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2026 Highest Paid Public Administration Grads in Iowa

[Public Administration](/majors/social-services-public-administration/public-administration/) is a field where your choice of school can shape what you earn after graduation. The schools below stand out for the salaries their public administration graduates go on to command.

For its 2026 highest-paid-graduates ranking, College Factual looked at 3 schools to find where public administration graduates earn the most.

What’s on this page:

• Highest Paid Public Administration Grads in Iowa

2026 Highest Paid Public Administration Grads in Iowa

If you want to know which schools send public administration graduates into the highest-paying careers, see the list below.

Highest Paid Public Administration Graduates

1

Upper Iowa University
Fayette, IA

$73,915 Average Early-Career Salary

Upper Iowa University tops our 2026 list of the highest-paying public administration schools in Iowa. Set in the rural area of Fayette, Upper Iowa University is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, public administration degree recipients from Upper Iowa University typically earn about $73,915 annually.

2

Drake University
Des Moines, IA

$72,990 Average Early-Career Salary

Drake University came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying public administration schools. Located in the city of Des Moines, Drake University is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, public administration degree recipients from Drake University typically earn about $72,990 annually.

3

University Of Northern Iowa
Cedar Falls, IA

$55,244 Average Early-Career Salary

University Of Northern Iowa came in at #3 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying public administration schools. University Of Northern Iowa is a public school located in the city of Cedar Falls. After graduating, public administration degree recipients from University Of Northern Iowa typically earn about $55,244 annually.

View All Public Administration Rankings >

Notes and References

This ranking is produced by College Factual, 2026 edition. Schools are ranked on the median early-career earnings of their public administration graduates, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).

Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 3 schools evaluated.

*Salary figures reflect median early-career earnings (about 5 years after graduation) and may vary by how long a person takes to complete their degree.

• 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.
• Graduate earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard) field-of-study earnings.

More about our data sources and methodologies.