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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Economics in Iowa

11 Ranked Colleges
399 Degrees Awarded
$21,000 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor's in Iowa

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa” ranking - to help you make that decision.

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.

This year’s “Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa” ranking analyzed 11 colleges that offered a degree in economics. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent economics programs, but they also 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 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” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our 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

The colleges and universities below are the best for iowa bachelor’s degree economics students.

Top 11 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Economics in Iowa

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Iowa State University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa. Iowa State University is a public institution located in Ames, Iowa. The school has a large population, and it awarded 47 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Iowa State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. It costs about $15,496 for iowa bachelor’s degree economics students per year to attend Iowa State.

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 more about Economics at Iowa State

#2

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Northern Iowa. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa list. This medium-sized school is located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and it awarded 37 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

UNI not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Northern Iowa is $15,620 for iowa bachelor’s degree economics students.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%.

Read full report on Economics at UNI

#3

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Iowa. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa list. University of Iowa is a public institution located in Iowa City, Iowa. The school has a large population, and it awarded 194 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Iowa also took the #4 spot in our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $19,145 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Economics students per year to attend Iowa.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Economics at University of Iowa

#4

Central College

Pella, Iowa
#11 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, Central College landed the #4 spot on the list. Central College is a small school located in Pella, Iowa that handed out 6 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

Central not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. The yearly cost to attend Central is $23,269 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Economics students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Central College Economics Report

#5

Loras College

Dubuque, Iowa
#7 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Loras College. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa. Loras is a private not-for-profit institution located in Dubuque, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Loras not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. It costs about $20,676 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Economics students 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

#6

Simpson College

Indianola, Iowa
#8 in overall quality

Simpson College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa ranking, coming in at #6. Simpson College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Indianola, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our iowa bachelor’s degree economics students list, Simpson College has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $19,151 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Economics students per year to attend Simpson College.

The low student loan default rate of 3.7% 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%.

Read full report on Economics at Simpson College

#7

Drake University

Des Moines, Iowa
#3 in overall quality

Drake University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa ranking, coming in at #7. Drake is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Des Moines, Iowa. It awarded 15 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Drake, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Drake University is $29,432 for iowa bachelor’s degree economics students.

The low student loan default rate of 2.2% 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%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read more about Economics at Drake

#8

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 ranking, coming in at #8. Located in Waverly, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 5 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s economics students in 2019-2020.

Wartburg also took the #6 spot in our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $21,787 for iowa bachelor’s degree economics students per year to attend Wartburg.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Wartburg College Economics Report

#9

Luther College

Decorah, Iowa

Luther College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa ranking, coming in at #9. Decorah, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s economics degrees to 5 students in 2019-2020.

Luther not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. The yearly cost to attend Luther is $23,620 for iowa bachelor’s degree economics students.

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 more about Economics at Luther

#10

Coe College

Cedar Rapids, Iowa
#9 in overall quality

Coe College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa ranking, coming in at #10. Located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 21 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s economics students in 2019-2020.

Coe not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. It costs about $19,955 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Economics students per year to attend Coe College.

The low student loan default rate of 3.1% 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%.

Read full report on Economics at Coe College

#11

Grinnell College

Grinnell, Iowa

Grinnell College landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa ranking. Located in Grinnell, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 47 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s economics students in 2019-2020.

Grinnell also made our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $22,486 for iowa bachelor’s degree economics students per year to attend Grinnell College.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Economics at Grinnell College

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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