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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Public Administration & Social Service in Iowa

11 Ranked Colleges
476 Degrees Awarded
$20,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor's in Iowa

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Public Administration & Social Service is the 14th most popular major in the country with 97,666 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, public administration and social service graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $39,142 and had an average of $32,304 in loans still to pay off.

Across Iowa, there were 855 public administration and social service graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,059 and $32,142 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 476 public administration and social service graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,922 and $25,876 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa” ranking analyzed 11 colleges that offered a degree in public administration and social service. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent public administration and social service 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 public administration and social service program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The public administration & social service 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 Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa”.

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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa.

Top 11 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Public Administration & Social Service in Iowa

#1

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Northern Iowa landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Northern Iowa is located in Cedar Falls, Iowa and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 83 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our iowa bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students list, UNI has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UNI is $15,620 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Public Administration & Social Service students.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at University of Northern Iowa

#2

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Iowa. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa list. Iowa City, Iowa is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees to 54 students in 2019-2020.

Iowa also made our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for Iowa is $19,145 for iowa bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. 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%.

Full University of Iowa Public Administration & Social Service Report

#3

Briar Cliff University

Sioux City, Iowa
#5 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, Briar Cliff University landed the #3 spot on the list. Briar Cliff University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Sioux City, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 42 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Briar Cliff, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Briar Cliff is $20,604 for iowa bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Briar Cliff

#4

Loras College

Dubuque, Iowa
#3 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, Loras College landed the #4 spot on the list. Loras is located in Dubuque, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 19 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees to qualified students.

Loras not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. It costs about $20,676 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Public Administration & Social Service students per year to attend Loras.

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%.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Loras

#5

Grand View University

Des Moines, Iowa
#11 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, Grand View University landed the #5 spot on the list. Grand View University is located in Des Moines, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 47 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our iowa bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students list, Grand View University has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Grand View University is $19,826 for iowa bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Grand View University

#6

Upper Iowa University

Fayette, Iowa
#8 in overall quality

Upper Iowa University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa ranking, coming in at #6. This small school is located in Fayette, Iowa, and it awarded 109 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.

UIU also took the #8 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Upper Iowa University is $21,624 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Public Administration & Social Service students.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at UIU

#7

Dordt University

Sioux Center, Iowa
#7 in overall quality

Dordt University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa ranking. Dordt University is a small school located in Sioux Center, Iowa that handed out 17 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.

Dordt also took the #7 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Dordt is $25,102 for iowa bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Dordt University Public Administration & Social Service Report

#8

Mount Mercy University

Cedar Rapids, Iowa
#6 in overall quality

Mount Mercy University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa ranking, coming in at #8. Cedar Rapids, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees to 11 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our iowa bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students list, Mount Mercy has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $20,857 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Public Administration & Social Service students per year to attend Mount Mercy University.

The low student loan default rate of 4.3% 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 Public Administration & Social Service at Mount Mercy

#9

Buena Vista University

Storm Lake, Iowa
#10 in overall quality

Buena Vista University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa ranking, coming in at #9. This small school is located in Storm Lake, Iowa, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.

BVU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. It costs about $17,544 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Public Administration & Social Service students per year to attend Buena Vista 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.

Read more about Public Administration & Social Service at BVU

#10

Luther College

Decorah, Iowa
#4 in overall quality

Luther College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa ranking. Decorah, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees to 12 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Luther, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Luther College is $23,620 for iowa bachelor’s degree public administration & social service 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 full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Luther

#11

Wartburg College

Waverly, Iowa
#9 in overall quality

Wartburg College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa ranking. Wartburg College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Waverly, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Wartburg not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. The estimated yearly cost for Wartburg is $21,787 for iowa bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Wartburg Public Administration & Social Service Report

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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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