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2027 Best Value Legal Assistant/Paralegal Schools in Iowa

[Legal Assistant/Paralegal](/majors/legal-studies-and-professions/legal-support-services/legal-assistant-paralegal/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong legal assistant/paralegal education at a price that pays off.

For its 2027 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 2 schools to find the best return on investment for legal assistant/paralegal students.

What’s on this page:

• Best Value Legal Assistant/Paralegal Schools in Iowa

2027 Best Value Legal Assistant/Paralegal Schools in Iowa

Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in legal assistant/paralegal, balancing cost against outcomes.

Best Value Legal Assistant/Paralegal Schools

1

Kirkwood Community College
Cedar Rapids, IA

$6,176 In-State Tuition & Fees

$25,083 Avg Student Debt

$41,016 Median Earnings (10yr)

Leading the list is Kirkwood Community College, our #1 best value for legal assistant/paralegal in Iowa. Located in the city of Cedar Rapids, Kirkwood Community College is a large public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $6,176, with out-of-state students paying around $8,220. Legal Assistant/paralegal graduates carry a median of $25,083 in student loans. Early-career legal assistant/paralegal graduates make about $41,681. That is a strong return on a $25,083 median debt.

2

Des Moines Area Community College
Ankeny, IA

$5,790 In-State Tuition & Fees

$12,250 Avg Student Debt

$41,018 Median Earnings (10yr)

Students looking for strong value in legal assistant/paralegal will find it at Des Moines Area Community College, which ranked #2. Located in the suburb of Ankeny, Des Moines Area Community College is a very large public university. In-state tuition and fees average $5,790, while out-of-state students pay about $6,690. Typical student debt for legal assistant/paralegal graduates is $12,250. Soon after graduation, legal assistant/paralegal degree recipients from Des Moines Area Community College generally make around $49,137. That is a strong return on a $12,250 median debt.

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Notes and References

This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 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 · 2 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.