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2022 Best Value Colleges for Computer Science in Iowa (With Aid)

8 Ranked Colleges
713 Degrees Awarded
$20,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value CompSci Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value CompSci Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid” ranking - to help you make that decision.

Computer Science is the 19th most popular major in the country with 53,722 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, computer science graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $66,561 and had an average of $23,565 in loans still to pay off.

Across Iowa, there were 713 computer science graduates with average earnings and debt of $66,333 and $20,931 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value CompSci Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 8 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in computer science. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality computer science programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the computer science program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. 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 CompSci Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid” 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 when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value CompSci Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for iowa compsci students with aid.

Top 8 Best Value Colleges for Computer Science in Iowa (With Aid)

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Iowa State University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value CompSci Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid. Iowa State University is located in Ames, Iowa and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 167 ’s compsci degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our iowa compsci students with aid list, Iowa State has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Computer Science Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Iowa State is $15,496 for iowa compsci students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Computer Science at Iowa State University

#2

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Northern Iowa. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid list. UNI is located in Cedar Falls, Iowa and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 46 ’s compsci degrees to qualified students.

UNI did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Computer Science Schools in Iowa” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Northern Iowa is $15,620 for iowa compsci students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Computer Science at UNI

#3

Simpson College

Indianola, Iowa

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value CompSci Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Simpson College landed the #3 spot on the list. Indianola, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s compsci degrees to 15 students in 2019-2020.

Simpson College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Computer Science Schools in Iowa” list. It costs about $19,151 for iowa compsci students with aid per year to attend Simpson College.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Computer Science at Simpson College

#4

Luther College

Decorah, Iowa

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value CompSci Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Luther College landed the #4 spot on the list. Luther is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Decorah, Iowa. It awarded 19 ’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.

Luther also made our “Best Computer Science Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend Luther is $23,620 for iowa compsci students with aid.

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 full report on Computer Science at Luther College

#5

Coe College

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value CompSci Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Coe College landed the #5 spot on the list. Coe College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It awarded 21 ’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.

Coe also took the #7 spot in our “Best Computer Science Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Coe is $19,955 for Iowa CompSci students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Coe College Computer Science Report

#6

Grinnell College

Grinnell, Iowa

With a ranking of #6, Grinnell College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid list. Grinnell, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s compsci degrees to 62 students in 2019-2020.

Grinnell did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Computer Science Schools in Iowa” list. It costs about $22,486 for iowa compsci students with aid per year to attend Grinnell College.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Grinnell Computer Science Report

#7

Cornell College

Mount Vernon, Iowa
#6 in overall quality

Cornell College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value CompSci Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Mount Vernon, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 11 diplomas to qualified ’s compsci students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cornell College, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Computer Science Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cornell College is $26,901 for Iowa CompSci students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%.

Full Cornell College Computer Science Report

#8

Mount Mercy University

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Mount Mercy University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value CompSci Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid ranking. Mount Mercy University is located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13 ’s compsci degrees to qualified students.

Mount Mercy not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Computer Science Schools in Iowa” list. The estimated yearly cost for Mount Mercy University is $20,857 for iowa compsci students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Computer Science at Mount Mercy

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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