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2023 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts in Iowa

15 Ranked Colleges
413 Degrees Awarded
$30,000 Avg Cost*
Schools for a Bachelor's Highly Focused on Liberal Studies Major in Iowa

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Studies Major in Iowa” ranking - to help you make that decision.

Liberal Arts is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 2nd of all the majors we analyze. In 2021-2022, 354,866 degrees were awarded to students with this major.

Across Iowa, there were 4,966 liberal arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 413 liberal arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,399 and $23,237 respectively.

For this year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Studies Major in Iowa” ranking, we looked at 15 colleges that offer a degree in liberal arts. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their liberal arts program is one of the largest majors offered 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 “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Studies Major in Iowa” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Studies Major in Iowa

The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Studies Major in Iowa”.

Top 15 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts in Iowa

1
Simpson College crest
Simpson College
Indianola, Iowa

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Simpson College. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Studies Major in Iowa. Located in Indianola, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 20 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal studies students in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.8% 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%.

Full Simpson College Liberal Arts Report

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Maharishi International University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Studies Major in Iowa list. Located in Fairfield, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 29 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal studies students in 2021-2022.

Full Maharishi International University Liberal Arts Report

3
Grand View University crest
Grand View University
Des Moines, Iowa

Out of the 15 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Studies Major in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, Grand View University landed the #3 spot on the list. Des Moines, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to 20 students in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Grand View University Liberal Arts Report

4
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Iowa. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Studies Major in Iowa. Iowa is a large school located in Iowa City, Iowa that handed out 183 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2021-2022.

With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.2% 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 Iowa Liberal Arts Report

5

Out of the 15 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Studies Major in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Northern Iowa landed the #5 spot on the list. UNI is a public institution located in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 53 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Liberal Arts at UNI

6
Dordt crest
Dordt University
Sioux Center, Iowa

Dordt University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Studies Major in Iowa ranking, coming in at #6. Dordt is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Sioux Center, Iowa. It awarded 4 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Dordt Liberal Arts Report

7
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Mount Mercy University
Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Mount Mercy University ranked #7 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Studies Major in Iowa list. Cedar Rapids, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to 12 students in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Liberal Arts at Mount Mercy

8

University of Dubuque ranked #8 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Studies Major in Iowa list. This small school is located in Dubuque, Iowa, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full University of Dubuque Liberal Arts Report

9

Iowa State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Studies Major in Iowa ranking, coming in at #9. Iowa State University is a large public school situated in Ames, Iowa. It awarded 70 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Liberal Arts at Iowa State

10

Upper Iowa University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Studies Major in Iowa ranking, coming in at #10. Upper Iowa University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Fayette, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Liberal Arts at Upper Iowa University

11
Loras crest
Loras College
Dubuque, Iowa

With a ranking of #11, Loras College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Studies Major in Iowa list. Dubuque, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to 0 students in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% 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 Liberal Arts Report

12
Clarke crest
Clarke University
Dubuque, Iowa

Clarke University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Studies Major in Iowa ranking, coming in at #12. Clarke is a private not-for-profit institution located in Dubuque, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Clarke University Liberal Arts Report

13
Drake crest
Drake University
Des Moines, Iowa

Drake University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Studies Major in Iowa ranking. Drake University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Des Moines, Iowa. It awarded 5 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.8% 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%.

Full Drake University Liberal Arts Report

14
NWC crest
Northwestern College
Orange City, Iowa

Northwestern College ranked #14 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Studies Major in Iowa list. Northwestern College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Orange City, Iowa. It awarded 3 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Liberal Arts at Northwestern College

14
Cornell College crest
Cornell College
Mount Vernon, Iowa

Cornell College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Studies Major in Iowa ranking, coming in at #14. This small school is located in Mount Vernon, Iowa, and it awarded 0 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% 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 Liberal Arts at Cornell College

Notes and References

References

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