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2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k

24 Ranked Colleges
1,931 Degrees Awarded
$19,000 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor's in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

With 310,601 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, education is the 4th most popular major in the United States. In 2017-2018, education graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $43,887 and had an average of $30,244 in loans still to pay off.

Across Iowa, there were 3,578 education graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,396 and $29,131 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,931 education graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,922 and $25,876 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 24 colleges that offered a degree in education. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent education 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 education program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k” list to help you make the college decision.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 24 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Education (Income $30-$48k) in Iowa

#2 in overall quality

Out of the 24 schools in the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Iowa State University landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Ames, Iowa, this large public school handed out 268 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s education students in 2019-2020.

Iowa State also took the #2 spot in our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Iowa State University is $10,843 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Read full report on Education at Iowa State

#2

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Northern Iowa. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k list. This medium-sized school is located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and it awarded 573 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

UNI did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Northern Iowa is $12,495 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

Read full report on Education at University of Northern Iowa

#3

Simpson College

Indianola, Iowa
#9 in overall quality

Out of the 24 schools in the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Simpson College landed the #3 spot on the list. Simpson College is located in Indianola, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 21 bachelors’s education degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our iowa bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $30-$48k list, Simpson College has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Simpson College is $15,323 for iowa bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Education at Simpson College

#4

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa
#10 in overall quality

Out of the 24 schools in the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Iowa landed the #4 spot on the list. Iowa is a large school located in Iowa City, Iowa that handed out 178 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

Iowa also made our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #10. It costs about $15,073 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Iowa.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, 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.

Full Iowa Education Report

#5

Wartburg College

Waverly, Iowa
#6 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Wartburg College. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k list. Wartburg College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Waverly, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 45 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our iowa bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $30-$48k list, Wartburg has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Wartburg is $19,037 for iowa bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 full report on Education at Wartburg College

#6

Buena Vista University

Storm Lake, Iowa
#16 in overall quality

Buena Vista University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. BVU is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Storm Lake, Iowa. It awarded 89 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

BVU also took the #16 spot in our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $12,773 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend BVU.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Education at BVU

#7

Coe College

Cedar Rapids, Iowa
#15 in overall quality

Coe College landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Coe is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It awarded 9 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

Coe also took the #15 spot in our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Coe College is $15,918 for iowa bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Education at Coe

#8

Central College

Pella, Iowa
#7 in overall quality

Central College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Central College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Pella, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Central did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. It costs about $19,207 for iowa bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Central College.

The 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 Education at Central College

#9

Cornell College

Mount Vernon, Iowa
#12 in overall quality

Cornell College landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Cornell College is a small school located in Mount Vernon, Iowa that handed out 25 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

Cornell College also made our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #12. It costs about $21,970 for iowa bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Cornell College.

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 Education Report

#10

Luther College

Decorah, Iowa
#4 in overall quality

With a ranking of #10, Luther College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k list. Luther College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Decorah, Iowa. It awarded 18 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

Luther also took the #4 spot in our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Luther is $17,630 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%.

Full Luther Education Report

#11

Dordt University

Sioux Center, Iowa
#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, Dordt University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k list. Dordt University is a small school located in Sioux Center, Iowa that handed out 85 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

Dordt also took the #8 spot in our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Dordt is $22,177 for iowa bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

Full Dordt Education Report

#12

Mount Mercy University

Cedar Rapids, Iowa
#18 in overall quality

With a ranking of #12, Mount Mercy University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k list. Mount Mercy University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 34 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Mount Mercy did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. The estimated yearly cost for Mount Mercy is $15,098 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 more about Education at Mount Mercy University

#13

Loras College

Dubuque, Iowa
#11 in overall quality

With a ranking of #13, Loras College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k list. Loras College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Dubuque, Iowa. It awarded 34 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

Loras also made our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #11. The estimated yearly cost for Loras is $17,094 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 more about Education at Loras

#14

Northwestern College

Orange City, Iowa
#4 in overall quality

Northwestern College landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Orange City, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s education degrees to 52 students in 2019-2020.

NWC also took the #4 spot in our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $20,977 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Northwestern College.

The low student loan default rate of 2.8% 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 Education at NWC

#15

Grand View University

Des Moines, Iowa
#17 in overall quality

With a ranking of #15, Grand View University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k list. Grand View University is a small school located in Des Moines, Iowa that handed out 38 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our iowa bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $30-$48k list, Grand View University has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Grand View University is $19,245 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Education at Grand View University

#22 in overall quality

Graceland University - Lamoni came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Graceland University - Lamoni is a small school located in Lamoni, Iowa that handed out 41 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

Graceland Lamoni not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #22 on our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. It costs about $17,337 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Graceland Lamoni.

Read full report on Education at Graceland University - Lamoni

#17

Morningside College

Sioux City, Iowa
#14 in overall quality

With a ranking of #17, Morningside College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Sioux City, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 52 degrees to qualified bachelors’s education students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our iowa bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $30-$48k list, Morningside has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $19,166 for iowa bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Morningside College.

Full Morningside College Education Report

#18

Briar Cliff University

Sioux City, Iowa
#21 in overall quality

Briar Cliff University landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Briar Cliff is a small school located in Sioux City, Iowa that handed out 16 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

Briar Cliff also took the #21 spot in our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $20,688 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Briar Cliff.

Full Briar Cliff Education Report

#19

Upper Iowa University

Fayette, Iowa
#19 in overall quality

Upper Iowa University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k list. Upper Iowa University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Fayette, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 142 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. It costs about $17,928 for iowa bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Upper Iowa University.

Read more about Education at UIU

#20

Drake University

Des Moines, Iowa
#3 in overall quality

Drake University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k list. Des Moines, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s education degrees to 29 students in 2019-2020.

Drake not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. The estimated yearly cost for Drake is $24,060 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $30-$48k.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Education at Drake

#21

Saint Ambrose University

Davenport, Iowa
#13 in overall quality

Saint Ambrose University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #21. Located in Davenport, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 30 degrees to qualified bachelors’s education students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at St. Ambrose University, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $24,516 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend St. Ambrose University.

Full St. Ambrose University Education Report

#22

University of Dubuque

Dubuque, Iowa
#20 in overall quality

University of Dubuque ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k list. Dubuque, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s education degrees to 24 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UD, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Dubuque is $21,715 for iowa bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Education at UD

#23

Clarke University

Dubuque, Iowa
#24 in overall quality

Clarke University landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Clarke is located in Dubuque, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 20 bachelors’s education degrees to qualified students.

Clarke not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #24 on our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. It costs about $31,801 for iowa bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Clarke University.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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 more about Education at Clarke

#24

Iowa Wesleyan University

Mount Pleasant, Iowa
#23 in overall quality

Iowa Wesleyan University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #24. Located in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 12 degrees to qualified bachelors’s education students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Iowa Wesleyan, the school also landed the #23 spot in our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Iowa Wesleyan is $24,755 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Education at Iowa Wesleyan

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 Horadrim.

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