2027 Best Value Commercial & Advertising Art Schools in Iowa

[Commercial & Advertising Art](/majors/visual-and-performing-arts/design-and-applied-arts/commercial-and-advertising-art/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
College Factual analyzed 3 schools to build this 2027 ranking of the best value commercial & advertising art schools.
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2027 Best Value Commercial & Advertising Art Schools in Iowa
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in commercial & advertising art, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Commercial & Advertising Art Schools
For return on investment in commercial & advertising art, no school beat Des Moines Area Community College this year. Located in the suburb of Ankeny, Des Moines Area Community College is a very large public university. Students from in state pay about $5,790 in tuition and fees, compared with $6,690 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for commercial & advertising art graduates is $13,625. Commercial & Advertising Art graduates of Des Moines Area Community College earn a median of $25,265 early in their careers. Set against $13,625 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Upper Iowa University earned it the #2 place for commercial & advertising art. 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. Students borrow a median of $39,780 to complete the commercial & advertising art program here. Early-career commercial & advertising art graduates make about $31,122. That is a strong return on a $39,780 median debt. Upper Iowa University admits about 96% of applicants.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Drake University earned it the #3 place for commercial & advertising art. Set in the city of Des Moines, Drake University is a mid-sized private not-for-profit institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $51,960. Commercial & Advertising Art graduates carry a median of $22,273 in student loans. Commercial & Advertising Art graduates of Drake University earn a median of $56,228 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 64%.
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 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 · 3 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 3 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.