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2022 Best Value Communications Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k

14 Ranked Colleges
532 Degrees Awarded
$16,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Communications Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k

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 Communications Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

With 68,079 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, communication and media studies is the 9th most popular major in the United States. In 2017-2018, communication and media studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $32,728 and had an average of $24,931 in loans still to pay off.

Across Iowa, there were 532 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,980 and $27,392 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Communications Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 14 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in communication and media studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality communication and media studies 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 communication and media studies program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Communication & Media Studies Schools

The communications 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 Communications Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k”.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Communications Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Communications Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 14 Best Value Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $0-$30k) in Iowa

Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Communications Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Iowa State University landed the #1 spot on the list. Iowa State is a public institution located in Ames, Iowa. The school has a large population, and it awarded 78 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Iowa State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Iowa” list. It costs about $10,054 for Iowa Communications students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Iowa State University.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Iowa State

#2

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Northern Iowa. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Communications Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k list. UNI is a medium-sized school located in Cedar Falls, Iowa that handed out 66 ’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

UNI did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Iowa” list. It costs about $10,757 for Iowa Communications students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UNI.

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 Communication & Media Studies at University of Northern Iowa

#3

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa

Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Communications Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Iowa landed the #3 spot on the list. University of Iowa is a large school located in Iowa City, Iowa that handed out 211 ’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Iowa, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Iowa is $12,975 for iowa communications students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at University of Iowa

#4

Central College

Pella, Iowa

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Central College. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Communications Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k. Central is located in Pella, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 7 ’s communications degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our iowa communications students whose families make $0-$30k list, Central has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Central is $19,172 for iowa communications students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Central

#5

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 #5 for the Best Value Communications Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k. Loras is a small school located in Dubuque, Iowa that handed out 14 ’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

Loras not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Iowa” list. It costs about $16,154 for iowa communications students whose families make $0-$30k 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%.

Full Loras Communication & Media Studies Report

#6

Coe College

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Coe College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. Coe is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 9 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Coe, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Coe College is $14,590 for iowa communications students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Coe

#7

Wartburg College

Waverly, Iowa

Wartburg College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Wartburg College is located in Waverly, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13 ’s communications degrees to qualified students.

Wartburg did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Iowa” list. It costs about $16,334 for iowa communications students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Wartburg.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Wartburg College

#13 in overall quality

Maharishi International University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Fairfield, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s communications degrees to 3 students in 2019-2020.

MIU also took the #13 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for MIU is $12,278 for Iowa Communications students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at MIU

With a ranking of #9, Graceland University - Lamoni did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Lamoni, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 9 degrees to qualified ’s communications students in 2019-2020.

Graceland Lamoni also took the #11 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Graceland Lamoni is $15,015 for iowa communications students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Graceland Lamoni

#10

Drake University

Des Moines, Iowa

Drake University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Des Moines, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s communications degrees to 20 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Drake, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $25,212 for iowa communications students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Drake University.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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. 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 Communication & Media Studies at Drake University

#11

Luther College

Decorah, Iowa

Luther College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Luther is a small school located in Decorah, Iowa that handed out 20 ’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

Luther not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Iowa” list. The yearly cost to attend Luther is $16,636 for iowa communications 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%.

Full Luther Communication & Media Studies Report

#12

Saint Ambrose University

Davenport, Iowa

Saint Ambrose University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Saint Ambrose University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Davenport, Iowa. It awarded 5 ’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

St. Ambrose University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Iowa” list. The estimated yearly cost for St. Ambrose University is $23,977 for Iowa Communications students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at St. Ambrose University

#13

University of Dubuque

Dubuque, Iowa

University of Dubuque ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Dubuque is a small school located in Dubuque, Iowa that handed out 27 ’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

UD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Iowa” list. It costs about $19,369 for Iowa Communications students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Dubuque.

Full University of Dubuque Communication & Media Studies Report

#14

Waldorf University

Forest City, Iowa

Waldorf University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k list. Waldorf University is a private for-profit institution located in Forest City, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 13 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Waldorf did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Iowa” list. The yearly cost to attend Waldorf University is $19,719 for iowa communications students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Waldorf University

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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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