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2022 Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa

24 Ranked Colleges
1,111 Degrees Awarded
$22,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Elementary Teaching 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 Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa” ranking.

Elementary Education is the 19th most popular major in the country with 40,622 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across Iowa, there were 1,121 elementary education graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,111 elementary education graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,922 and $25,876 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa” ranking, we looked at 24 colleges that offer a degree in elementary education. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent elementary education 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 elementary education program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Elementary Education Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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 Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa.

Top 24 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Elementary Education in Iowa

#1

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 #1 on our 2022 Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa list. Cedar Falls, Iowa is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees to 288 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UNI, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $15,620 for iowa bachelor’s degree elementary teaching students per year to attend University of Northern Iowa.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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 more about Elementary Education at UNI

#2 in overall quality

Out of the 24 schools in the Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, Iowa State University landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Ames, Iowa, this large public school awarded 170 degrees to qualified bachelors’s elementary teaching students in 2019-2020.

Iowa State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. The estimated yearly cost for Iowa State is $15,496 for iowa bachelor’s degree elementary teaching students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. 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 Elementary Education at Iowa State

#3

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa
#11 in overall quality

Out of the 24 schools in the Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Iowa landed the #3 spot on the list. Iowa City, Iowa is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees to 114 students in 2019-2020.

Iowa also took the #11 spot in our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $19,145 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Elementary Teaching students per year to attend Iowa.

With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Elementary Education at Iowa

#4

Central College

Pella, Iowa
#6 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Central College. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa list. Central is a private not-for-profit institution located in Pella, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Central also made our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #6. The estimated yearly cost for Central is $23,269 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Elementary Teaching students.

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 more about Elementary Education at Central College

#5

Northwestern College

Orange City, Iowa
#3 in overall quality

Out of the 24 schools in the Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern College landed the #5 spot on the list. NWC is a private not-for-profit institution located in Orange City, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 28 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

NWC also took the #3 spot in our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $22,968 for iowa bachelor’s degree elementary teaching students per year to attend NWC.

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 more about Elementary Education at NWC

#6

Dordt University

Sioux Center, Iowa
#7 in overall quality

Dordt University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa list. Dordt University is located in Sioux Center, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 56 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Dordt, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Dordt University is $25,102 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Elementary Teaching students.

The low student loan default rate of 1.8% 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 more about Elementary Education at Dordt

#7

Grand View University

Des Moines, Iowa
#17 in overall quality

Grand View University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa ranking, coming in at #7. Grand View University is a small school located in Des Moines, Iowa that handed out 19 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our iowa bachelor’s degree elementary teaching students list, Grand View University has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $19,826 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Elementary Teaching students per year to attend Grand View University.

Full Grand View University Elementary Education Report

#8

Loras College

Dubuque, Iowa
#10 in overall quality

Loras College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa list. Dubuque, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees to 19 students in 2019-2020.

Loras also made our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #10. It costs about $20,676 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Elementary Teaching students per year to attend Loras College.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Elementary Education at Loras

#9

Morningside College

Sioux City, Iowa
#13 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, Morningside College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa list. Morningside is located in Sioux City, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 26 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Morningside, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $21,337 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Elementary Teaching students per year to attend Morningside College.

Read more about Elementary Education at Morningside College

#10

Iowa Wesleyan University

Mount Pleasant, Iowa
#24 in overall quality

With a ranking of #10, Iowa Wesleyan University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa list. This small school is located in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees in 2019-2020.

Iowa Wesleyan also made our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #24. The estimated yearly cost for Iowa Wesleyan is $26,312 for iowa bachelor’s degree elementary teaching students.

Full Iowa Wesleyan Elementary Education Report

#11

Saint Ambrose University

Davenport, Iowa
#15 in overall quality

Saint Ambrose University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa ranking, coming in at #11. Davenport, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees to 14 students in 2019-2020.

St. Ambrose University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. It costs about $26,204 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Elementary Teaching students per year to attend Saint Ambrose University.

Read full report on Elementary Education at Saint Ambrose University

#12

Upper Iowa University

Fayette, Iowa
#19 in overall quality

Upper Iowa University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa ranking. Located in Fayette, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 66 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s elementary teaching students in 2019-2020.

UIU also took the #19 spot in our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Upper Iowa University is $21,624 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Elementary Teaching students.

