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2022 Best Value Colleges for Social Work (Income $30-$48k) in Iowa

11 Ranked Colleges
465 Degrees Awarded
$17,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Social Work Schools in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k” 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.

This year’s “Best Value Social Work Schools in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 11 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.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the social work program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Social Work 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 Social Work Schools in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k” 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Social Work Schools in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Social Work Schools in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 11 Best Value Colleges for Social Work (Income $30-$48k) in Iowa

#1

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 #1 for the Best Value Social Work Schools in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k. Located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, this medium-sized public school handed out 103 degrees to qualified ’s social work students in 2019-2020.

UNI also took the #2 spot in our “Best Social Work Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Northern Iowa is $12,495 for Iowa Social Work students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

Read more about Social Work at UNI

#2

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Iowa. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Iowa City, Iowa, this large public school awarded 164 degrees to qualified ’s social work students in 2019-2020.

Iowa also made our “Best Social Work Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #5. The yearly cost to attend Iowa is $15,073 for iowa social work students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

Read more about Social Work at Iowa

#3

Buena Vista University

Storm Lake, Iowa

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Buena Vista University landed the #3 spot on the list. BVU is located in Storm Lake, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 7 ’s social work degrees to qualified students.

BVU also took the #9 spot in our “Best Social Work Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $12,773 for iowa social work students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend BVU.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on Social Work at BVU

#4

Briar Cliff University

Sioux City, Iowa

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Briar Cliff University landed the #4 spot on the list. Briar Cliff is a private not-for-profit institution located in Sioux City, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 42 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our iowa social work students whose families make $30-$48k list, Briar Cliff has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Social Work Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Briar Cliff is $20,688 for iowa social work students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full Briar Cliff Social Work Report

#5

Mount Mercy University

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Mount Mercy University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k list. This small school is located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and it awarded 11 ’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our iowa social work students whose families make $30-$48k list, Mount Mercy has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Social Work Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Mount Mercy University is $15,098 for Iowa Social Work students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 more about Social Work at Mount Mercy

#6

Loras College

Dubuque, Iowa

Loras College landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This small school is located in Dubuque, Iowa, and it awarded 19 ’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Loras, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Social Work Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Loras is $17,094 for iowa social work students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 more about Social Work at Loras

#7

Wartburg College

Waverly, Iowa

Wartburg College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #7. Wartburg College is located in Waverly, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 9 ’s social work degrees to qualified students.

Wartburg did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Social Work Schools in Iowa” list. The yearly cost to attend Wartburg College is $19,037 for Iowa Social Work students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%.

Read full report on Social Work at Wartburg College

#8

Luther College

Decorah, Iowa

Luther College landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Luther College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Decorah, Iowa. It awarded 12 ’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Luther, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Social Work Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Luther is $17,630 for Iowa Social Work students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%.

Read more about Social Work at Luther

#9

Dordt University

Sioux Center, Iowa

Dordt University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #9. Dordt University is located in Sioux Center, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 14 ’s social work degrees to qualified students.

Dordt not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Social Work Schools in Iowa” list. The yearly cost to attend Dordt is $22,177 for Iowa Social Work students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.8% 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 Work at Dordt University

#10

Grand View University

Des Moines, Iowa

Grand View University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This small school is located in Des Moines, Iowa, and it awarded 15 ’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

Grand View University also made our “Best Social Work Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #11. The estimated yearly cost for Grand View University is $19,245 for iowa social work students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Social Work at Grand View University

#11

Saint Ambrose University

Davenport, Iowa

Saint Ambrose University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #11. Saint Ambrose University is located in Davenport, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 20 ’s social work degrees to qualified students.

St. Ambrose University also took the #10 spot in our “Best Social Work Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Saint Ambrose University is $24,516 for iowa social work students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Social Work at Saint Ambrose 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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