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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $48-$75k) in Iowa

13 Ranked Colleges
486 Degrees Awarded
$36,980 Avg Salary
Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor's in Iowa For Those Making $48-$75k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 68,079 communication and media studies students received their degree, making the major the 9th most popular in the country. 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. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 486 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,922 and $25,876 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, we looked at 13 colleges that offer a degree 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.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the communication and media studies 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 Communication & Media Studies Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $48-$75k

The colleges and universities below are the best for iowa bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

Top 13 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $48-$75k) in Iowa

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Iowa State University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $48-$75k list. This large school is located in Ames, Iowa, and it awarded 78 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Iowa State, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Iowa State University is $14,161 for iowa bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 3.3% 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 Communication & Media Studies at Iowa State

#2

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Northern Iowa landed the #2 spot on the list. University of Northern Iowa is a public institution located in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 56 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UNI did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Northern Iowa is $15,729 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 3.6% 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 UNI Communication & Media Studies Report

#3

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Iowa landed the #3 spot on the list. Iowa City, Iowa is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s communications degrees to 203 students in 2019-2020.

Iowa also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #1. The yearly cost to attend University of Iowa is $18,272 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%.

Full Iowa Communication & Media Studies Report

#4

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 #4 for the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $48-$75k. This small school is located in Dubuque, Iowa, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

Loras also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #5. The yearly cost to attend Loras College is $18,438 for iowa bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

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

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Maharishi International University landed the #5 spot on the list. Maharishi International University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Fairfield, Iowa. It awarded 3 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

MIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. The estimated yearly cost for MIU is $12,835 for iowa bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Maharishi International University Communication & Media Studies Report

#6

Central College

Pella, Iowa

Central College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #6. Central is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Pella, Iowa. It awarded 7 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

Central did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. The estimated yearly cost for Central College is $19,495 for iowa bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Central College Communication & Media Studies Report

#7

Coe College

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Coe College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 9 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s communications students in 2019-2020.

Coe also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #9. It costs about $18,375 for iowa bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Coe College.

The low student loan default rate of 3.1% 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 Communication & Media Studies at Coe College

#8

Luther College

Decorah, Iowa

Luther College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Luther College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Decorah, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Luther did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. The yearly cost to attend Luther is $19,852 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 Communication & Media Studies at Luther

#9

Wartburg College

Waverly, Iowa

Wartburg College landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Wartburg College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Waverly, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Wartburg not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. The yearly cost to attend Wartburg is $18,418 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 Communication & Media Studies at Wartburg

With a ranking of #10, Graceland University - Lamoni did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $48-$75k list. Graceland Lamoni is located in Lamoni, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 9 bachelors’s communications degrees to qualified students.

Graceland Lamoni also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #10. It costs about $18,800 for iowa bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Graceland Lamoni.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Graceland University - Lamoni

#11

Saint Ambrose University

Davenport, Iowa

Saint Ambrose University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #11. Saint Ambrose University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Davenport, Iowa. It awarded 5 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at St. Ambrose University, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for St. Ambrose University is $27,002 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full St. Ambrose University Communication & Media Studies Report

#12

Waldorf University

Forest City, Iowa

With a ranking of #12, Waldorf University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $48-$75k list. Waldorf is a small school located in Forest City, Iowa that handed out 9 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

Waldorf did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. The estimated yearly cost for Waldorf is $21,059 for iowa bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full Waldorf Communication & Media Studies Report

#13

University of Dubuque

Dubuque, Iowa

University of Dubuque came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Dubuque, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s communications degrees to 23 students in 2019-2020.

UD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Dubuque is $28,437 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at UD

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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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