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2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid

15 Ranked Colleges
1,247 Degrees Awarded
$20,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 121,387 people earned their degree in communication and journalism, making the major the 11th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, communication and journalism graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $32,549 and had an average of $24,893 in loans still to pay off.

Across Iowa, there were 1,247 communication and journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,065 and $24,847 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 15 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in communication and journalism. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality communication and journalism 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 journalism program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Communication & Journalism Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid” 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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for iowa communication & journalism students with aid.

Top 15 Best Value Colleges for Communication & Journalism in Iowa (With Aid)

#1

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa

Out of the 15 schools in the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Iowa landed the #1 spot on the list. Iowa City, Iowa is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s communication and journalism degrees to 409 students in 2019-2020.

Iowa not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Schools in Iowa” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Iowa is $19,145 for Iowa Communication & Journalism students with aid.

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

Read full report on Communication & Journalism at University of Iowa

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Iowa State University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid. Ames, Iowa is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s communication and journalism degrees to 293 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Iowa State, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Communication & Journalism Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Iowa State University is $15,496 for iowa communication & journalism students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Iowa State University Communication & Journalism Report

#3

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa

Out of the 15 schools in the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Northern Iowa landed the #3 spot on the list. UNI is a medium-sized public school situated in Cedar Falls, Iowa. It awarded 155 ’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

UNI not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Schools in Iowa” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Northern Iowa is $15,620 for Iowa Communication & Journalism students with aid.

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%.

Full University of Northern Iowa Communication & Journalism Report

#4

Central College

Pella, Iowa

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Central College. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid list. Central College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Pella, Iowa. It awarded 7 ’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

Central also took the #7 spot in our “Best Communication & Journalism Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $23,269 for iowa communication & journalism students with aid per year to attend Central.

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 & Journalism at Central

#5

Loras College

Dubuque, Iowa

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Loras College. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid list. Dubuque, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s communication and journalism degrees to 26 students in 2019-2020.

Loras also made our “Best Communication & Journalism Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend Loras College is $20,676 for Iowa Communication & Journalism students with aid.

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 Communication & Journalism at Loras

#14 in overall quality

Maharishi International University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid ranking. Maharishi International University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Fairfield, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 3 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

MIU also made our “Best Communication & Journalism Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #14. It costs about $12,441 for iowa communication & journalism students with aid per year to attend Maharishi International University.

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%.

Full MIU Communication & Journalism Report

#7

Coe College

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Coe College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid list. This small school is located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and it awarded 18 ’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

Coe did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Schools in Iowa” list. It costs about $19,955 for iowa communication & journalism students with aid per year to attend Coe College.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communication & Journalism at Coe College

Graceland University - Lamoni landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid ranking. Graceland Lamoni is a small school located in Lamoni, Iowa that handed out 9 ’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

Graceland Lamoni did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Schools in Iowa” list. It costs about $17,650 for Iowa Communication & Journalism students with aid per year to attend Graceland University - Lamoni.

Read more about Communication & Journalism at Graceland Lamoni

#9

Buena Vista University

Storm Lake, Iowa

Buena Vista University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #9. This small school is located in Storm Lake, Iowa, and it awarded 11 ’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

BVU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Schools in Iowa” list. The estimated yearly cost for Buena Vista University is $17,544 for Iowa Communication & Journalism students with aid.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read full report on Communication & Journalism at Buena Vista University

#10

Luther College

Decorah, Iowa

Luther College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid list. Luther is a private not-for-profit institution located in Decorah, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 20 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Luther, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Communication & Journalism Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Luther is $23,620 for Iowa Communication & Journalism students with aid.

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 & Journalism at Luther College

#11

Wartburg College

Waverly, Iowa

Wartburg College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #11. Located in Waverly, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 13 degrees to qualified ’s communication and journalism students in 2019-2020.

Wartburg also took the #8 spot in our “Best Communication & Journalism Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Wartburg is $21,787 for Iowa Communication & Journalism students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 4.6% 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%.

Read more about Communication & Journalism at Wartburg

#12

Drake University

Des Moines, Iowa

Drake University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #12. Drake is a private not-for-profit institution located in Des Moines, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 100 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Drake also made our “Best Communication & Journalism Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $29,432 for iowa communication & journalism students with aid per year to attend Drake.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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 & Journalism at Drake University

#13

Saint Ambrose University

Davenport, Iowa

Saint Ambrose University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #13. St. Ambrose University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Davenport, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 13 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

St. Ambrose University also took the #10 spot in our “Best Communication & Journalism Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend St. Ambrose University is $26,204 for Iowa Communication & Journalism students with aid.

Read more about Communication & Journalism at Saint Ambrose University

#14

Waldorf University

Forest City, Iowa

Waldorf University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #14. Waldorf University is a small private for-profit school situated in Forest City, Iowa. It awarded 13 ’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

Waldorf not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Schools in Iowa” list. It costs about $20,036 for iowa communication & journalism students with aid per year to attend Waldorf University.

Full Waldorf University Communication & Journalism Report

#15

University of Dubuque

Dubuque, Iowa

University of Dubuque came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid ranking. UD is located in Dubuque, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 27 ’s communication and journalism degrees to qualified students.

UD also took the #13 spot in our “Best Communication & Journalism Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UD is $26,748 for Iowa Communication & Journalism students with aid.

Full UD Communication & Journalism Report

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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