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2021 Best Affordable Colleges in Iowa for Students from Canada

11 Colleges
$28,315 Avg Tuition & Fees*
42% Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*

It's not easy to decide which college to attend when there are so many options available for international students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our Best Value Colleges for Canadian Students in Iowa ranking - to help you make that decision.

Our analysis looked at 11 schools in Iowa to determine which ones were the best for Canadian students in Iowa. To come up with this ranking, we look at a number of factors that are all objective measurements. These factors include the school's overall value as determined by our Best Colleges for the Money ranking and the percentage of international students on campus.

See what other factors we include in our ranking methodology.

Customizing Your List

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Since one ranking on its own is not enough to give you a complete understanding of your educational options, you can refine this list by location. We've also developed a number of other tools and rankings based on other factors. These other rankings highlight colleges that excel in other factors such as quality or diversity as well as schools that excel in serving different groups of students such as online students or returnings adults.

We've created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. If you're torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Top Value Colleges in Iowa for Students from Canada

See which schools came out on top of our ranking:

1

Our analysis found Iowa State University to be the best affordable school for Canadian students in Iowa in this year’s ranking. Located in Ames, Iowa, the large public school handed out 6,998 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 8.1% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at Iowa State are China, India, and Malaysia. Yearly tuition and fees (out-of-state) for undergraduates at Iowa State runs, on average, about $25,446. The average tuition and fees for graduate programs is $26,948 per year.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Read More…

2

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at University of Northern Iowa helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for Canadian students in Iowa. This medium-sized public school is located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and it awarded 2,555 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 3.5% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as Saudi Arabia, China, and Mexico come to UNI to study. Yearly tuition and fees (out-of-state) for undergraduates at UNI runs, on average, about $19,753. The average tuition and fees for graduate programs is $21,201 per year.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read More…

3

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Emmaus Bible College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for Canadian students in Iowa. Emmaus Bible College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Dubuque, Iowa that handed out 77 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 2.1% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as Canada, South Korea, and India come to Emmaus Bible College to study. International students at Emmaus Bible College can expect to pay, on average, about $19,550 a year to attend the school.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Emmaus Bible College Report

4
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA

A rank of #4 on our list means University of Iowa is a great place for Canadian students in Iowa working on their bachelor’s degree. University of Iowa is a large public school located in Iowa City, Iowa that handed out 5,998 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 5.9% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, South Korea, and India come to Iowa to study. Yearly tuition and fees (out-of-state) for undergraduates at Iowa runs, on average, about $31,905. Graduate students pay around $31,012 a year in average tuition and fees.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.

Read full report on University of Iowa

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Maharishi International University. The school came in at #5 in this year’s ranking. Fairfield, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 134 students in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 42.6% are international. Students from as far away as Nepal, Ethiopia, and China come to MIU to study. International students at MIU can expect to pay, on average, about $16,530 a year to attend the school. The average tuition and fees for graduate programs is $32,530 per year.

Read full report on Maharishi International University

6

With a ranking of #6, Saint Ambrose University did quite well on the 2021 Best Value Colleges for Canadian Students in Iowa. Located in Davenport, Iowa, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 626 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

International students make up 2.3% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at St. Ambrose University come from such countries as Saudi Arabia, India, and United Kingdom. International students at St. Ambrose University can expect to pay, on average, about $33,570 a year to attend the school. Graduate students pay around $18,640 a year in average tuition and fees.

Read More…

7
Waldorf crest
Waldorf University
Forest City, IA

Waldorf University landed the #7 spot on the 2021 Best Value Colleges for Canadian Students in Iowa. Waldorf is located in Forest City, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 540 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.

Of the total number of students at the school, 2.8% are international. Students studying at Waldorf come from such countries as Canada, Brazil, and Germany. International students at Waldorf can expect to pay, on average, about $23,666 a year to attend the school. The average tuition and fees for graduate programs is $4,835 per year.

Read full report on Waldorf University

8
Drake crest
Drake University
Des Moines, IA

Drake University landed the #8 spot on the 2021 Best Value Colleges for Canadian Students in Iowa. Located in Des Moines, Iowa, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 838 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

Around 2.4% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at Drake come from such countries as Malaysia, China, and Vietnam. Out-of-state tuition and fees for undergraduates at Drake is about $45,912 a year, on average. Graduate students pay around $11,988 a year in average tuition and fees.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read full report on Drake University

9

University of Dubuque ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Colleges for Canadian Students in Iowa list. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Dubuque, Iowa, and it awarded 423 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 4.8% are international. Students studying at UD come from such countries as Saudi Arabia, China, and Taiwan. Out-of-state tuition and fees for undergraduates at UD is about $36,010 a year, on average. Graduate students pay around $7,940 a year in average tuition and fees.

Read More…

10

Graceland University - Lamoni came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Colleges for Canadian Students in Iowa ranking. Graceland University - Lamoni is a small private not-for-profit school located in Lamoni, Iowa that handed out 289 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 4.1% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at Graceland Lamoni are Canada, Venezuela, and Colombia. International students at Graceland Lamoni can expect to pay, on average, about $31,920 a year to attend the school. The average tuition and fees for graduate programs is $11,187 per year.

Read full report on Graceland University - Lamoni

11

With a ranking of #11, William Penn University did quite well on the 2021 Best Value Colleges for Canadian Students in Iowa. William Penn University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Oskaloosa, Iowa that handed out 214 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 5.0% are international. Students studying at William Penn University come from such countries as United Kingdom, Rwanda, and Australia. Out-of-state tuition and fees for undergraduates at William Penn University is about $27,200 a year, on average. Graduate students pay around $10,500 a year in average tuition and fees.

Full William Penn University Report

Best Affordable Colleges in the Plains States Region

View Best Affordable Colleges for International Students Nationwide >

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Notes and References

Footnotes

*Avg Tuition and Fees and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top 11 schools only.

References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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