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2026 Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in Iowa

[Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies](/majors/ethnic-cultural-gender-studies/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.

College Factual analyzed 8 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the best value area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies schools.

What’s on this page:

• Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in Iowa

2026 Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in Iowa

If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies degrees they offer, see the list below.

Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools

1

Iowa State University
Ames, IA

$10,787 In-State Tuition & Fees

$23,495 Avg Student Debt

$63,386 Median Earnings (10yr)

Iowa State University tops our 2026 list of the best value area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies 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, with out-of-state students paying around $28,881. Typical student debt for area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies graduates is $23,495. Soon after graduation, area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies degree recipients from Iowa State University generally make around $53,900. Set against $23,495 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 89% of applicants are accepted.

2

University Of Iowa
Iowa City, IA

$11,283 In-State Tuition & Fees

$26,952 Avg Student Debt

$64,762 Median Earnings (10yr)

A rank of #2 makes University Of Iowa one of the best values for area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies. Set in the city of Iowa City, University Of Iowa is a very large public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $11,283, compared with $33,371 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies graduates is $26,952. Soon after graduation, area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies degree recipients from University Of Iowa generally make around $23,806. That is a strong return on a $26,952 median debt. The acceptance rate is 84%.

View All Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Rankings >

Notes and References

This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 8 schools evaluated.

*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 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.