Full Upper Iowa University Elementary Education Report

#22 in overall quality

Graceland University - Lamoni ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa list. Graceland University - Lamoni is a small school located in Lamoni, Iowa that handed out 37 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees in 2019-2020.

Graceland Lamoni also made our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #22. The estimated yearly cost for Graceland University - Lamoni is $17,650 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Elementary Teaching students.

Full Graceland Lamoni Elementary Education Report

#14

Buena Vista University

Storm Lake, Iowa
#14 in overall quality

With a ranking of #14, Buena Vista University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa list. Storm Lake, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees to 58 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at BVU, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $17,544 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Elementary Teaching students per year to attend BVU.

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.

Full BVU Elementary Education Report

#15

Briar Cliff University

Sioux City, Iowa
#21 in overall quality

Briar Cliff University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa ranking, coming in at #15. Sioux City, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees to 6 students in 2019-2020.

Briar Cliff also made our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #21. The estimated yearly cost for Briar Cliff University is $20,604 for iowa bachelor’s degree elementary teaching students.

Full Briar Cliff Elementary Education Report

#16

Mount Mercy University

Cedar Rapids, Iowa
#18 in overall quality

Mount Mercy University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa ranking. Mount Mercy is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It awarded 19 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees in 2019-2020.

Mount Mercy also took the #18 spot in our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Mount Mercy University is $20,857 for iowa bachelor’s degree elementary teaching students.

The low student loan default rate of 4.3% 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 Elementary Education at Mount Mercy

#17

University of Dubuque

Dubuque, Iowa
#20 in overall quality

University of Dubuque ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa list. University of Dubuque is a private not-for-profit institution located in Dubuque, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UD, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Dubuque is $26,748 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Elementary Teaching students.

Read full report on Elementary Education at UD

#18

Simpson College

Indianola, Iowa
#8 in overall quality

Simpson College came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa ranking. Simpson College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Indianola, Iowa. It awarded 14 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees in 2019-2020.

Simpson College also made our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #8. The yearly cost to attend Simpson College is $19,151 for iowa bachelor’s degree elementary teaching students.

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 more about Elementary Education at Simpson College

#19

Clarke University

Dubuque, Iowa
#23 in overall quality

With a ranking of #19, Clarke University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa list. Clarke is a small school located in Dubuque, Iowa that handed out 12 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our iowa bachelor’s degree elementary teaching students list, Clarke has also earned the #23 rank in our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $34,204 for iowa bachelor’s degree elementary teaching students per year to attend Clarke University.

The low student loan default rate of 4.6% 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 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.

Read full report on Elementary Education at Clarke University

#20

Drake University

Des Moines, Iowa
#4 in overall quality

With a ranking of #20, Drake University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa list. This small school is located in Des Moines, Iowa, and it awarded 12 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Drake, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Drake University is $29,432 for iowa bachelor’s degree elementary teaching students.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low student loan default rate of 2.2% 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 Elementary Education at Drake

#21

Luther College

Decorah, Iowa
#5 in overall quality

Luther College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa ranking, coming in at #21. Located in Decorah, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 18 degrees to qualified bachelors’s elementary teaching students in 2019-2020.

Luther also made our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $23,620 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Elementary Teaching students per year to attend Luther.

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%.

Full Luther Elementary Education Report

#22

Wartburg College

Waverly, Iowa
#9 in overall quality

Wartburg College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa ranking, coming in at #22. This small school is located in Waverly, Iowa, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees in 2019-2020.

Wartburg also took the #9 spot in our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $21,787 for iowa bachelor’s degree elementary teaching students per year to attend Wartburg College.

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 Elementary Education at Wartburg College

#23

Cornell College

Mount Vernon, Iowa
#12 in overall quality

Cornell College ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa list. Cornell College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Mount Vernon, Iowa. It awarded 10 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees in 2019-2020.

Cornell College also made our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #12. The yearly cost to attend Cornell College is $26,901 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Elementary Teaching students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Elementary Education at Cornell College

#24

Coe College

Cedar Rapids, Iowa
#16 in overall quality

Coe College landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa ranking. Coe College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Coe did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. The yearly cost to attend Coe College is $19,955 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Elementary Teaching students.

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 Elementary Education at Coe College

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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.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Vgrigas.

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