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2022 Best Value Colleges for Social Sciences in Iowa (With Aid)

13 Ranked Colleges
1,610 Degrees Awarded
$21,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid” ranking - to help you make that decision.

With 205,726 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, social sciences is the 5th most popular major in the United States. In 2017-2018, social sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $34,801 and had an average of $23,466 in loans still to pay off.

Across Iowa, there were 1,610 social sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,613 and $22,174 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 13 colleges that offer a degree in social sciences. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality social sciences programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the social sciences program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The social sciences 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 Social Sciences Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid.

Top 13 Best Value Colleges for Social Sciences in Iowa (With Aid)

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 Social Sciences Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid. This large school is located in Ames, Iowa, and it awarded 235 ’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Iowa State also made our “Best Social Sciences Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend Iowa State University is $15,496 for Iowa Social Sciences students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Iowa State Social Sciences Report

#2

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 #2 for the Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid. Located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, this medium-sized public school awarded 153 degrees to qualified ’s social sciences students in 2019-2020.

UNI did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Social Sciences Schools in Iowa” list. The estimated yearly cost for UNI is $15,620 for Iowa Social Sciences students with aid.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Full UNI Social Sciences Report

#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 Social Sciences Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Iowa City, Iowa, and it awarded 605 ’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Iowa did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Social Sciences Schools in Iowa” list. The estimated yearly cost for Iowa is $19,145 for Iowa Social Sciences students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 3.5% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Social Sciences at University of Iowa

#4

Simpson College

Indianola, Iowa

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Simpson College. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid list. Simpson College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Indianola, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 23 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Simpson College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Social Sciences Schools in Iowa” list. The yearly cost to attend Simpson College is $19,151 for iowa social sciences students with aid.

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 Social Sciences at Simpson College

#5

Loras College

Dubuque, Iowa

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 Social Sciences Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid. Loras is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Dubuque, Iowa. It awarded 36 ’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Loras did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Social Sciences Schools in Iowa” list. The estimated yearly cost for Loras is $20,676 for Iowa Social Sciences students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 3.2% 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%.

Full Loras Social Sciences Report

#6

Wartburg College

Waverly, Iowa

Wartburg College landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid ranking. Waverly, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s social sciences degrees to 23 students in 2019-2020.

Wartburg not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Social Sciences Schools in Iowa” list. The estimated yearly cost for Wartburg is $21,787 for iowa social sciences students with aid.

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 Social Sciences Report

#7

Coe College

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Coe College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #7. Cedar Rapids, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s social sciences degrees to 42 students in 2019-2020.

Coe not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Social Sciences Schools in Iowa” list. It costs about $19,955 for Iowa Social Sciences students with aid per year to attend Coe.

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 full report on Social Sciences at Coe

#8

Central College

Pella, Iowa

Central College landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid ranking. This small school is located in Pella, Iowa, and it awarded 41 ’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Central not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Social Sciences Schools in Iowa” list. The estimated yearly cost for Central is $23,269 for iowa social sciences students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Social Sciences at Central College

#9

Upper Iowa University

Fayette, Iowa

Upper Iowa University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid ranking. UIU is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Fayette, Iowa. It awarded 92 ’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

UIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Social Sciences Schools in Iowa” list. The yearly cost to attend UIU is $21,624 for iowa social sciences students with aid.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Upper Iowa University

#10

Luther College

Decorah, Iowa

Luther College landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Decorah, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 29 diplomas to qualified ’s social sciences students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our iowa social sciences students with aid list, Luther has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Social Sciences Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Luther is $23,620 for iowa social sciences students with aid.

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%.

Full Luther Social Sciences Report

#11

Cornell College

Mount Vernon, Iowa
#12 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, Cornell College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Mount Vernon, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 19 degrees to qualified ’s social sciences students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cornell College, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $26,901 for iowa social sciences students with aid per year to attend Cornell College.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Cornell College

#12

Grinnell College

Grinnell, Iowa

Grinnell College ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid list. Grinnell, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s social sciences degrees to 129 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Grinnell, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Grinnell College is $22,486 for Iowa Social Sciences students with aid.

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%. 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.

Full Grinnell Social Sciences Report

#13

Drake University

Des Moines, Iowa

Drake University landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid ranking. Drake University is located in Des Moines, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 68 ’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.

Drake also took the #3 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Drake is $29,432 for Iowa Social Sciences students with aid.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Drake University

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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