2026 Best Value Industrial Engineering Schools in Iowa
[Industrial Engineering](/majors/engineering/ie-industrial-engineering/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 4 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for industrial engineering students.
What’s on this page:
2026 Best Value Industrial Engineering Schools in Iowa
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in industrial engineering, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Industrial Engineering Schools
Iowa State University tops our 2026 list of the best value industrial engineering schools in Iowa. Set in the city of Ames, Iowa State University is a very large public institution. In-state tuition and fees average $10,787, while out-of-state students pay about $28,881. Students borrow a median of $23,750 to complete the industrial engineering program here. Soon after graduation, industrial engineering degree recipients from Iowa State University generally make around $94,216. That is a strong return on a $23,750 median debt. The acceptance rate is 89%.
Students looking for strong value in industrial engineering will find it at University Of Iowa, which ranked #2. Located in the city of Iowa City, University Of Iowa is a very large public university. Students from in state pay about $11,283 in tuition and fees, compared with $33,371 for out-of-state students. Industrial Engineering graduates carry a median of $22,540 in student loans. Industrial Engineering graduates of University Of Iowa earn a median of $75,699 early in their careers. Set against $22,540 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. University Of Iowa admits about 84% of applicants.
More Industrial Engineering Rankings
View All Industrial Engineering Rankings >
Notes and References
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 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 · 4 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 2 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.
