by our College Data Analytics TeamThere are lots of options to choose from today when trying to decide which school 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 Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Iowa ranking is part of that endeavor. This list is proof that you shouldn't avoid normally high-priced schools, since the actual price may be very affordable if you qualify for financial aid.
In This Year's Value Report:
After analyzing 18 schools in Iowa, we came up with our list of those that offered the best value Associate Degree programs. Our ranking for the best value schools is based on objective factors. We steer clear of subjective measures since they don't give a clear picture when determining how one school compares to another. In the next few paragraphs, we'll talk a little about what we use in our analysis and why.
The first step of determing the value of a school in our Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Iowa ranking is to look at the school's average net price for students with families that make $30-$48k a year. The net price is the sum of tuition, fees, and room and board minus any financial aid awarded to the student. In addition, the overall quality of a school is important to ensure a good education, not just how much it costs.
To make it into this list a school must offer a quality education like the schools in our Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considers factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
Find out more about our best value ranking methodology.
You can scroll down to see the top schools for this ranking, but you may also want to view some of the other ranking methods listed below.
Know what field you want to major in? Make sure you check out our best value schools by major. In addition, you can select one of the links below to see the best value colleges for other degree levels.
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Des Moines Area Community College tops this year’s ranking as the best value (income $30-$48k) school for associate degrees in Iowa for overall quality. Ankeny, Iowa is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Des Moines Area Community College is ranked #1 for quality in the state of Iowa. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $8,682.
The quality degree programs at Western Iowa Tech Community College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Iowa. Western Iowa Tech Community College is located in Sioux City, Iowa and has a medium-sized student population. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Western Iowa Tech Community College is ranked #8 for quality in the state of Iowa. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $6,706.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Marshalltown Community College. It ranked #3 on our 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Iowa list. Located in Marshalltown, Iowa, the school is a small public institution.
Marshalltown Community College has the honor of being ranked #11 in Iowa for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $5,832.
The quality degree programs at Iowa Central Community College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Iowa. Iowa Central Community College is a medium-sized public school situated in Fort Dodge, Iowa.
Not only is Iowa Central Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #5 in Iowa for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $8,215.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Kirkwood Community College. It ranked #5 on our 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Iowa list. Located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the school is a fairly large public institution.
Not only is Kirkwood Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #6 in Iowa for overall quality. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $7,804.
With a ranking of #6, Indian Hills Community College did quite well on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Iowa list. Ottumwa, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Not only is Indian Hills Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #12 in Iowa for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $6,417.
Iowa Western Community College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Iowa ranking. Iowa Western Community College is a medium-sized public school situated in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
Not only is Iowa Western Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #4 in Iowa for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $9,928.
Northeast Iowa Community College landed the #8 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Iowa ranking. This small public school is located in Calmar, Iowa.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Northeast Iowa Community College is ranked #7 for quality in the state of Iowa. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $8,319.
With a ranking of #9, Southeastern Community College did quite well on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Iowa list. Southeastern Community College is a small public school located in West Burlington, Iowa.
Southeastern Community College has the honor of being ranked #15 in Iowa for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $6,483.
Northwest Iowa Community College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Iowa list. Sheldon, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Northwest Iowa Community College has the honor of being ranked #9 in Iowa for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $8,977.
North Iowa Area Community College did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Iowa ranking, coming in at #11. North Iowa Area Community College is located in Mason City, Iowa and has a small student population. It is a public school.
North Iowa Area Community College has the honor of being ranked #16 in Iowa for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $6,755.
Hawkeye Community College ranked #12 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Iowa list. Hawkeye Community College is a medium-sized public school located in Waterloo, Iowa.
Hawkeye Community College has the honor of being ranked #10 in Iowa for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $9,644.
Southwestern Community College ranked #13 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Iowa list. SWCC is located in Creston, Iowa and has a small student population. It is a public school.
Not only is Southwestern Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #14 in Iowa for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $8,545.
Eastern Iowa Community College District ranked #14 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Iowa list. This medium-sized public school is located in Davenport, Iowa.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Eastern Iowa Community College District is ranked #13 for quality in the state of Iowa. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $9,344.
Learn More About Value at Eastern Iowa Community College District
With a ranking of #15, Ellsworth Community College did quite well on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Iowa list. Ellsworth is a small public school situated in Iowa Falls, Iowa.
Ellsworth Community College has the honor of being ranked #18 in Iowa for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $10,080.
Waldorf University landed the #16 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Iowa ranking. Waldorf is a small private for-profit school situated in Forest City, Iowa.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Waldorf University is ranked #3 for quality in the state of Iowa. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $20,103.
Iowa Lakes Community College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Iowa ranking. Iowa Lakes Community College is a small public school located in Estherville, Iowa.
Not only is Iowa Lakes Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #17 in Iowa for overall quality. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $12,215.
Upper Iowa University did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Iowa ranking, coming in at #18. UIU is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Fayette, Iowa.
Upper Iowa University has the honor of being ranked #2 in Iowa for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $25,119.
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Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 18 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
