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2022 Best Value Colleges for Social Work (Income $48-$75k) in Iowa

11 Ranked Colleges
465 Degrees Awarded
Best Value Social Work Schools in Iowa For Those Making $48-$75k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Social Work Schools in Iowa For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 57,618 people earned their degree in social work, making the major the 12th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, social work graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $36,459 and had an average of $30,084 in loans still to pay off.

Across Iowa, there were 465 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,950 and $28,476 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Social Work Schools in Iowa For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, we looked at 11 colleges that offer a degree in social work. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great social work programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the social work program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The social work school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Social Work Schools in Iowa For Those Making $48-$75k”.

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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Social Work Schools in Iowa For Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Social Work Schools in Iowa For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 11 Best Value Colleges for Social Work (Income $48-$75k) in Iowa

#1

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Northern Iowa. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Social Work Schools in Iowa For Those Making $48-$75k. UNI is a public institution located in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 103 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our iowa social work students whose families make $48-$75k list, UNI has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Social Work Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UNI is $15,729 for iowa social work students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Full UNI Social Work Report

#2

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Iowa. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools in Iowa For Those Making $48-$75k list. Iowa is located in Iowa City, Iowa and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 164 ’s social work degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our iowa social work students whose families make $48-$75k list, Iowa has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Social Work Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $18,272 for Iowa Social Work students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Iowa.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, 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 students.

Full Iowa Social Work Report

#3

Loras College

Dubuque, Iowa

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools in Iowa For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Loras College landed the #3 spot on the list. This small school is located in Dubuque, Iowa, and it awarded 19 ’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our iowa social work students whose families make $48-$75k list, Loras has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Social Work Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Loras College is $18,438 for Iowa Social Work students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.2% 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%.

Read more about Social Work at Loras College

#4

Buena Vista University

Storm Lake, Iowa

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Buena Vista University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools in Iowa For Those Making $48-$75k list. BVU is located in Storm Lake, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 7 ’s social work degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our iowa social work students whose families make $48-$75k list, BVU has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Social Work Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend BVU is $15,292 for Iowa Social Work students whose families make $48-$75k.

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.

Read full report on Social Work at Buena Vista University

#5

Mount Mercy University

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools in Iowa For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Mount Mercy University landed the #5 spot on the list. Cedar Rapids, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s social work degrees to 11 students in 2019-2020.

Mount Mercy not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Social Work Schools in Iowa” list. The yearly cost to attend Mount Mercy University is $20,957 for Iowa Social Work students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.3% 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 Mount Mercy Social Work Report

#6

Briar Cliff University

Sioux City, Iowa

Briar Cliff University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools in Iowa For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Briar Cliff University is located in Sioux City, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 42 ’s social work degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Briar Cliff, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Social Work Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Briar Cliff is $18,662 for Iowa Social Work students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Social Work at Briar Cliff

#7

Luther College

Decorah, Iowa

With a ranking of #7, Luther College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools in Iowa For Those Making $48-$75k list. This small school is located in Decorah, Iowa, and it awarded 12 ’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

Luther also made our “Best Social Work Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $19,852 for Iowa Social Work students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Luther College.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Luther Social Work Report

#8

Grand View University

Des Moines, Iowa

Grand View University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools in Iowa For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Des Moines, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 15 degrees to qualified ’s social work students in 2019-2020.

Grand View University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Social Work Schools in Iowa” list. It costs about $18,213 for iowa social work students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Grand View University.

Read more about Social Work at Grand View University

#9

Dordt University

Sioux Center, Iowa

Dordt University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools in Iowa For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #9. This small school is located in Sioux Center, Iowa, and it awarded 14 ’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

Dordt did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Social Work Schools in Iowa” list. The estimated yearly cost for Dordt is $22,821 for iowa social work students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Dordt Social Work Report

#10

Wartburg College

Waverly, Iowa

Wartburg College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools in Iowa For Those Making $48-$75k list. Wartburg College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Waverly, Iowa. It awarded 9 ’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

Wartburg also made our “Best Social Work Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #8. The estimated yearly cost for Wartburg is $18,418 for iowa social work students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Social Work at Wartburg College

#11

Saint Ambrose University

Davenport, Iowa

With a ranking of #11, Saint Ambrose University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools in Iowa For Those Making $48-$75k list. Saint Ambrose University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Davenport, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 20 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

St. Ambrose University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Social Work Schools in Iowa” list. The yearly cost to attend St. Ambrose University is $27,002 for Iowa Social Work students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full Saint Ambrose University Social Work Report

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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