2025 Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Iowa
If you pursue a bachelor's degree in
nursing, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #2 most popular program in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.
In 2025, College Factual analyzed 16 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Iowa ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 1,169 bachelor's degrees in nursing to qualified students.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
Choosing a Great Nursing School for Your Bachelor's Degree
The nursing bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality nursing program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
Overall Quality Is a Must
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
Average Early-Career Salaries
Average early-career salary of those graduating with their bachelor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your bachelor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.
Other Factors We Consider
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
- Major Focus - How much a school focuses on nursing students vs. other majors.
- Major Demand - The number of nursing students who choose to seek a bachelor's degree at the school.
- Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
- Student Debt - How easy is it for nursing to pay back their student loans after receiving their bachelor's degree.
- Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized nursing related body.
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for nursing students working on their bachelor's degree.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Iowa list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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.
Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Nursing in Iowa
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in nursing.
10 Top Iowa Schools for a Bachelor's in Nursing
It's hard to beat University of Iowa if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in nursing. Iowa is a very large public university located in the small city of Iowa City.
Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the nursing program earn about $69,368 for their early career.
More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from University of Iowa
Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in nursing needs to look into Allen College. Located in the small city of Waterloo, Allen College is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
After graduating, nursing bachelor's recipients generally make around $65,924 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from Allen College
Mercy College of Health Sciences is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in nursing. Located in the midsize city of Des Moines, Mercy College of Health Sciences is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the nursing program earn around $66,309 in the first couple years of their career.
More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from Mercy College of Health Sciences
It is difficult to beat Iowa State University if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in nursing. Located in the small city of Ames, Iowa State is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from Iowa State University
Graceland Lamoni is a small private not-for-profit university located in the rural area of Lamoni.
Soon after graduating, nursing bachelor's recipients usually earn around $66,955 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from Graceland University - Lamoni