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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Economics (Income $0-$30k) in Iowa

11 Ranked Colleges
399 Degrees Awarded
$15,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor's in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Economics is the 18th most popular major in the country with 48,831 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, economics graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $47,295 and had an average of $21,978 in loans still to pay off.

Across Iowa, there were 419 economics graduates with average earnings and debt of $42,700 and $19,983 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 399 economics graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,922 and $25,876 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 11 colleges that offer a degree in economics. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality economics programs that also have a lower cost than 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 economics program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Economics Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for iowa bachelor’s degree economics students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 11 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Economics (Income $0-$30k) in Iowa

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Iowa State University landed the #1 spot on the list. Ames, Iowa is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s economics degrees to 47 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our iowa bachelor’s degree economics students whose families make $0-$30k list, Iowa State has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $10,054 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Economics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Iowa State.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Economics at Iowa State

#2

Grinnell College

Grinnell, Iowa

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Grinnell College. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k list. Grinnell is a small school located in Grinnell, Iowa that handed out 47 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

Grinnell not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. It costs about $11,945 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Economics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Grinnell College.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Grinnell College Economics Report

#3

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Northern Iowa. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k. Cedar Falls, Iowa is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s economics degrees to 37 students in 2019-2020.

UNI did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. It costs about $10,757 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Economics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Northern Iowa.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Economics at UNI

#4

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Iowa. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k. University of Iowa is a large public school situated in Iowa City, Iowa. It awarded 194 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

Iowa also made our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend Iowa is $12,975 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Economics students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Iowa Economics Report

#5

Coe College

Cedar Rapids, Iowa
#9 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Coe College. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k. Coe is a small school located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa that handed out 21 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our iowa bachelor’s degree economics students whose families make $0-$30k list, Coe has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Coe College is $14,590 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Economics students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Economics at Coe College

#6

Wartburg College

Waverly, Iowa
#6 in overall quality

Wartburg College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. Wartburg is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Waverly, Iowa. It awarded 5 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

Wartburg not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. The estimated yearly cost for Wartburg is $16,334 for iowa bachelor’s degree economics students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Wartburg College Economics Report

#7

Simpson College

Indianola, Iowa
#8 in overall quality

Simpson College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Indianola, Iowa, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

Simpson College also made our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #8. The yearly cost to attend Simpson College is $15,357 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Economics students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Simpson College Economics Report

#8

Central College

Pella, Iowa
#11 in overall quality

Central College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. Central is located in Pella, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 6 bachelors’s economics degrees to qualified students.

Central also made our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #11. The yearly cost to attend Central is $19,172 for iowa bachelor’s degree economics students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Central College Economics Report

#9

Loras College

Dubuque, Iowa
#7 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, Loras College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Dubuque, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 7 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s economics students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Loras, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $16,154 for iowa bachelor’s degree economics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Loras College.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Economics at Loras College

#10

Luther College

Decorah, Iowa

Luther College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Decorah, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 5 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s economics students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our iowa bachelor’s degree economics students whose families make $0-$30k list, Luther has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Luther College is $16,636 for iowa bachelor’s degree economics students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Economics at Luther College

#11

Drake University

Des Moines, Iowa
#3 in overall quality

Drake University landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This small school is located in Des Moines, Iowa, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

Drake not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. It costs about $25,212 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Economics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Drake University.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Full Drake Economics Report

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.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to pixabay.

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