2022 Best Value Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $0-$30k) in Iowa

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Media Studies Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 10,951 people earned their degree in communication and media studies, making the major the 74th most popular in the United States.

Across Iowa, there were 42 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Media Studies Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 3 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in communication and media studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent communication and media studies programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the communication and media studies program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Communication & Media Studies Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Media Studies Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Media Studies Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for iowa media studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 3 Best Value Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $0-$30k) in Iowa

#1

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa

#2 in overall quality

$10,757 Average Net Price

$39,900 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Northern Iowa. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Media Studies Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k list. UNI is a medium-sized public school situated in Cedar Falls, Iowa. It awarded 1 ’s media studies degrees in 2019-2020.

UNI not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Iowa” list. The yearly cost to attend UNI is $10,757 for Iowa Media Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at UNI

#2

Loras College

Dubuque, Iowa

#1 in overall quality

$16,154 Average Net Price

$37,900 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Loras College. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Media Studies Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k. Loras College is a small school located in Dubuque, Iowa that handed out 14 ’s media studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Loras, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $16,154 for iowa media studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Loras College.

The low student loan default rate of 3.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Loras College

#3

Wartburg College

Waverly, Iowa

#3 in overall quality

$16,334 Average Net Price

$37,829 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Media Studies Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Wartburg College landed the #3 spot on the list. Wartburg College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Waverly, Iowa. It awarded 13 ’s media studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Wartburg did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Iowa” list. The estimated yearly cost for Wartburg College is $16,334 for iowa media studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Wartburg College

• Best Value Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region
• Best Value Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $0-$30k)

Notes and References

References

• 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%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

• *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
• Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

• Credit for the banner image above goes to UNU-WIDER from Helsinki, Finland.

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