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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities (Income $30-$48k) in Iowa

5 Ranked Colleges
451 Degrees Awarded
$15,000 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor's in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2019-2020, 559,661 liberal arts / sciences and humanities students received their degree, making the major the 3rd most popular in the country. In 2017-2018, liberal arts / sciences and humanities graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $26,786 and had an average of $16,538 in loans still to pay off.

Across Iowa, there were 6,129 liberal arts / sciences and humanities graduates with average earnings and debt of $29,768 and $15,875 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 451 liberal arts / sciences and humanities graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,922 and $25,876 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 5 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences and humanities. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great liberal arts / sciences and humanities programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the liberal arts / sciences and humanities program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The liberal arts / sciences & humanities school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k”.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 5 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities (Income $30-$48k) in Iowa

#2 in overall quality

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Iowa State University landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Ames, Iowa, this large public school awarded 80 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities students in 2019-2020.

Iowa State also made our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend Iowa State University is $10,843 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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 Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Iowa State

#2

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Iowa landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Iowa City, Iowa, this large public school handed out 190 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities students in 2019-2020.

Iowa also made our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $15,073 for iowa bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Iowa.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at University of Iowa

#3

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa
#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Northern Iowa. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Northern Iowa is a medium-sized school located in Cedar Falls, Iowa that handed out 76 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

UNI also made our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $12,495 for iowa bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UNI.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UNI Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#4

Grand View University

Des Moines, Iowa
#4 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Grand View University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k. Grand View University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Des Moines, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 23 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Grand View University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. The yearly cost to attend Grand View University is $19,245 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full Grand View University Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#5 in overall quality

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Graceland University - Lamoni landed the #5 spot on the list. Graceland Lamoni is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lamoni, Iowa. It awarded 8 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our iowa bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students whose families make $30-$48k list, Graceland Lamoni has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Graceland University - Lamoni is $17,337 for iowa bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Graceland Lamoni

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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.

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