by our College Data Analytics TeamWhen pursuing a degree in today's world, there are many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our Best Master's Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Iowa ranking is part of that endeavor. A school that typically has a high sticker price may actually be very affordable, depending on how much need-based financial aid you receive.
See What's Included in This Value Report:
After analyzing 19 schools in Iowa, we came up with our list of those that offered the best value Master's Degree programs. Instead of depending on subjective information to rank the best value schools, we focus on objective factors in our analysis. We explain more about what we look at and why we do so below.
To calculate the value of a school in our Best Master's Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Iowa ranking, we first consider its average net price of students from families making $30-$48k a year. The net price is the sum of room and board, tuition, and fees minus any financial aid that that the student receives. But, a school that excels in providing value for your money must also be a great school overall as well.
To take this into account we consider a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a combination of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
We go into more detail on these factors on our best value ranking methodology page.
Keep scrolling for the top schools in this ranking or select one of the other rankings methods below.
If you know what major you want to study, check out our list of the best value schools by major. If you're interested in other degree levels, you can view one of the lists below.
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2024 rankings named Iowa State University the best value (income $30-$48k) school in Iowa for students working on their master’s degree. Located in Ames, Iowa, the school is a large public institution.
Iowa State University has the honor of being ranked #2 in Iowa for overall quality on top of being a good value.
The quality degree programs at University of Iowa helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Iowa. This large public school is located in Iowa City, Iowa.
Not only is University of Iowa a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in Iowa for overall quality.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Northern Iowa. It ranked #3 on our 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Iowa list. UNI is located in Cedar Falls, Iowa and has a medium-sized student population. It is a public school.
Not only is University of Northern Iowa a great value, but it is also ranked #4 in Iowa for overall quality.
A rank of #4 on our Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Iowa list means Maharishi International University is a great place for students working on their degree. MIU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Fairfield, Iowa.
Not only is Maharishi International University a great value, but it is also ranked #5 in Iowa for overall quality.
Out of the 19 master’s degree schools in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, Graceland University - Lamoni landed the #5 spot on the list. Graceland University - Lamoni is a small private not-for-profit school located in Lamoni, Iowa.
Not only is Graceland University - Lamoni a great value, but it is also ranked #9 in Iowa for overall quality.
Buena Vista University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Iowa list. Located in Storm Lake, Iowa, the school is a small private not-for-profit institution.
Not only is Buena Vista University a great value, but it is also ranked #13 in Iowa for overall quality.
Loras College landed the #7 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Iowa ranking. Loras is a private not-for-profit institution located in Dubuque, Iowa.
Not only is Loras College a great value, but it is also ranked #12 in Iowa for overall quality.
Northwestern College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Iowa ranking. NWC is a private not-for-profit institution located in Orange City, Iowa.
Not only is Northwestern College a great value, but it is also ranked #7 in Iowa for overall quality.
Morningside College did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Iowa ranking, coming in at #9. Morningside College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Sioux City, Iowa.
Morningside College has the honor of being ranked #6 in Iowa for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Briar Cliff University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Iowa list. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Sioux City, Iowa.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Briar Cliff University is ranked #15 for quality in the state of Iowa.
Drake University did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Iowa ranking, coming in at #11. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Des Moines, Iowa.
Not only is Drake University a great value, but it is also ranked #3 in Iowa for overall quality.
Mount Mercy University landed the #12 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Iowa ranking. Mount Mercy is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Not only is Mount Mercy University a great value, but it is also ranked #14 in Iowa for overall quality.
Saint Ambrose University did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Iowa ranking, coming in at #13. St. Ambrose University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Davenport, Iowa.
Not only is Saint Ambrose University a great value, but it is also ranked #8 in Iowa for overall quality.
Dordt University landed the #14 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Iowa ranking. Dordt is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Sioux Center, Iowa.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Dordt University is ranked #10 for quality in the state of Iowa.
Waldorf University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Iowa ranking. Waldorf University is a small private for-profit school located in Forest City, Iowa.
Not only is Waldorf University a great value, but it is also ranked #16 in Iowa for overall quality.
William Penn University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Iowa list. William Penn University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Oskaloosa, Iowa.
William Penn University has the honor of being ranked #18 in Iowa for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Upper Iowa University landed the #17 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Iowa ranking. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Fayette, Iowa.
Upper Iowa University has the honor of being ranked #11 in Iowa for overall quality on top of being a good value.
University of Dubuque came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Iowa ranking. University of Dubuque is a small private not-for-profit school located in Dubuque, Iowa.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of Dubuque is ranked #17 for quality in the state of Iowa.
Grand View University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Iowa list. Grand View University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Des Moines, Iowa.
Grand View University has the honor of being ranked #19 in Iowa for overall quality on top of being a good value.
View Best Value Master’s Degree Schools (Income $30-$48k) Nationwide >
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Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 19 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
