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2025 Best Education Schools in Iowa

20 Colleges in Iowa
3,922 Education Degrees Awarded
$53,180 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on majoring in education, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #4 in the country in terms of popularity. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

College Factual looked at 20 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Education Schools in Iowa ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 3,922 degrees in education annually.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Education School

Best Education Schools in Iowa Your choice of education school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Education School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your Education Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Education
Bachelor's Degrees in Education
Master's Degrees in Education
Doctor's Degrees in Education

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Education Schools in Iowa ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

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.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Education in Iowa

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the education degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Iowa Schools in Education

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
626 Education Degrees Awarded
$45,227 Median Starting Salary

It is hard to beat University of Northern Iowa if you wish to pursue a degree in education. Located in the small city of Cedar Falls, UNI is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #270 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UNI is a great university overall.

There were about 626 education students who graduated with this degree at UNI in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the education program make about $45,227 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in education from University of Northern Iowa

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
425 Education Degrees Awarded
$47,403 Median Starting Salary

Every student who is interested in education needs to check out Iowa State University. Located in the small city of Ames, Iowa State is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #88 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Iowa State is a great university overall.

There were about 425 education students who graduated with this degree at Iowa State in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, education degree recipients generally make about $47,403 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in education from Iowa State University

3
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
410 Education Degrees Awarded
$53,123 Median Starting Salary

It's hard to beat University of Iowa if you want to pursue a degree in education. Iowa is a very large public university located in the small city of Iowa City. A Best Colleges rank of #80 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Iowa is a great university overall.

There were roughly 410 education students who graduated with this degree at Iowa in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the education program report average early career wages of $53,123.

More information about a degree in education from University of Iowa

4
Drake crest
Drake University
Des Moines, IA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
276 Education Degrees Awarded
$56,263 Median Starting Salary

Drake University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in education. Located in the city of Des Moines, Drake is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #340 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Drake is a great university overall.

There were about 276 education students who graduated with this degree at Drake in the most recent year we have data available. Education degree recipients from Drake University get an earnings boost of about $3,083 over the average income of education majors.

More information about a degree in education from Drake University

5
NWC crest
Northwestern College
Orange City, IA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
312 Education Degrees Awarded
$49,955 Median Starting Salary

Located in the distant town of Orange City, NWC is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 18th out of 37 colleges for overall quality in the state of Iowa.

There were roughly 312 education students who graduated with this degree at NWC in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the education program make about $49,955 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in education from Northwestern College

6
Morningside crest
Morningside College
Sioux City, IA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
341 Education Degrees Awarded
$56,638 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Sioux City, Morningside is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #744 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Morningside is a great college overall.

There were about 341 education students who graduated with this degree at Morningside in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the education major at Morningside College earn $3,458 above the standard college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in education from Morningside College

7
Dordt crest
Dordt University
Sioux Center, IA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
152 Education Degrees Awarded
$39,749 Median Starting Salary

Located in the remote town of Sioux Center, Dordt is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 19th out of 37 schools for overall quality in the state of Iowa.

There were approximately 152 education students who graduated with this degree at Dordt in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the education program state that they receive average early career earnings of $39,749.

More information about a degree in education from Dordt University

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
52 Education Degrees Awarded
$46,575 Median Starting Salary

Located in the midsize city of Davenport, St. Ambrose University is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #756 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means St. Ambrose University is a great university overall.

There were roughly 52 education students who graduated with this degree at St. Ambrose University in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the education program state that they receive average early career income of $46,575.

More information about a degree in education from Saint Ambrose University

9
Wartburg crest
Wartburg College
Waverly, IA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
44 Education Degrees Awarded
$45,344 Median Starting Salary

Located in the town of Waverly, Wartburg is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 15th out of 37 colleges for overall quality in the state of Iowa.

There were roughly 44 education students who graduated with this degree at Wartburg in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the education program state that they receive average early career income of $45,344.

More information about a degree in education from Wartburg College

10
Luther crest
Luther College
Decorah, IA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$45,691 Median Starting Salary

Luther is a small private not-for-profit college located in the town of Decorah. A Best Colleges rank of #734 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Luther is a great college overall.

There were roughly 22 education students who graduated with this degree at Luther in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the education program state that they receive average early career income of $45,691.

More information about a degree in education from Luther College

Best Education Colleges in the Plains States Region

Explore all the Best Education Schools in the Plains States Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Kansas 38 4,511
Minnesota 38 8,358
South Dakota 38 1,043
Missouri 38 7,228
Nebraska 36 3,897
North Dakota 35 1,234

View All Rankings >

Education Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Teacher Education Grade Specific 1,741
Teacher Education Subject Specific 802
Educational Administration 423
Special Education 304
General Education 241
Student Counseling 140
Curriculum & Instruction 132
Teaching English or French 62
Educational Assessment 30
Other Education 26

View All Education Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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