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2022 Best Value Political Science Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k

12 Ranked Colleges
449 Degrees Awarded
$15,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Political Science Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Political Science Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

Political Science & Government is the 21st most popular major in the country with 48,597 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, political science and government graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $33,977 and had an average of $22,822 in loans still to pay off.

Across Iowa, there were 449 political science and government graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,050 and $21,550 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Political Science Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 12 colleges that offer a degree in political science and government. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent political science and government programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the political science and government program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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 Value Political Science Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Political Science Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Political Science Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 12 Best Value Colleges for Political Science & Government (Income $0-$30k) in Iowa

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Iowa State University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Political Science Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Ames, Iowa, this large public school handed out 97 diplomas to qualified ’s political science students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our iowa political science students whose families make $0-$30k list, Iowa State has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Iowa State is $10,054 for iowa political science students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 Political Science & Government at Iowa State University

#2

Grinnell College

Grinnell, Iowa

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Grinnell College. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Political Science Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k. This small school is located in Grinnell, Iowa, and it awarded 49 ’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

Grinnell not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Iowa” list. It costs about $11,945 for iowa political science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Grinnell College.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Grinnell College Political Science & Government Report

#3

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Northern Iowa. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k list. This medium-sized school is located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and it awarded 29 ’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

UNI also took the #7 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Northern Iowa is $10,757 for Iowa Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at UNI

#4

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Iowa. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Iowa City, Iowa, this large public school awarded 148 diplomas to qualified ’s political science students in 2019-2020.

Iowa also took the #3 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Iowa is $12,975 for iowa political science students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Iowa

#5

Coe College

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Political Science Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Coe College landed the #5 spot on the list. Coe College is a small school located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa that handed out 16 ’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our iowa political science students whose families make $0-$30k list, Coe has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $14,590 for Iowa Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Coe College.

The low student loan default rate of 3.1% 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 more about Political Science & Government at Coe

#6

Wartburg College

Waverly, Iowa

With a ranking of #6, Wartburg College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k list. Wartburg is located in Waverly, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 ’s political science degrees to qualified students.

Wartburg also made our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #6. It costs about $16,334 for Iowa Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Wartburg College.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Wartburg

#7

Simpson College

Indianola, Iowa

Simpson College landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This small school is located in Indianola, Iowa, and it awarded 10 ’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

Simpson College also took the #9 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Simpson College is $15,357 for Iowa Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Political Science & Government at Simpson College

#8

Loras College

Dubuque, Iowa

Loras College landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Loras College is located in Dubuque, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 15 ’s political science degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Loras, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Loras is $16,154 for Iowa Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 full report on Political Science & Government at Loras College

#9

Central College

Pella, Iowa

Central College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Central is a private not-for-profit institution located in Pella, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 8 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our iowa political science students whose families make $0-$30k list, Central has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $19,172 for Iowa Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Central College.

The low student loan default rate of 2.8% 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 Political Science & Government at Central College

#10

Cornell College

Mount Vernon, Iowa
#11 in overall quality

With a ranking of #10, Cornell College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k list. Mount Vernon, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s political science degrees to 7 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our iowa political science students whose families make $0-$30k list, Cornell College has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cornell College is $20,458 for iowa political science students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Political Science & Government at Cornell College

#11

Luther College

Decorah, Iowa

Luther College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #11. Luther College is a small school located in Decorah, Iowa that handed out 17 ’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

Luther did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Iowa” list. The yearly cost to attend Luther College is $16,636 for iowa political science students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.2% 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 Luther Political Science & Government Report

#12

Drake University

Des Moines, Iowa

Drake University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #12. Drake University is a small school located in Des Moines, Iowa that handed out 21 ’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

Drake did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Iowa” list. The estimated yearly cost for Drake is $25,212 for iowa political science students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.2% 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%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Drake University

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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.

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