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2022 Best Value Colleges for General Education in Iowa (With Aid)

7 Ranked Colleges
94 Degrees Awarded
$21,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Education Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid

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 Education Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 29,936 people earned their degree in general education, making the major the 35th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, general education graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $47,138 and had an average of $29,674 in loans still to pay off.

Across Iowa, there were 94 general education graduates with average earnings and debt of $45,900 and $25,557 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Education Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 7 colleges that offer a degree in general education. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality general education 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 general education program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Education Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Education Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Education Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid.

Top 7 Best Value Colleges for General Education in Iowa (With Aid)

#1

Iowa State University

Ames, Iowa
#2 in overall quality
$15,496 Average Net Price
$46,410 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 7 schools in the Best Value Education Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Iowa State University landed the #1 spot on the list. Ames, Iowa is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s education degrees to 11 students in 2019-2020.

Iowa State also took the #2 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Iowa State University is $15,496 for iowa education students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. 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 General Education at Iowa State University

#2

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa
#1 in overall quality
$19,145 Average Net Price
$44,594 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 7 schools in the Best Value Education Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Iowa landed the #2 spot on the list. Iowa City, Iowa is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s education degrees to 26 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Iowa, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $19,145 for iowa education students with aid per year to attend Iowa.

With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 3.5% 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 General Education at University of Iowa

#3

Buena Vista University

Storm Lake, Iowa
#6 in overall quality
$17,544 Average Net Price
$38,082 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Buena Vista University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Education Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid list. Buena Vista University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Storm Lake, 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 BVU, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Buena Vista University is $17,544 for Iowa Education students with aid.

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.

Read full report on General Education at BVU

#4

Grand View University

Des Moines, Iowa
#5 in overall quality
$19,826 Average Net Price
$39,421 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Grand View University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Education Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid list. This small school is located in Des Moines, Iowa, and it awarded 16 ’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

Grand View University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best General Education Schools in Iowa” list. It costs about $19,826 for iowa education students with aid per year to attend Grand View University.

Full Grand View University General Education Report

#5

Loras College

Dubuque, Iowa
#3 in overall quality
$20,676 Average Net Price
$37,900 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 7 schools in the Best Value Education Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Loras College landed the #5 spot on the list. This small school is located in Dubuque, Iowa, and it awarded 1 ’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

Loras did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best General Education Schools in Iowa” list. The estimated yearly cost for Loras is $20,676 for Iowa Education students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Education at Loras College

#6

Dordt University

Sioux Center, Iowa
#4 in overall quality
$25,102 Average Net Price
$48,233 Average Early-Career Earnings

Dordt University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid list. Dordt is a small school located in Sioux Center, Iowa that handed out 1 ’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

Dordt also made our “Best General Education Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend Dordt University is $25,102 for iowa education students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 1.8% 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 General Education at Dordt University

#7

Clarke University

Dubuque, Iowa
#7 in overall quality
$34,204 Average Net Price
$46,825 Average Early-Career Earnings

With a ranking of #7, Clarke University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Dubuque, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 19 diplomas to qualified ’s education students in 2019-2020.

Clarke also took the #7 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $34,204 for iowa education students with aid per year to attend Clarke University.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. 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 General Education at Clarke

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.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to KOKUYO.

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