2027 Best Value Civil Engineering Schools in Iowa
[Civil Engineering](/majors/engineering/civil-engineering/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong civil engineering education at a price that pays off.
College Factual analyzed 3 schools to build this 2027 ranking of the best value civil engineering schools.
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2027 Best Value Civil Engineering Schools in Iowa
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the civil engineering degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Civil Engineering Schools
For return on investment in civil engineering, no school beat Iowa State University this year. Located in the city of Ames, Iowa State University is a very large public university. Students from in state pay about $10,787 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $28,881. Civil Engineering graduates carry a median of $25,250 in student loans. Soon after graduation, civil engineering degree recipients from Iowa State University generally make around $76,006. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Iowa State University admits about 89% of applicants.
University Of Iowa came in at #2 on our 2027 list of the best value civil engineering schools. Set in the city of Iowa City, University Of Iowa is a very large public institution. Students from in state pay about $11,283 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $33,371. Civil Engineering graduates carry a median of $27,000 in student loans. Soon after graduation, civil engineering degree recipients from University Of Iowa generally make around $70,313. That is a strong return on a $27,000 median debt. The acceptance rate is 84%.
Students looking for strong value in civil engineering will find it at Dordt College, which ranked #3. Dordt College is a mid-sized private not-for-profit school located in the town of Sioux Center. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $37,050. Typical student debt for civil engineering graduates is $21,812. Early-career civil engineering graduates make about $54,926. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Dordt College admits about 68% of applicants.
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Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 3 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 3 ranked schools only.
- 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
