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2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k

10 Ranked Colleges
271 Degrees Awarded
$16,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor's in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Social Work is the 12th most popular major in the country with 57,618 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, social work graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $36,459 and had an average of $30,084 in loans still to pay off.

Across Iowa, there were 465 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,950 and $28,476 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 271 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,922 and $25,876 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 10 colleges that offered a degree in social work. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality social work 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 social work program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

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

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 10 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Social Work (Income $0-$30k) in Iowa

#1

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Northern Iowa landed the #1 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and it awarded 72 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

UNI did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Northern Iowa is $10,757 for iowa bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Social Work at UNI

#2

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 #2 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k. Iowa is a large school located in Iowa City, Iowa that handed out 54 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

Iowa not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. It costs about $12,975 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Iowa.

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

Full Iowa Social Work Report

#3

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 #3 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k. Dubuque, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 19 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our iowa bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k list, Loras has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Loras College is $16,154 for iowa bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%.

Full Loras College Social Work Report

#4

Buena Vista University

Storm Lake, Iowa

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Buena Vista University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k. BVU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Storm Lake, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

BVU also made our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #9. The estimated yearly cost for Buena Vista University is $14,210 for iowa bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k.

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.

Read more about Social Work at BVU

#5

Wartburg College

Waverly, Iowa

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Wartburg College. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k list. Wartburg is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Waverly, Iowa. It awarded 9 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

Wartburg did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. The estimated yearly cost for Wartburg College is $16,334 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 Social Work Report

#6

Briar Cliff University

Sioux City, Iowa

Briar Cliff University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Briar Cliff is a small school located in Sioux City, Iowa that handed out 42 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

Briar Cliff also made our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #5. The estimated yearly cost for Briar Cliff is $20,372 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Social Work at Briar Cliff

#7

Mount Mercy University

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Mount Mercy University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k list. Mount Mercy University is a small school located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa that handed out 11 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

Mount Mercy also made our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #6. The estimated yearly cost for Mount Mercy University is $13,992 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Social Work at Mount Mercy University

#8

Grand View University

Des Moines, Iowa
#10 in overall quality

Grand View University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. Grand View University is a small school located in Des Moines, Iowa that handed out 15 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

Grand View University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. The yearly cost to attend Grand View University is $18,481 for iowa bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Grand View University Social Work Report

#9

Luther College

Decorah, Iowa

Luther College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This small school is located in Decorah, Iowa, and it awarded 12 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

Luther also took the #4 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Luther College is $16,636 for iowa bachelor’s degree social work 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 Social Work at Luther

#10

Dordt University

Sioux Center, Iowa

Dordt University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #10. This small school is located in Sioux Center, Iowa, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our iowa bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k list, Dordt has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $24,967 for iowa bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Dordt University.

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 Social Work 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.

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