is $6,330. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $6,480. On average, undergraduate certificate students take out $12,734 in loans while pursuing their degree.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Iowa Western Community College. In 2019-2020 about 75% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Kirkwood Community College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Iowa list.
In-state students pay an average of $5,308 in tuition and fees if they attend Kirkwood Community College full time. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $7,072. By the time they get their undergraduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $19,474 in student loans.
Kirkwood Community College does offer online classes for certain degree levels. In fact, around 86% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Indian Hills Community College ranked #12 on this year’s Best Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Iowa list.
By the time they get their undergraduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $19,190 in student loans.
One thing to take note of is that IHCC does offer online classes in some areas. In fact, around 36% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #13, Eastern Iowa Community College District did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working on their undergraduate certificate.
Undergraduate Certificate recipients from Eastern Iowa Community Colleges accumulate an average of $16,753 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.
Iowa Lakes Community College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Iowa ranking.
Full-time students from Iowa pay an average of $6,844 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend Iowa Lakes Community College. Out-of-state students pay an average of $7,196. By the time they get their undergraduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $17,327 in student loans.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Iowa Lakes Community College. During the 2019-2020 year, about 45% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Best Undergraduate Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 14 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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