2026 Best Value General Social Sciences Schools in Iowa
[General Social Sciences](/majors/social-sciences/general-social-sciences/) is a field worth comparing on the balance of cost and outcomes. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 5 schools to find the best return on investment for general social sciences students.
What’s on this page:
2026 Best Value General Social Sciences Schools in Iowa
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in general social sciences, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value General Social Sciences Schools
Leading the list is Upper Iowa University, our #1 best value for general social sciences in Iowa. Located in the rural area of Fayette, Upper Iowa University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $19,475. General Social Sciences graduates carry a median of $25,805 in student loans. Early-career general social sciences graduates make about $56,221. Set against $25,805 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 96% of applicants are accepted.
Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 5 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.
- 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
