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2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa

13 Ranked Colleges
486 Degrees Awarded
$20,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor's in Iowa

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa” ranking.

With 68,079 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, communication and media studies is the 9th most popular major in the United States. In 2017-2018, communication and media studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $32,728 and had an average of $24,931 in loans still to pay off.

Across Iowa, there were 532 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,980 and $27,392 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 486 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,922 and $25,876 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa” ranking looked at 13 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.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the communication and media studies program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa

The colleges and universities below are the best for iowa bachelor’s degree communications students.

Top 13 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies in Iowa

#1

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Iowa landed the #1 spot on the list. Iowa is located in Iowa City, Iowa and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 203 bachelors’s communications degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Iowa, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Iowa is $19,145 for iowa bachelor’s degree communications students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 3.5% 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 Iowa

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Iowa State University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa list. Iowa State University is a large public school situated in Ames, Iowa. It awarded 78 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

Iowa State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. The estimated yearly cost for Iowa State University is $15,496 for iowa bachelor’s degree communications students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Iowa State University Communication & Media Studies Report

#3

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Northern Iowa. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa list. UNI is a public institution located in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 56 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UNI did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. The yearly cost to attend UNI is $15,620 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Communications students.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at University of Northern Iowa

#4

Central College

Pella, Iowa

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Central College. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa list. Central is located in Pella, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 7 bachelors’s communications degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Central, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $23,269 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Communications students per year to attend Central College.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Central College Communication & Media Studies Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Maharishi International University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa list. This small school is located in Fairfield, Iowa, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

MIU also took the #12 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend MIU is $12,441 for iowa bachelor’s degree communications students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at MIU

#6

Loras College

Dubuque, Iowa

Loras College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa ranking. Dubuque, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s communications degrees to 14 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Loras, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $20,676 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Communications students per year to attend Loras College.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Loras

#7

Waldorf University

Forest City, Iowa

With a ranking of #7, Waldorf University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa list. This small school is located in Forest City, Iowa, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

Waldorf also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #13. It costs about $20,036 for iowa bachelor’s degree communications students per year to attend Waldorf.

Full Waldorf Communication & Media Studies Report

Graceland University - Lamoni did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa ranking, coming in at #8. Lamoni, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s communications degrees to 9 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our iowa bachelor’s degree communications students list, Graceland Lamoni has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Graceland University - Lamoni is $17,650 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Communications students.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Graceland Lamoni

#9

Saint Ambrose University

Davenport, Iowa

Saint Ambrose University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa list. Davenport, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s communications degrees to 5 students in 2019-2020.

St. Ambrose University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. The estimated yearly cost for St. Ambrose University is $26,204 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Communications students.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Saint Ambrose University

#10

University of Dubuque

Dubuque, Iowa

With a ranking of #10, University of Dubuque did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa list. University of Dubuque is located in Dubuque, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 23 bachelors’s communications degrees to qualified students.

UD also took the #11 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Dubuque is $26,748 for iowa bachelor’s degree communications students.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at UD

#11

Luther College

Decorah, Iowa

Luther College landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa ranking. Luther College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Decorah, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Luther, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Luther College is $23,620 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Communications students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Luther College

#12

Wartburg College

Waverly, Iowa

Wartburg College ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa list. This small school is located in Waverly, Iowa, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

Wartburg also took the #7 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $21,787 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Communications students per year to attend Wartburg.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Wartburg

#13

Coe College

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

With a ranking of #13, Coe College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa list. This small school is located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

Coe not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. It costs about $19,955 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Communications students per year to attend Coe.

The low student loan default rate of 3.1% 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 more about Communication & Media Studies at Coe

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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.

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