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2024 Best Value CompSci Schools in Iowa

7 Ranked Colleges
755 Degrees Awarded
$19,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value CompSci Schools in Iowa

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2020-2021, 59,565 people earned their degree in computer science, making the major the 12th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, computer science graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $67,538 and had an average of $23,620 in loans still to pay off.

Across Iowa, there were 755 computer science graduates with average earnings and debt of $74,729 and $24,135 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value CompSci Schools in Iowa” ranking looked at 7 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.

More Ways to Rank Computer Science Schools

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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” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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.

Best Value CompSci Schools in Iowa

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

Top 7 Best Value Colleges for Computer Science in Iowa

1

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Iowa State University. It ranked #1 on our 2024 Best Value CompSci Schools in Iowa list. Iowa State University is a large school located in Ames, Iowa that handed out 142 ’s compsci degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our iowa compsci students list, Iowa State has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Computer Science Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $16,002 for Iowa CompSci students per year to attend Iowa State.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Iowa State Computer Science Report

2
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Iowa. It ranked #2 on our 2024 Best Value CompSci Schools in Iowa list. Iowa is a public institution located in Iowa City, Iowa. The school has a large population, and it awarded 114 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Iowa, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Computer Science Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Iowa is $19,401 for Iowa CompSci students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Computer Science at University of Iowa

3
UNI crest
University of Northern Iowa
Cedar Falls, Iowa

Out of the 7 schools in the Best Value CompSci Schools in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Northern Iowa landed the #3 spot on the list. Cedar Falls, Iowa is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s compsci degrees to 48 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UNI, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Computer Science Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $16,438 for Iowa CompSci students per year to attend UNI.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Computer Science at University of Northern Iowa

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Maharishi International University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value CompSci Schools in Iowa. MIU is located in Fairfield, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 294 ’s compsci degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at MIU, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Computer Science Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Maharishi International University is $14,052 for Iowa CompSci students.

Full MIU Computer Science Report

5
Simpson College crest
Simpson College
Indianola, Iowa

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Simpson College. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value CompSci Schools in Iowa. Simpson College is a small school located in Indianola, Iowa that handed out 7 ’s compsci degrees in 2020-2021.

Simpson College also made our “Best Computer Science Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #6. The estimated yearly cost for Simpson College is $19,644 for iowa compsci students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Computer Science at Simpson College

6
Luther crest
Luther College
Decorah, Iowa

Luther College did quite well in the 2024 Best Value CompSci Schools in Iowa ranking, coming in at #6. Decorah, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s compsci degrees to 16 students in 2020-2021.

Luther also took the #5 spot in our “Best Computer Science Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Luther College is $25,538 for Iowa CompSci students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Computer Science at Luther

7
Grinnell crest
Grinnell College
Grinnell, Iowa

Grinnell College landed the #7 spot on the 2024 Best Value CompSci Schools in Iowa ranking. Grinnell is a small school located in Grinnell, Iowa that handed out 54 ’s compsci degrees in 2020-2021.

Grinnell also took the #1 spot in our “Best Computer Science Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Grinnell College is $25,182 for Iowa CompSci students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Grinnell Computer Science Report

Notes and References

References

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